Whelped in the spring of 1948, King Buck had his basic work done by Ed Quinn, the owner of Buck's sire, FC Timothy of Arden. Buck and another littermate remained unsold at the conclusion of their basic training. The asking price for the young dogs was reduced to $50 and Buck was sold to Robert Howard of Omaha, Nebraska. Buck's future did not look optimistic at this point; he had contracted distemper. Howard nursed the dog for a month before he showed an improvement. It took another 12 months for the dog to fully recover.

With the recovery from distemper came a revitalized performance in the field. Howard recognized the potential that Buck offered and sold the dog to Bing Grunwald. Howard continued to train Buck for the next two years. In 1951 the men decided Buck needed to go on to a higher level of training. Cotton Pershall was the trainer selected and Buck was purchased by John Olin and sent to Nilo Kennels.

Buck's smaller size did not affect his ability to perform. In the fall of 1951 he completed 10 of 11 series in the National Championship. Buck was declared the winner of the 1952 National Championship held at Weldon Springs, Missouri, and again at Easton, Maryland in 1953.

The 1959 Federal Duck stamp depicts Buck holding a mallard drake. This is the first and only time that a dog has been featured on the stamp.

At the National Championship of 1957 Buck completed 11 of 12 series at the age of nine. He accumulated 93 1/2 all-age points in his career and qualified for seven Nationals, finishing all series but two -- one series in his first and one series in his last.

By the fall of 1962 his health failing, his eyesight and hearing nearly gone, Olin and Cotton made the decision to end any suffering. Today a statue of King Buck guards his grave and the entrance to Nilo Farms.

Contributed to Working Retriever Central! by Richard Halstead, Lino Lakes, Minnesota.

Sources:
Warrington, Jerry; "King Buck"; The Retriever Journal, Vol 1, No. 2
Zeissow, Bernard W., Editor; The Official Book of the Labrador Retriever; pg 132-135