CH Neverland’s Blue Ridge Morgan JH WC
 ”Morgan”

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Morgan was the last puppy born in the B-litter of Tink and Ferro. He was the smallest in the litter, weighing 16 oz at birth, compared to 20 and 21 oz for Wendy and Max, respectively. The three puppies got along great and soon after going outside for the first time, Morgan found the underneath of the shed was a good place for naps. I had only planned on keeping one puppy from the litter, so after going through 50+ applications and several interviews, I thought I found the perfect family to adopt Morgan. At 25 months old, however, the family indicated they could no longer keep him due to personal reasons. I took Morgan back and planning to place him in another home. After working him a bit in the yard and the field, it was quickly apparent he was natural retriever. I bathe him and stripped out the old, dead coat. What was left in front of me was a special Flat-Coat we could not send away a second time. At his first conformation show, he went reserve winners two of four days with no handling training. 

Morgan gets along great with Wendy and Tink. He fully accepts his position in the pack. He is the first male Flat-Coat dog we’ve had.  I am very surprised how much more affectionate and attached he is to me than the others. He follows me from room to room of the house.  Wendy and Tink are perfectly happy to lay in their kennels or on a floor mats while in the house.  Morgan is always at my feet moving from couch to chair to work room as I do.  Yet, he does not show any signs of separation anxiety when I leave and is well adjusted to rest of the family.
 

Morgan has normal elbows, patella, and good hips. The eyes are cleared yearly. He is a great family companion and hard working retriever. Morgan came back to us weighing 86 lbs and we’ve slimed him down to an ideal 77 lbs for his build. He measures 26” at the withers by 28” long. He has a strong neck with a mane of long heavy coat that extends over his withers and  makes his neck appear thicker. He has a level topline and moderately broad rump with good muscle tone. The tail is level and straight even in motion. He has a deep chest,  prominent prow and moderate tuckup. The front and rear quarters are well angulated. The legs are straight with slight toe out in the front feet. He has good overall bone and the leg bone is oval in shape. The feet are large, round and tight, with good arch.

Morgan’s coat is generally straight, moderate in length, and dense. When wet, the dried coat around the rump will tend to get waves and loose curls. We use a grooming coat to flatten the hairs and make it  look shiny

The first thing that struck me about Morgan, after returning home, was his smooth trot. He moves effortlessly, in balanced, well coordinated strides at any speed. Wendy has an equally smooth trot, but on the tread mill it takes a speed of about 4 mph to achieve this motion. Morgan, on the other hand, will settle into a smooth trot at speeds as low as 3 mph. He moves in perfect 2 beat gait.

Morgan’s head is long, with a slight stop, a deep jaw and correct scissors bite. He has correct fill before and between the eyes, but could use more fill underneath, like Wendy. His eyes are light brown and slightly round. The ears are set correctly on the head. Overall, the head appears molded like a one piece cast.

Morgan’s temperament is typical Flat Coat. He is more alert of strangers coming into our house, but never shows any sign of aggression. His has a great working attitude, never appearing stressed and hunts tirelessly until he finds the bird. When he knows it’s time to train or compete, he is the first one out of the house and into the car kennel. During obedience classes he has such a strong desire to please, I have to tone down my positive reinforcements because he gets excited.  He get along with all the dogs in class, especially the girls!
 

Morgan’s Pedigree

Morgan started his formal field training in late August 2009 and by the end of November earned his WC and JH titles. He is a more sensitive dog than Wendy or Tink and required a softer training approach. He is a  confident hunter, on pare with Wendy, after a much shorter time training. Morgan finished the AKC Breed Championship within a year of his first event. He was fun to show and received my compliments from the judges. We are now working towards advanced field and obedience titles.

Morgan is available to Stud for select bitches.
 

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