02/04/2026
Happy National Golden Retriever Day! 💛🐾
We at Close To Home Veterinary Care are lucky enough to know the breed intimately. We thought it would only be right to share a few of our Golden patients– share your Golden (or literally any dog photo is more than enough) in the comment below! 🐶
Goldens are known for their friendly personalities, intelligence, loyalty, and gentle nature–check out the history of the breed! 💛
Golden Retrievers were bred in the 1800s in Scotland. Scottish hunters were shooting from much greater distances than they had before and over swampy marshlands. A need for the breed arose when common hunting dogs were proving inadequate for retrieving felled game over land AND water. They were also finding their dogs were losing or maiming their precious bird.. 🦆 They needed a dog with a soft mouth and excellent fetching capabilities, so they bred their best water spaniels with retrievers, and voila! The first Golden Retriever was born, with official breed recognition in the early 1900s.
Bred to work long days in the field, they require plenty of daily physical activity like walks🦮, hikes🏔️, playtime🎾, swimming🌊, and structured exercise to stay healthy and lean. Their intelligent, eager-to-please minds also need regular mental stimulation through training, puzzle toys, fetch and interactive games. They also have thick, water-repellent coats which require frequent brushing and regular grooming due to shedding (they are among the heaviest shedding dog breed, shedding twice a year).
Not only do they make great family and hunting dogs, they also make amazing disability assistance dogs and also specialize in detection and search and rescue efforts due to their stellar sniffing abilities. 🐾💛
