by Fiona Nicholson, Science Writer
THURSDAY 19th July, 2018 marked a Golden celebration for Scotland, as 361 Golden Retrievers gathered with their proud owners to mark the 150th anniversary of the origin of this popular breed. The very first litter of Golden Retrievers was born in 1868, on the Guisachan Estate in Tomich, Ross & Cromarty. The annual gathering of Golden Retrievers at Guisachan has gone from strength to strength, according to Doreen McGuan, Secretary to the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland, who tells us that the 188 GRs who attended the gathering in 2006 now number 361. At the Gathering they enjoy a breed show, while their owners party, talk dog and more dog, and enjoy a celebratory dinner to complete the day’s fun.
The Goldie was first bred by the owner of Guisachan Estate in 1868, Dudley Majoribanks, who wanted to breed an excellent swimmer with high stamina, to retrieve the ducks and other wildfowl that he enjoyed shooting. He crossed a wavy-coated retriever called Nous with a water spaniel called Belle.
There is a myth that Nous came from a Russian circus, one of a troupe of performing dogs. The story goes that Majoribanks was so impressed with the intelligent good nature and looks of the troupe that he bought them all and took them home to his estate to use for tracking deer. However, he kept a strict stud book, and this romantic story has been debunked. Another story which may be closer to the truth is that Nous had a dark red colour, and that at that time, wavy-coat retrievers were expected to be black in colour, and the golden and red dogs were generally disposed of. Nous, however, was taken by a cobbler who cared not for colour. There was little standardisation of breeds then and the physical characteristics could vary considerably, with some retrievers even having a collie-like appearance. Majoribanks was said to have considered a retriever, a dog of the hunt, to be an unsuitable dog for a mere tradesman to own, and offered to buy him. The cobbler accepted.