ARE GOLF BALLS GOOD DOG TOYS?

I have chucked golf balls for my retriever to fetch in the past. I think I may change my mind about this after reading the articles below!

PUPPY EATS 8 GOLF BALLS

Dog Undergoes Surgery To Remove Golf Balls

TheBostonChannel.com.

X-ray of Wally's belly - yes, those are golf balls!

BOXBORO, Mass. -- An 8-month-old puppy is recovering from surgery after eating eight golf balls. Wally's owners said the Rottweiler pup started acting weird last week. He eventually threw up three golf balls, including one that was wrapped in a sock.

But when the dog still was acting strange, Wally's owners took him to the Boxboro Animal Clinic. "Lo and behold, there was another five golf balls sitting in there," Veterinarian Stewart Bleck said. Wally underwent surgery to have the other five balls removed.

Wally's owner Julianne Bonfilio said some friends like to putt around golf balls at their home, but they never noticed that the balls were disappearing. Bleck estimated that the balls had been in the dog's system for about a week.

DOG HAS 13 GOLF BALLS REMOVED DURING OP
'He hunts them down like truffles,' says owner

Scottish Press Association

Oscar loves to eat golf balls.

A dog had to have 13 golf balls removed from his stomach after eating them on walks near a golf course. Oscar, a five-year-old black Labrador, was taken to the vet after his owner noticed a rattling noise coming from his pet.

The vet, Bob Hesketh, was stunned: "When I went into his stomach I was expecting one or two balls, but they just kept coming." One of the balls had been in Oscar's stomach so long, it had turned black. Oscar's owner, Chris Morrison, takes the dog for regular walks near Pitreavie golf course in Dunfermline, Fife. Oscar is thought to have swallowed the balls over a period of months.

Morrison said: "He normally picks up golf balls and brings them home but must have been swallowing some all along. I take him out early in the morning and late at night, normally around the areas of the ninth and 12th fairways. "He hunts them down like truffles. He finds them in all sorts of places where golfers lose them."

Oscar has recovered from his operation and is said to be in good health. His food is being watered down to help repair his digestive system and he is wearing a muzzle during walks to break his habit. Chris said: "He does get a bit frustrated now and again. He couldn't go running around straight away but he is now off the lead again."


DOG EATS 28 GOLF BALLS - AND SURVIVES
Nick Towle
Sout Manchester Reporter

April 26, 2004

WHEN German shepherd Libby went off her food her owners were at a loss. The 18-month-old pup had begun losing weight and coughing up blood. Owner Mike Wardrop, a Man United reserve player in the 1970s, knew something was seriously wrong. Just how wrong was not clear until he took Libby to the vets and discovered the real reason - she'd swallowed 28 golf balls.

Mike, 47, said: "I was absolutely gobsmacked when the vets said they had found 28. "To see all those golf balls at once was a staggering sight and they weighed over six pounds, so it was no wonder Libby wasn't feeling well. "The vets gave every ball back to me - they were slightly discoloured but otherwise in great condition, and they will be great for practice although I was upset to see there were no ProV1s amongst them!"

John Ford, a partner at the Greenbank Veterinary Clinic, said: "It was unbelievable. Never in my entire career have I seen anything even approaching 28 golf balls in an animal's stomach. "We didn't even need to x-ray her when she was brought in - she was clanking and we could feel them in her stomach. They could have been in there for several weeks." As Libby underwent a two-and-half operation to remove the golf balls, vets placed bets as to how many golf balls they would find. "The highest bet was 11 by Caroline Merry, the vet who carried out the operation, but she just kept finding more and more," said Mr Ford. "It's not unusual for dogs to eat stones and glass, but God knows what made the dog think the golf balls were a tasty morsel. Thankfully she came through the operation well and has made a good recovery."

Libby has to go back to the vets next week to have 38 stitches taken out and is still feeling a little ruff. She had been gulping the balls while her owner Mike, 47, took her for walks near the practice greens at Didsbury Golf Club, where he lives and works as the house manager.

