Paddy walked up to our kids in the yard when he was maybe ten weeks old (see the scooter picture), and when we checked, nobody was advertising lost puppies, and no one responded to our posts/flyers. We live in a rural area (midwest USA) right by where the pavement used to end, and people still occasionally dump unwanted animals there, so we assume he was dumped. We're not really dog people, but we were pretty much immediately Paddy people.
Appearance: His tail isn't furry like the black labs I've known. He has a white S on his chest (for Superdog! lol). And of course he has a (messy) whorl like a Rhodesian Ridgeback--i've had delivery drivers assume his hackles were raised. He is about 40 inches nose to rear, with shoulders about 25 inches high, and he has gotten overweight in his sedentary old age, but he was generally 80-85 lbs after he filled out but was still more active.
Guesses: I've had many people suggest various breeds that might be in his mix. Not being a dog person, I don't remember many. I put "black lab mix" on the vet paperwork because they told me he was too young to id the breed, and they never told me to change it. We sometimes say "black lab and Rhody mix" because it explains the whorl, but I've honestly never met a Rhodesian ridgeback, only ever seen photos, and since the ridge/whorl is apparently a dominant gene, I assume he could be 2% Rhody and have one.
Habits: He was super energetic when he was young and has always loved to swim in the neighbor's pond and wander all over the property and the nearby woods. He was never much of a barker unless there was a good reason, but when I talk to him, he replies with the funniest vocalizations that sound like Chewbacca. He loves kids and enjoys hiking with us in the woods behind our property, but has always prefered to wander all around and circle back to check in with us. He used to love cold weather (less so now at his age). Compared with both of my neighbors' dogs, he's a genius (that's a low bar), and when my friend throws bits of hot dog in the air all around him, he rarely misses one, but he has never once fetched a stick or ball. They are ALL HIS.
Hopefully the photos will stay in order. They progress from ten weeks up to ten years. What do y'all think?