Lucy is a 70-pound, 7 year-old, English Chocolate Labrador Retriever, born on Halloween and the cherished pup of Sharon and Tim Gibbons. English Labs differ from their American cousins in a number of ways. Generally, the English Lab is shorter and stockier than the American breed that tends to have a leaner build, longer legs and was bred for the field. The English Lab originated in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland dating back to 1830’s, when St. John’s water dogs were bred by European settlers. They were primarily used by fishermen to assist in retrieving fishing nets and catch from the cold waters of the North Atlantic. Tim attributed Lucy’s infinite love for the water and “paddling around” to her Canadian lineage noting, “She is a terrific swimmer – her double coat (unlike the single coat of the American Lab) acts like a wet suit. The downy undercoat provides insulation from the cold water, trapping air below the top coat. She is muscular in the chest and has strong front legs with webbed paws, her tail which is short and thick at the “butt” end, acts as a rudder.” 

Tim and Sharon’s previous dog for 12 years was a fawn Boxer named Zoe. They never imagined Zoe could ever be replaced.  Seven years after her passing, they moved to Scottsdale and were ready to bring a new pup into the family. Sharon was shopping at the Deli counter one day when, serendipitously, she found herself standing next to a woman looking at a puppy on her cell phone. Sharon inquired about the puppy and was told it was an English Labrador. They contacted the breeder and was informed that, unfortunately, all the pups from that litter had been adopted. But, there was good news too. The breeder’s sister in Prescott had a litter of eleven English Labs and lucky Lucy came home with the Gibbons on Christmas.

“Lucy is a flirt”, noted Tim. “We take her almost everywhere we go and she lives up to her Lab reputation – she’s friendly, outgoing and extremely social. She attracts a lot of attention and everyone just loves her. Lucy is a hiker. She’s great on the desert trails we take together and has had two rounds of rattlesnake training. That training definitely paid off when one day, while on a desert hike, Lucy sensed a nearby rattler, sat herself down and refused to move, forewarning of the danger ahead,” added Tim.

Lucy’s sweet demeanor and friendly temperament is not restricted to humans. She has a 200-pound St. Bernard that she plays with at a nearby dog park and is “best buds” with Blu, a female American Yellow Lab that lives across the street. Tim suggested, “Sometimes it seems Lucy likes other dogs more than people. I would put it in this order,  first, other dogs, second, children and last, but not least, adults. As for Sharon and me, there’s no other pup we would rather have. We love Lucy.”

Sharon and Tim Gibbons are originally from Chicago. 

They reside in the Dorado community.