Mike and wife Julie, 45, are now trying to steer Libby away from her favourite snack by changing her walking route and keeping her off the practise greens. Mike added: "Libby is a great guard dog as well as a family pet and is now running around again like her old self. Like any young dog, she likes playing with balls and I have often seen her with several in her mouth at a time, although I didn't think she was swallowing them!"

FOODS THAT MAY KILL YOUR DOG!

After our recent episode with Bella, I have been looking more carefully at some of the food products around that are dangerous to my dog. While dogs are closely related to us, their physiological make-up does not necessarily enable them to handle the same foods and chemicals that we can. This may be in part because the natural diet of the dog and its relatives is dominated by carnivory (they mainly eat meat), while we primates are omnivorous. Thus, they do not process the constituents of some foods in the same way. Take these foods for example, that we can consume in mass that are harmful to our canine companions:

Grapes and Raisins: Grapes are deadly to dogs… really? This is how ill-equipped Janine and I once were. We used grapes (and the occasional raisin) as a treat for our golden Ruby! In fact, I can remember giving her a handful of grapes that were too ripe for my liking, as a special offering to exhibit just how much I loved her! WHAT A MORON I WAS! I have now found some sources that say as few as seven or eight grapes could kill an adult dog! I guess, the toxicity of grapes and raisins can vary depending on the individual dog and in the case of “ole’ iron-guts” (i.e., Ruby), they didn’t make a dent! In fact, in many cases a dog that has eaten grapes or raisins will vomit – Ruby never barfed up these fruit, no matter how many she consumed.

Onions: I don’t know about you, but I am not likely to hand my dog an onion as a snack. However, there are a number of human foods that you might treat your dog too that do contain these vegetables. For example, our old Golden loved hot sauce (we would let her lick the plate after an enchilada). Of course, most good salsas contain onions. When they eat enough of these vegetables (whether fresh, cooked, dried, spoiled or unspoiled) dogs can develop hemolytic anemia – that is, red blood cells erupt with anemia resulting. It seems that a large quantity of onions/garlic are required to produce a dangerous physiological response (some suggest a whole onion would be needed to cause problems). That said, the effect of frequent eating of onions can accumulate – that is, if you feed your dog onions several days in a row, it could develop anemia. Another thing that you should be aware of, is that the negative impact caused by onions does not occur immediately. In fact, it may take three to five days before the dog exhibits ill-effects of onion ingestion (e.g., hematocrit levels are often the lowest five days after onion ingestion). To be safe, Bella will certainly not get any onions if I can help it!

Garlic: there is a lot of debate about garlic. Some say it is dangerous, at least in quantity, others say a clove every once in a while is good for your dog! Of course, the internet is full of stories from folks that say giving their dog garlic has helped with excessive scratching, coprophagy (poop-eating), de-worming, discourages flea infestations, and on and on. This may be one of those items that is OK in moderation, but I would be wary about giving my dog garlic (in fact, I wouldn’t be giving Bella any Garlic – not worth the risk). The American Veterinarian Medical Association lists garlic as toxic to dogs (but what do they know, right?). For more information on the positives of garlic feeding, check this site out. It seems like a well-researched treatise on the subject (I am still not giving Bella garlic!): http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/garlic-for-dogs.html.

Chocolate: this is a no-brainer. While no chocolate is good for your dog, semi-sweet and bakers chocolate contain more theobromine than standard chocolate. Theobromine is the ingredient, along with the caffeine, that is dangerous to dogs. Anything containing cocoa or chocolate is best avoided. I see that some people on the web insist on giving their dogs chocolate as an occasional treat – I guess these dog owners love their chocolate so much that they consider it to be a more special treat for their dog, than say, a milk-bone biscuit. What are you nuts!? Why take the risk.

Macadamia Nuts: these heavenly seeds from members of the family Proteaceae are so tasty, why in the heck would I give them to my dog!? But if you are tempted to do so, resist the urge. If your dog eats these nuts, they may suffer from macadamia nut toxicosis. Symptoms usually develop within 12 hours of eating the nuts – these include inability to stand, ataxia (walking wobbly), vomiting, muscle tremors, elevated body temperature, weakness and an elevated heart rate – in the worse cases, shock and subsequent death may result. If your dog is fortunate, the symptoms go away in 48 hours. Remember, there are cookies out there that contain macadamia nuts.

