National Specialty, 2008

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Club (USA) collection comprehensively documents the history of the sporting breed and the club devoted to its emergence in the United States -- before, during, and following its acceptance into the American Kennel Club. The materials appear to have been assembled by the club's historian, Marile Waterstraat, a librarian by trade whom was also a founding member and former club president. Waterstraat's club scrapbooks from 1993-2000 had gone missing before they could be donated to the AKC Archives; while an attempt was made to reassemble material, club administration and event coverage is sparser over that time period.

Club Administration contains correspondence dating back to early discussions on establishing a club and meeting minutes produced since that initial founding. Other important early documents include the registration agreement made with the Canadian Kennel Club and and the original constitution and bylaws and subsequent revisions. Files further chronicle the club's dealings with the AKC, including those around Miscellaneous Class and member status acceptances. Also present are membership directories, Toller Rescue calendars, and various information packets and pamphlets; graphic materials such as the club logo, membership card, and stationary; and documentation of the production of the breed standard and breed video,; distribution of the club's Sylvan Award; judges' guides, standards, and presentations; and more.

Dog Shows and Events materials extensively cover the breed's participation in competitive sport, beginning in the 1980s when fanciers established Tollers at several Rare Breeds associations, through the club's first Independent Specialty in 1989, and on through further regional and national specialties licensed by the AKC. The chronological show files varyingly include catalogs, pedigree lists, judges programs, banquet programs, ephemera, correspondence, winners lists, nametags, ribbons, and schedules and other handouts. Files cover conformation, field/hunting/working tests, and agility; regular club events such as the Gateway Classic, Backyard Classic, and Finger Lake Classic; and select national all-breed events. A variety of win shots and candid photographs of club and rare breed events, as well as member dogs, date back to 1989. Audiovisual footage is available for the first 1989 independent specialty and other events for select years through 2012. Also present are ribbons, incuding first prize from the first club specialty, and other club/breed merchandise and souvenirs such as t-shirts and handkerchiefs.

Media and Publications include an inventory and chronological clippings files of Toller articles and appearances in pop culture dating as far back as 1916; a small selection of international printed matter (from England, Switzerland, Sweden, and Canada); and professional and non-professional video recordings of Tollers.

The bulk of Dog Registries are comprised of the club's own registration files maintained from 1983 through 2000, when Toller registration transferred to the FSS (Foundation Stock Service) and the AKC. Each file contains an application and copy of the dog's registration certificate; they may also varyingly include photographs, pedigrees, non-breeding agreements, title and test certificates, Canadian Kennel Club registration certificates, health registry forms, and/or related correspondence. Other files hold various registration certificates and incomplete file and directories and stud pages for the NSDTRC (USA) and Canadian Kennel Club registrations for individual dogs and litters, both published and unpublished.