My son recently brought to my attention an interesting factoid on the origin of the Golden Retriever as a breed. One of the better documented breeds, the first goldens came from the breeding of Nous, a yellow wavy-coated retriever with Belle, a Tweed Water Spaniel. The two produced four pups that showed great promise as bird dogs. The original breeder was a Scot by the name of Lord Tweedmouth.
When we decided to bestow the name Belle on the small pup we received from Helping Paws, we did not know the heritage that such a name carried in the Golden Retriever world. We didn't even know until the day we got her whether we would be receiving a male or a female pup. But Molly, a child of the 90's, is a real Disney princess fan, and well, Belle was her favorite of all of the Disney princesses. Because the Disney Belle read.
Who knew that one day, hardly a dog walk goes by that a biker, a runner, or a car will stop on a dime when they see Belle to exclaim over her great good looks and her regal carriage. But it does lead me to wonder what came first? The beauty queen gene or the princess name?
The Life of a Doting Grandmother
11 years ago
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3 comments:
So what year--more or less--did the goldens come about? It seems as though they must be a very old breed, but from what you said they sound fairly recent.
Hi Sara:
Goldens came about in the mid-1800's, but weren't recognized as a separate breed until 1912. The AKC didn't register them as a separate breed until 1927. (http://ragom.org/adoption/breed.html)
Goldens are not the oldest breed. I think...But I think we Goldens are just the BEST! We Goldens have the good looks, the beauty, the right temperament, the intelligence to do almost anything, we Golden just have everything that the hoomans need in their family household & in their lives! Don't cha think so Belle?
Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer
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