Other foods that are reported to be possibly dangerous to your dog include: coffee grounds, yeast dough, avocado (yuk!), tea, alcohol and excessive salt.

BELLA BECOMES A HUSKER!

Bella and her sisters at four weeks of age.

When we lost Ruby from our pack, we knew that we had to fill that void as quickly as possible. Janine and I were both lost without the canine element in our family. We immediately began to do some research and ended-up with the following breed short list: a Bernese Mountain Dog, Swiss Mountain Dog or another Golden Retriever. We decided to go back to a Golden as Ruby had been a wonderful dog (why fix what's not broken!) and Goldens don't reach the proportions of the other two dogs (we decided a 125-pound Berner or Swissy would be a bit too much for our 1000 square foot abode!).

Bella at around six weeks of age.

We began researching breeders and soon decided we would do something a bit different - we would go with the English Golden Retriever. We had met one in our neighborhood (Larry) - and were taken aback by his handsomeness! In our research, we also found lots of information about how the US Golden had been marred by poor breeding. Things like aggressiveness had begun to show-up in a breed that was renowned for its amiable nature. Genetic defects and disease have also become more prevalent in the US Golden. (That is not to say there are not wonderful US Goldens available, but thorough investigation is needed to ensure you find a reputable breeder.) Like so many dog breeds, when they become popular there are unscrupulous folks out there that sacrifice quality for quantity. In doing so, they harm the breed. (An interesting trend is that many breeders that are in it for the cash have turned from breeding Golden Retrievers to "Golden Doodles" as their popularity has surged!)

Bella arrives in Houston, eager to get out of her traveling confines.

English Goldens are still relatively new to the US. They are not well-known to the general public, there are few breeders and they command a higher price. As a result, there has been less non-selective breeding - although that is probably going to change as more people discover them. It soon became evident, as is the case in every breed, there are breeders that have stellar reputations and there are those who are best avoided. With the internet, it was easy to find pros and cons about various breeders.

Free from her crate, Bella enjoys hugs from her new pack leader.

We looked at three different breeders. One in Chicago, one in Nebraska and one in California. We felt that all three had great dogs and that all three really cared about their animals. Two of the three had us fill out an extensive adoption application, which included having to supply neighbor references. That was great! One breeder was reluctant to sell us a dog because we didn't have a fenced in yard (I appreciate that!). I love the fact that they care so much about their dogs that they are going to do all in their power to make sure they go to good homes. We ended up going with the breeder in California because we liked the look of her dogs (they were also more affordable than some - some breeders sell the English Goldens for up to $4000!!! YIKES!).

Bella slumbers most of the trip from Texas to Nebraska.

We did not have the time to drive out and pick up our new pack member, but the breeder provided shipping with Continental Airlines (the BEST airline to use to ship puppies!). I have worked with the airlines and live animals for many years (shipping live fish) and know how incompetent they can be! I have seen them misplace shipments of live marine fish and was not about to take a chance in having them misplace our dog (Continental is less likely to do this than other airlines as they have a special service for shipping pets). These shipping errors most often occur when there is a connection. Our new puppy would have to be shipped from Sacramento to Houston, Houston to Omaha. To avoid the possible problems associated with a connection, we decided to go pick the new pup up in Houston (this also gave us an excuse to visit family in the area!).

Still snoozing...

Everything went better than we even expected. Bella came in on time. She was beautiful and eager to get out of her temporary den. She was a great traveler, sleeping most of the 14-hours back to her new home.

Bella lounges in the sun during a brief break on her way to Nebraska.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF PRIMATE-CANINE BOND!

BELLA MEETS MEPHITIS

Does this look like a little doggy to you? photo from pdimages.com.

