Golden retrievers gather in Scottish highlands
Hundreds of Golden Retrievers were brought to their ancestral homeland in the Scottish highlands this week, in what was reportedly the largest — and undoubtedly the most adorable — gathering of the breed in history.
Goldens from as far away as Australia, Japan, and North America, along with more local pups from across Europe and the United Kingdom, made the pilgrimage with their owners to the ruins of Guisachan House in Glen Affric, where 155 years ago the first puppies were born and bred by the aristocrat Sir Dudley Marjoribanks.
Speakers gave talks, dogs performed tricks, but the highlight of the week was a mile-long procession of Goldens on Thursday led by a bagpipe-playing Scotsman, which culminated in a piped rendition of The Proclaimers song “500 Miles.”
A vast horde of goldens sat around panting on the manor’s front yard as their owners snapped pictures of what was surely, for a brief few minutes, the eighth wonder of the world.
The event was put on by the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland, which organizes a gathering at the manor every five years.
This week’s event was even larger than the previous one, which commemorated the breed’s 150th birthday in 2018
Pooches mill about in a the yard out front of the remains of the manor where they were first bred
Three happy campers pay homage to those who came before them in Scotland this week
Marjoribanks first bred the dogs on his estate in an attempt to create the ideal gun dog for the particulars of the highland terrain.
In 1868, he mated a gold Wavy Coated Retriever named Nous with a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle, according to the American Kennel Club.
Their puppies — Crocus, Cowslip, and Primsose — are considered the first Golden Retrievers that today’s breed descends from.
Golden Retrievers were first recognized by the Kennel Club in 1913.
Event organizers say it was probably the largest gathering of Golden Retrievers in history, with hundreds in attendance Darren Stocker via Storyful
Owners attempt to organize the greatest group photo ever taken during the Guisachan House gathering this week Darren Stocker via Storyful
Secretary of the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland, Carol Henry, told the BBC the event was intended to help promote the history and tradition or proper Golden breeding.
“We want to hold on to the confidence, the biddability, the companionship and loyalty — all the things the golden retriever was built on,” she said, explaining that standards faltered among some breeders during the pandemic.
She said dogs came from more than 12 countries to join the event.
Source: New York Post
