Golden Retriever

The extremely handsome Golden Retriever is listed in the sporting group and was originally bred in England and Scotland as a hunting dog. Today, he is better known as a sweet and affectionate housedog that shot to popularity due to the movie series of both Air Bud and Homeward Bound.

Generally standing 20-25 inches tall at the shoulder and weighing between 50-80 pounds, with an average lifespan of of 10-14 years.

The Golden Retriever is beloved for good reason. The breed is sweet, patient, affectionate, happy, and loyal. When properly raised and socialized, the Golden is a good breed choice for families as they tend to be tolerant with children and other pets and amiable to pretty much any lifestyle. The Golden is widely used as a service animal for Seeing Eye and other service dog groups due to their intelligence, good nature, and ability to be tuned in to their owners needs. They are also well known and excel as therapy dogs for hospital patients and adult living centers due to their gentle and kind personality. The Golden is also an athletic breed that excels in water activities, hiking, camping, jogging, and playing fetch in the yard or having a tea party in a child’s playroom. They are eager to please and their tail is always wagging and in general, a Golden Retriever never has a bad day.

The coloring of a Golden is exclusively golden, ranging from dark golden, medium golden, to light golden. The breed has a thick dense coat with gorgeous feathering on the legs, chest and tail. They do shed but require no professional grooming