Last fall, there were many nights when Bella and I would go out for a late walk at a local lake. Fewer people walk their dogs in the cold and dark which enabled me to allow Bella to go off-leash and run about in this quasi-wilderness environment. As we were going back to the car, in the pitch black, Bella suddenly stopped in front of me. I squinted to see what had catalyzed her to put on the brakes. I squinted harder – I could just make out a small, black shape. “It is a small, lost dog.” I thought and proceeded to bend over and slowly move toward the little critter. (Fortunately, I had put Bella on her lease before meeting the mysterious creature as we were getting close to more populated areas.) I started talking to the little “dog” attempting to get it to approach us. Suddenly the unidentified creature abruptly turned and moved away from us, which caused Bella to bolt forward. It was at this point that I could just make out some of the creatures salient characteristics – the white stripes on its back and tail! It was the cute but odoriferous Mephitis mephitis - the striped skunk.

I immediately grabbed the cable lease (it was a retractable cable that I know can confirm are not good for larger breeds of dog – it ended up burning a deep cut in my fingers) and tried to pull Bella back, but it was too late. The skunk had adopted the squirting position and had dosed the inquisitive canine with its oily spray. I have read that they can shoot their defensive anal gland juices up to 15 feet. Fortunately, it had directed the smelly burst at Bella’s face and forequarters and I was spared a direct hit.

The skunk moved off into the darkness and Bella began “face surfing” – that is, incessantly pushing her head through the grass in an attempt to remove the nasty scent. Fortunately, it did not cause any blindness (it can apparently cause temporary blindness), but Bella certainly didn’t smell good. That said, I thought the odor would be more pungent than it was, having smelled dead skunks on the road on numerous occasions. Bella’s new mustelid perfume smelt like burnt rubber. Of course, the smell is notorious for being very difficult to get off dog, clothes, car upholstery, etc. Fortunately, I had a blanket in the trunk of my CRV and wrapped Bella in that and made her stay put on the front floor board. When we returned home, I tethered her to the front porch and ran to a local pet store to get some reagent made specifically to de-stink a dog that had been skunked! It worked well and while there was some residual smell on the dog, it was very slight.

A word about tomato juice: I found on an internet site when I was trying to find that this did not remove but only served to mask the smell, so I choose to use Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover. I found that it worked very well. I talked to my friend and dog expert Kathleen Wood about this incident and she assured me that tomato juice does work. She said her bulldog had been skunked on eight occasions and that on every occasion she used tomato juice and it worked (on one occasion she said she used a spaghetti sauce, because she was out of tomato sauce, which resulted in a bulldog that didn’t smell of skunk but of garlic!).

The Dog that Fought off a Cougar

A heroic Golden named Angel. Picture: Vancouver Sun

By NICK BARNETT

Here's the story: In the yard of his home in Canada, an 11-year-old boy is saved from an attacking cougar by his one-year-old golden retriever. The dog, named Angel, hurls herself at the cougar, allowing the boy to run to safety.

Angel, though, is not safe. She battles the much tougher cougar and is caught in its jaws, bleeding and yelping, her life in danger. But the family have called the police, and a Mountie arrives. He struggles to get a clear shot at the cougar, finally managing to shoot it dead.

What of Angel? She revives long enough to check that the boy is safe, then collapses again. But with veterinary care, she's on the path to recovery.

All this happened at the weekend.

It made me think about all the many news accounts I've read of dogs that fought off intruders or other animals, or risked their lives to save people. There are several every year - do you read them too? They're some of the most inspiring things to read, though there's often also sadness.

Remember George, the fox terrier that fought a group of pig dogs in order to protect some children? George died in the process, but earned Britain's highest award for animal bravery.

There was even the story, which I blogged about last year, of an unknown dog that braved highway traffic to drag an injured dog away from danger.

Do you have your own dog bravery story? Maybe a dog has been the difference between life and death, for you or someone you know?

I know from owning two dogs (albeit small ones) how big their hearts are, how they'll go into bat for themselves or their companions even with "foes" that are much bigger. I'm certain that my 4kg dachshund Connor would bark stoutly if a cougar ever appeared from out of the shrubs of our suburban garden - though he'd be a poor match in battle.

