Since I spent all day yesterday dog sitting, I kind of felt like writing about “Man’s Best Friend” for today’s Wild Fact. Granted the little guy I was hanging out with wasn’t a Golden Retriever, like today’s fact, but they are both equally cool. I hope you are ready to learn some more about this famous breed of dog. In fact, this is one breed that I always wanted as a pet (along with another Springer Spaniel). Who wouldn’t want a dog that is known for being kind, friendly, confident and gets along great with family and strangers alike? Let’s go for a nice walk as we learn more about the Golden Retriever.
As mentioned, this particular retriever is known for their friendly temperament but they weren’t bred to necessarily be this way. Nope, the Golden Retriever was bred to be a gun dog that was great at retrieving waterfowl and upland birds after the hunter shot them. I am starting to see how this amazing dog received their name. As a result, this retriever was bred to have a soft mouth and a love of water – the soft mouth is so they don’t damage the game they are picking up. Now the Golden Retriever is used for much more than just hunting. Due to their friendly demeanour and intelligence these dogs make excellent guide dogs, illegal drug detectors, search and rescue dogs and of course, awesome family pets.
The Golden Retriever arose out of Great Britain during the late 1800’s and was originally a cross between a yellow, wavy haired Flat-Coated Retriever (the only yellow one born from that litter) and a Tweed Water Spaniel. Interestingly enough, the Tweed Water Spaniel is a breed that is now extinct. It is a good thing a little bit of this breed lives on in one of the most popular dog breeds in the world. Eventually, they continued to breed these offspring with more Flat-Coated Retrievers, Tweed Water Spaniels and even threw in a little Irish Setter to make the perfect hunting companion. It still boggles my mind to think that these dogs (and other dogs) are “created” for a specific purpose.
Golden Retriever Fast Fact – The Golden Retriever has had its moment in the spotlight with quite a few dogs being celebrities. Here are a few:
– President Ford’s family pet, Liberty
– The Family pet in the TV Show Full House (which my two nieces love, by the way)
– The cool dog on The Drew Carey Show
– The Air Bud movies also utilized the talents of the Golden Retriever
Okay, so that is just a few but there are plenty more hollywood stars. I hope you enjoyed our domesticated Wild Fact. I will see you tomorrow for a wilder Wild Fact.
