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.

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!