Whether that quality is what we'd call "courage", or a more reckless instinct, I don't know, but it has served us humans very well when we've harnessed it.

I remember reading as a boy about the great St Bernard rescue dog Barry. Plainly named for such a heroic character, Barry saved 40 lives near the Swiss-Italian border in the early 19th century. That classic image of the St Bernard, rum barrel beneath its chin and looking out for avalanche survivors, is chiefly based on the true story of Barry.

Then there was Swansea Jack, the Newfoundland that saved a reported 27 people from the Tawe River in Wales in the 1930s.

And there are the frequent articles about police and rescue dogs that are trained to put themselves in harm's way to save lives, such as 9/11 hero Appollo.

But it's the acts of bravery by everyday dogs, people's pets, that are most moving because the act is the dog's own, not a reflex dinned in by trainers, and it could be any one of us, one day, who is the beneficiary.

So three cheers for golden retrievers, St Bernards, Newfoundlands and even stroppy dachshunds. Their bravery is inspiring.

FISHING DOGS, NOT DOGFISH...

A dog that catches sharks? Yep - there was once a Labrador Retriever that caught juvenile Black-tipped Reef Sharks (the adults of this species are pictured above).

Photo by Scott Michael.

Labrador retrievers are well known for their love of aquatic environments. They are also blessed with the will and ability to retrieve. But there are some Labs that excel above and beyond what is normal for the breed! I recently received a from a friend of mine, Larry Jackson, and was amazing and amused to see a happy Lab chasing and finally pulling a huge trout from the stream. This was a trout that any angler would kill to to mount on their mantle piece. (See the video below!)

This is not the only fish-catching Labrador. In the 1980's, on Canton Island (a small island in the Phoenix Group north of Samoa), there was a Black Lab named Blackie that was adept at catching Black-tipped Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) - that's right, the dog caught sharks! The young of this tropical shark aggregate in the shallows to avoid their larger cousins (who will eat them) and to find food. They are sometimes seen in water so shallow that their backs break the water's surface. These sharks (which measured between 1.5 to 2 feet long) proved too tempting a target for Blackie, who thought chasing and catching sharks was great sport! He was so good at it, he was employed by a public aquarium that was visiting Canton to capture sharks for their exhibit (Blackie had such a "soft mouth" that he did not harm them when he grasped them in his jaws and brought them to the beach). In an hours time, Blackie was reported to capture as many as eight juvenile Black-tipped Reef Sharks. The reward for his services? His favorite treat, ice-cubes!

CAFFEINE AND XYLITOL: BELLA SURVIVES BOTH BARRELS!

Ever wondered what a golden retriever would be like if it slurped-up 12 cups of espresso? Well, Janine and I now know and take it from us, it isn't pretty! Janine took the Bella-beast for a ride to the mall earlier this week. While she was in doing her thing, Bella decided to explore the contents of the car. It just so happened that the day before I returned from Texas with my snow-birding mother. In the little cubby of the dash board I had left a package of Vivarin (caffeine pills) and a nearly full package of sugar-free bubble gum. While Janine was away, Bella went fossicking. She succeeded in locating and consuming the contents of both packages! Janine returned to a very jittery, agitated dog and immediately called me to for some counsel. Let’s stop here for a minute to analyze how deadly this situation actually was.

Most have heard that it chocolate is dangerous to dogs. It turns out the main ingredients in chocolate that are lethal to the canine species are caffeine and theobromine. The lethal dose of caffeine for a dog (the LD 50 – that is the dose at which 50 % die) is 100 to 200 milligram (mgs) per kilogram (kg) of body weight. While I am not sure exactly how many caffeine pills were left in the 16-pill package, I am sure there were at least 12 and more likely 14 left. Each tablet contains 200 mg of caffeine (supposedly equivalent to a single shot of espresso). If there were 12 pills left, that would be 2400 mg (if there were 14 pills that would be 2800 mg). Bella weighs around 55 pounds (that is 25 kg). So, she had just consumed 96 to 112 mg of caffeine – basically close to or over the lower range of the LD 50 for caffeine. GULP! (This blog almost ended before it started!)

