Lagniappe Goldens

     The Golden Retriever breed originated from Guisachen, Scotland in 1868 as a hunting dog.  Next year, in 2023, Guisachen will celebrate the 155th year of the Golden Retriever with four days of festivities.  Below is a picture of Goldens surrounding the original breeder, Lord Tweedmoth, at his Guisachen estate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although the American Kennel Club officially recognized the Golden Retriever in 1925, the Golden Retriever breed was recognized by the United Kingdom Kennel Club as early as 1913.

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     The UK Kennel Club defines Golden Retrievers as "any shade of gold or cream, neither red nor mahogany."   This cream color (very pale yellow) is an authorized color under the UK Kennel Club.  Similarly, in Canada, the cream color was specifically added to the Canadian Kennel Club as a standard in 1936.   "While a medium gold is always correct, coat colour can range from cream to a darker coppery gold."  The English Cream Golden Retriever, also know as the European Golden Retriever or the British Golden Retriever, has a creamy feathery coat, dark brown eyes, and a blocky muscular body type (which is typically shorter than American Goldens).

 

     The AKC standard color of a Golden Retriever is defined as a "rich, lustrous golden of various shades."  The AKC then identifies various acceptable colorings, the lightest one being "light golden." While the English Cream Golden Retriever is slightly different than the American Golden both in build and color variation, significantly, the English Cream Golden Retriever is not a separate breed from the American Golden Retriever pursuant to the AKC; it is simply a Golden.

 

      Our Goldens are AKC registered Golden Retrievers.  However, they are also European Golden Retrievers because their pedigree is pure 100% European stock (England, Scotland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Spain), and they exhibit the light creamy color typical of European Golden Retrievers.