Bob (Stranger, Menzie's Bob)
Imported St. John's Waterdog
Country of origin: Unknown
Country of residence: United Kingdom
N.B.-Boatswain was from the eleventh Earl of Home ; Nell was from the fifth Duke of Buccleuch. Since those mentioned above, so far as can be ascertained, only two imported dogs have been used, viz : The Hon. D. H. Cairns' Hero; and Mr. W. Steuart Menzies' Stranger or Bob. Hero belonged to a retired sea captain. When the Captain died in 1900 his son wished to find a home for the old dog, which he said had been brought by his father from Newfoundland. After having him at Langholm Lodge for a period on approval Mr. Cairns bought him for a trifling sum. Hero was a real water dog, but quite untrained as a retriever. His coat was dense, and he looked coarser than those from Lord Malmesbury.
In August, 1908, Mr. W. Steuart Menzies of Culdares saw what he was sure was a Labrador on the quay at Trondhjem in Norway. He was told that the mother had been brought over from North America in whelp. He bought the dog, “which had to undergo six months' quarantine, and called him Stranger, although at home he was known as Bob. He was rather rough in the coat, had a wonderful nose, but did not retrieve, never having been broken. He stood over a bird until it was picked up. All the above mentioned have been derived directly or from dogs imported ; but there is one which may for convenience be counted as of the foundation, although she never was claimed to be a Labrador. Lord Grimston, afterwards third Earl of Verulam, son-in-law of Sir Frederick Graham, procured Kielder, 1872 probably in 1879, and mated him with his Susan. The progeny were called Labradors, and Lord Grimston inbred incestuously to these for several generations. From this it is evident that Lord Grimston's Labrador Kennel of Labradors was originally only half bred. Sir Richard Graham, brother-in-law to Lord Grimston, described Susan as having " No pedigree so far as I know. She was a small black curly-coated good retriever : the sort that has completely died out.'' She, however, had a pedigree of a kind.
https://dai.mun.ca/PDFs/cns/TheLabradorDogItsHomeAndHistory.pdf
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