What about the sugar-free gum? Most of this gum contains an ingredient called Xylitol (a sugar alcohol sweetener) that is also dangerous to dogs. In canines, it can cause a sudden increase of insulin which results in a dramatic drop in blood sugar. This can lead to shock and liver failure or liver damage. The Xylitol's effect occurs soon after it is ingested and thus veterinary treatment needs to be immediate. Symptoms of Xylitol poisoning include: weakness and lethargy, vomiting, lack of coordination, pale gums, body tremors, seizures, unconsciousness, irregular heart rate and liver damage or failure. One source reports that eight to ten pieces (equivalent to 3-grams of Xylitol) of sugar-free gum could kill a 65-pound dog (this is somewhat dependent on the brand of gum as the amount of Xylitol can vary) (see footnote below). Bella had eaten at least 15 sticks of gum (that is at least 15 grams of Xylitol as Trident Bubblegum has one gram per stick!) – DOUBLE GULP!

Bella on crack - well, not actually crack but enough caffeine tablets and Xylitol to bring down a Clydesdale! This photo was taken just after returning home from the vet's office - while she looks happy, she was anything but!

I met Janine and we raced Bella to the vet's office. We estimated that Bella had consumed the Vivarin/gum within 1 to 1.5 hours of our getting her to the vet. They “pumped” her stomach (they caused her to ejaculate all the stomach contents into a dish) and examined her vital signs for potential shutdown. SIDE NOTE: Her stomach contents were very interesting (the vet and I poked through them with a pen): there was a lot of gum and its associated wrappings, blue berries (which were part of her breakfast), dog food and Styrofoam (when was this eaten, where did she get it from and how long had that been in her stomach?!).

Her heart was beating out of her chest and she just could not relax (could you after drinking 12 espressos!). Although she did attempt to find a comfortable place to lay on the examination room floor, she just could not get comfortable. They said the best thing to do was to take her home and observe her. If her gums went white (a healthy dog has pink gums) or she began to seizure, we were to whisk her back to the office.

For the rest of the day she paced and moaned and paced and moaned some more. Her heart continued to race and she just could not get comfortable (I feel I now know what it is like to own a Jack Russell!). There were short bouts of laying down and trying to slumber, but they were infrequent. We let her outside several times and she plowed her face through the fresh white flakes and buried her head under the snowy drifts. I postulate she was hot, as she panted incessantly, as a result of her increased metabolism and found relieve in immersing her heat dissipater (her nose) under the snow and laid with her belly on the snow (the other area where heat is released). She finally curled up in her kennel at 2:30 AM the next morning and began dreaming hyper-doggy dreams.

Fortunately for us and for Bella, she is still with us at the time of this writing and seems to be her fun-loving, goofy self again. We dodged two bullets and have vowed that we will make sure there is NOTHING that is potentially edible within mouth reach of our greedy Bella-beast from this point forward.

Footnote 1.

Here is what they say about the symptoms of sugar-free gum consumption on Skype “A dog that has eaten and item containing Xylitol can be rapidly hit by a dangerous drop in blood sugar and that causes weakness, lethargy, loss of coordination, collage and seizures. Those symptoms can develop within 30 minutes and a dog so afflicted will need immediate treatment to survive. Without help, irreversible brain trauma occurs and the patient dies.” These findings were presented in the Journal of Veterinary Medicine (JVM). That said, earlier studies by the World Health Organization demonstrated that dogs exposed to much higher doses than discussed in the JVM, for longer periods of time, showed no ill-effects. Suffice it to say, a dog eating your Trident is not a good thing and is best avoided!

WHAT IS AN "ENGLISH" GOLDEN RETRIEVER?

While visiting my family-in-law in New Zealand, I have encountered several Golden Retrievers. I was impressed with the appearance of these Kiwi Goldens as they tended to be larger, had a blockier head and were lighter in color – they certainly looked different than most Goldens I had encountered state-side. It turns out that what I was seeing was a well-documented difference that exists between Golden Retrievers from the US (and certain parts of Canada) and those from most other countries. I became aware of these differences when we began looking into finding a new dog. I ran across the terms English Golden Retriever, English Cream Goldens, English White Golden and English Platinum Goldens, which caused me to investigate further what the differences were between these dogs and the Golden Retriever that we had for over 13 years. Here is what I found out.

Photo taken at the Golden Retriever Club Open Show in England. Note the differences between these dogs and the ones below. These three dogs are females, while the two below are males (males tend to be larger and more blocky than females no matter where the Goldens come from). (For those that might be interested, the dogs above are: BD - Ch Bramhills Blake JW, RBD - Pearlbarn Pele with Ritzilyn JW, BPD - Kerrien Rocco of Ritzilyn. Photo by Lynn Kipps.

Two champion dogs (males) from a US dog show. Males from any region tend to be larger and have a bigger head than females (side note: you see this same sexual dimorphism in bears as well!).

Color Differences

How does the US Golden Retriever differ from is the “English” variety? The most notable difference between regional bloodlines is coloration. It turns out that lighter-coated Goldens are more popular/prevalent outside of the USA. (The lighter type is also more abundant in certain parts of neighboring Canada.) That is not to say that you cannot find golden or even reddish Goldens in other countries – they are just not as ubiquitous. For example, in Europe cream coated Goldens are much more popular than the more honey or reddish color forms. This hue is also more common in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Russia and, of course, in the United Kingdom. (Bella’s lighter colored kin come from Spain, England and Finland, but you will see in future posts, she has some reddish gold in her lineage as well.)

In the book Golden Retrievers Today by Valerie Foss (published in 1994) she states, color “is one of the most controversial features – and it is a subject many people feel strongly about.” She goes on to say “There is …. a definite split between the two countries (that is, the USA and England), as the cream colour is popular among British Golden Retrievers.”

Apparently in the original Brit description, a creamy coat was not allowed. In 1936, the standard was modified. It now reads “Any shade of gold or cream, neither red nor mahogany.” So the red, almost Irish setter-like specimens that you regularly encountered here in the US do not conform to the Brit standard. In fact, in 2000 the Golden Retriever Breed Council in the United Kingdom decided to only accept the colors cream, gold or golden for their Golden Retriever registrations – no red dogs.

What about the US standard for coat color? It states, “Rich, lustrous golden of various shades. Predominant body color which is extremely pale or extremely dark is undesirable. Some latitude should be given to the light puppy whose coloring shows promise of deepening with maturity.” Reading the US standard, it would appear that the light (white) individuals that we see in other parts of the world (like the one below) would not fit within the standard, while red individuals (as long as they were not too dark) would be OK.

Goldmarker Blue Rhine was the best in show in the veteran category and is an excellent example of the English-type Golden. Photo by Lesley Durant.

Big and Blocky

As I mentioned above, one thing that attracted me about the New Zealand is the larger, blockier head – not that you don’t see US Goldens with big heads- but there is a trend that Goldens from regions outside of the US more often have a larger, more square head. (Once again, this is a trend, not a rule - not all English or non-US dogs have a larger head.) The square look is so pronounced in English and European bloodlines that they are sometimes mistaken for Labrador Retrievers – at least until the coat is fully expressed.

Here is the English standard for the ideal head and skull:

“Balanced and well chiseled, skull broad without coarseness; well set on neck, muzzle powerful, wide and deep. Length of foreface approximately equals length from well defined stop to occiput.”

Golden Retrievers outside the USA also tend to be bigger dogs. The standard for height in both the English and US standard are similar, but English retrievers tend to be of a more robust frame and thus are heavier. The US standard is 55-65 pounds for bitches and 65-75 pounds for dogs. The UK standard does not include a weight range, but concentrate more on balance – that the dog is properly proportioned – then the exact weight.

Another example of an American champion that represents the characteristics most often seen in the bloodlines here in the US. What a beauty!

In Conclusion

I will leave it to others to make simple what I have made more complicated. This is what Golden Retriever expert Bev Brown wrote about the differences between Goldens from different regions (For a real in depth look at the potential differences in US and golden from other regions, I strongly recommend her informative treatise at the web address http://www.starcrowned.com/egnatest/. )

“ In Great Britain, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the breed appears generally to be a heavier dog with a flatter croup; broader skull; a deeper, wider muzzle; and with more wavy coats seen. Many Goldens overseas fit this description, however, there are also variations in type among them. The breed in the U.S. today has a variety of types, but is generally a less angulated and somewhat lighter weight dog, with a straighter and more profuse coat than its British cousin. Many North American fanciers feel that the overseas bloodlines excel in head properties, balance, and forequarter structure; while the American bloodlines tend to excel in rear quarters, movement, and showmanship. The Western and Midwestern Canadian Goldens still show significant influence from the American lines. The Eastern provinces continue to reflect the influence of early UK imports, and the many important additions from overseas that followed. ”

Whether US or English bloodlines, Goldens are wonderful dogs that can make amazing canine companions. (When choosing any puppy, make sure you buy from a reputable breeder!) As far as the appearance of the different "types" of Goldens is concerned, it's all a matter of personal preferences. Its our different tastes that makes life so interesting!

BELLA’S BLOG: WHY?

Bella Donna Eden Ursus Maritimus. This is the full pedigree name of our dog - dog number three. Living with dog number one turned out to be anything but a stellar experience. Even though Janine tried to talk me out of it, as we were not really set-up for canine company at the time, we adopted a beautiful Chow puppy that eventually turned into Hannibal Lector. After trying to eat our dog sitter (she ended up with over 60 stitches in her leg and hand), Bear, our chow, was euthanized.

When we decided on dog number two, we were in a much better position to be pooch parents. We vowed to get a dog on the opposite end of the malevolent spectrum - something REALLY friendly as we didn’t want to go through the pain that was involved in having to “put down” dog number one. We originally were thinking Labrador Retriever, either Yellow or possibly Chocolate in flavor. It just so happened that my sister Sandy had a pair of Golden Retrievers and was involved in a some “backyard breeding.” She convinced us to go for the Gold, and boy are we glad we did!

Dog number two, Ruby, was a lovely dog. She was extremely compliant and an easy dog to parent. While she was not the best looking Golden, by current breed standards, she had a great disposition. She was a bit nervous, especially when her pack was not around, and developed a few health problems - most notably she suffered from seizures (these were very infrequent, occurring only every two or three months, and so we did not medicate her).

Ruby was a wonderful pack member for about 13 ½ years. We finally had to let her go due to hip and joint issues that were causing her to fall, interfering with normal bodily functions (e.g., urinating and defecating) and just generally making her life uncomfortable. The thing that I found most intriguing was that along with her joints, her mind also started to go. She began engaging in some truly odd behavior, like incessant barking when we we were not in sight (something she had never done in the past). Canine dementia was taking its toll.

June 15th, 2009 was one of the saddest days of my life – this was the day we had to say good-bye to our wonderful Ruby. She had not lost her appetite, so the morning of that fateful day, I took her to Taco John’s and bought her a big order of Potato Ole’s – her favorite junk food. This time she didn’t get one or two of the potato treats, she got the whole order!

That brings us back to dog number three - Bella Donna Eden Ursus Maritimus. Bella because we thought the name was fitting (it, of course, means beautiful in Italian), as well as being unique (Janine told me the other day that Bella is now the most common female dog name, in part due to those stupid vampire books/movies, which we were not hip enough to know about before naming the dog!); Donna in honor of her US grandmother; Eden because it sounds nice; and Ursus maritimus because it is the scientific binomial for the carnivore to which she bears a striking resemblance – the polar bear.

So, why start a blog that centers around your dog? Because I thought that I could use Bella as a vehicle to share my infatuation with the canine species! I also love to write, so why not write a blog about my dog – Bella’s’ doggy blog.

BEFORE WE GET STARTED: let me tell you how this is going to work. I am going to begin by sharing the latest Bella news, but will have “flashback” posts in order to share some of our early experiences with our now seven month old Bella-beast. Among the Bella tales I will mix in some dog ethology, canine news and information. I hope you enjoy it!