Best in Show and British Goldens

                                       International Champion Tea Rose of the Morning Valley

I went to my first dog show several years ago.  I had seen Westminster on TV so I had an idea of what a show was like, but I really didn't know what to expect in real life until I attended my first one.   I kept thinking I was seeing the movie "Best in Show."  The experience was surreal.  Some of the people there took dog shows SO seriously!   Many of the dogs there had better hair than me.  Some of the owners were dressed better than I would be on a normal day.   Some were completely consumed with getting hair off their clothes before going into the ring.  Some were obsessed that the dog not get messed up at all.  I mean where was the joy of spending time with your dog?   The tension at that show was so incredibly intense, I can't imagine the dog felt relaxed in the ring.

I felt like I really needed to learn all I could about the structure of a dog, how it should look, how it should move, and what I should be looking for in a nice representation of the breed.    In order to do that, I had to go to dog shows.  And after seeing them do the same things over and over again, I felt like I could do it too.  So I took a handling class and started showing my dogs.   I now have six champions.  And it's been a ride.  But it hasn't been without a few laughs along the way.

For example, my beautiful girl Bella is usually the sweetest most well behaved girl.  She is truly a stunning girl and a wonderful representation of the breed.  USUALLY she's great in the show ring.  But I had her in the show ring a few weeks ago and she was not her normal wonderfully behaved self.  Now, if you know anything about a golden and particularly an English Golden, they are known for super laid back temperaments.  Bella is no different.  She has been in shows before and she's always a good girl in them.  But things changed at our last show.  She got out there and strutted her stuff for about a minute and then she decided she just didn't want to be there.  So, as the judge stood there studying every detail about her, Bella decided it was nap time. She laid down on her back with her paws up and a huge smile on her face.  And she wouldn't get up.  Who says Goldens don't have a sense of humor??  The judge laughed and said something about her being the quintessential Golden with that laid back temperament.  But there was no way she was going to place because she laid down in the show and refused to get up.  Now, had we been living in the Best in Show movie world, I would have been mortified and probably would have gotten counseling on why the dog did that.   And both myself and the dog would be getting the counseling.  But living in the real world, my reaction was quite different.  I did nothing but laugh at my girl.  She's stunning and sweet and a great representation, but she's also got a mind of her own and a great sense of humor.  I love that about her!   I'm sure some of the other owners there looked and me and either felt totally sorry for me or were disgusted at Bella and my lack of social graces in the show ring.  But we had fun and that's all that mattered!

Why do people show at dog shows?  For me, it's about getting confirmation that I have goldens who meet the breed standard.  They have to have the right temperaments and structure to be show champions, and if they are to be bred or to be used as therapy dogs, they need to have these things as well.   So for me, it's all confirmation that my dogs are great representations of the breed.   It's also something fun I can do with my dogs.  They seem to like to show off and they love the attention.    And my son likes to show the dogs too.  He gets a kick out of placing higher than I do.   Dog shows are really a family affair in my house.

Some people have asked me if there really are people like those in the movie "Best in Show."  The truth is that yes, there are people like that at shows.   And people like that can be a lot of fun to watch.   So the next time you hear there's a dog show in your area, you should go.  You'll see some lovely dogs and if you have a sense of humor, you'll see a lot of humor at the shows too.    And perhaps if you have a dog, and you see how easy it is, you'll get the bug and spend the day at a show with your dog.  Worst case scenario, you will have enjoyed the day with your dog.  Best case....you'll have won some ribbons and gotten to see some funny things you can talk about for years to come!

Why are we so divided?

I apologize for my blog this week, but I'm going to step on my soapbox for a moment. 

Look at the coat colors above.    This is the accepted range of coat color for Golden Retrievers EVERYWHERE in the world except for my country, The United States of America.    The country of origin for Golden Retrievers is Scotland.  The Golden Retriever Breed Council and the Kennel Club in the UK say the following about the Golden Retriever breed standard as it pertains to color:

"Any shade of gold or cream, neither red nor mahogany. A few white hairs on chest only permissible."   

The FCI or The Fédération Cynologique Internationale is comprised of 90 member countries that follow their breed standard.  These 90 countries subscribe to this same standard for Golden Retrievers that they follow in the UK. 

But the US, always the one to be different, says the following from the Golden Retriever Club of America about the color of a golden:

Color -- rich, lustrous golden of various shades. Feathering may be lighter than rest of coat. With the exception of graying or whitening of face or body due to age, any white marking, other than a few white hairs on the chest, should be penalized according to its extent. Allowable light shadings are not to be confused with white markings. Predominant body color which is either extremely pale or extremely dark is undesirable. Some latitude should be given to the light puppy whose coloring shows promise of deepening with maturity. Any noticeable area of black or other off-color hair is a serious fault.

Even though today's judges are supposedly being told that a cream coat is not to be faulted, it is faulted all the time.   You can only find a handful of American Kennel Club show champions in my country because this standard caters to the American Golden. No one knows why the standard was amended in the 1980's where they took the word "cream" out of the breed standard.  If a golden is a golden no matter the type, the color standard should be what the rest of the world recognizes, and not anything different in the US!    American Goldens came from the UK.  They share the same DNA.  It's time to start looking at all Goldens the same without prejudice!

Off of my soapbox now!

New Health Issues in English Golden Retrievers

They have come a long way in health testing with dogs and specifically with English Golden Retrievers.  In addition to the normal tests for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, eye issues and heart issues, there are new tests that have just come out.  They now have tests for PRA-1 (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) and Ichthyosis.  These are conditions that apply to English Goldens. What does this mean to pet owners?   This is just another test that responsible breeders will do to make sure their lines are free from health defects.  PRA is an eye issue that doesn't show up until later in a dogs life.  It causes blindness in the dog, and it usually doesn't show up until after age 5.   If you have two clear dogs, you can't pass it to their offspring.  If you have a clear dog and a carrier, your puppy still can't get it.  But if you put an affected dog to a clear or carrier, your puppy can develop it.  It's for this reason that breeders with dogs that are affected with PRA-1 should not be breeding them.  Be sure you ask your breeder if they have tested for this.

Ichthyosis is a much  more common problem.  Ichthyosis is a skin condition similar to dandruff, although in some puppies, they can develop very painful sores and lose their hair.  It's not an ideal situation to have with your dog, but breeders can have an affected dog for ichthyosis and put it with a clear dog and your puppies will never get the disease.  But this is only possible putting an affected dog with a clear dog.   Again, this is something that responsible breeders should be testing for. 

Be sure to ask your breeder if they have done all health testing and don't be afraid to ask for copies of it.   We can't protect the breed we  love without knowledgable pet owners asking questions.  

Furry Family Members

                                        Boy with his best friend

It's funny how the four legged family members in our life are more than just family pets.  I know when my middle son is upset about something, the first thing he does is go straight to the dogs for their hugs and kisses and unconditional love.  My youngest says the dogs are his best friends.  He would spend all of his time talking to them and playing with them if he could.

And my husband is hysterical when it comes to our furry companions.  As much as he complains about the state of our backyard because they dig and dig and chew and dig some more, he is so happy when he is greeted by our dogs each night as he arrives home.  He'll spend five minutes giving and receiving love from them before he ever walks in the door to us.

And a dear friend said that our dogs have helped me find my 'heart place.'    When you work full time at your own business, have children and a husband and schedules to juggle, practices, homework and work deadlines, there is very little time for yourself to just be.  It's amazing how the dogs find your 'heart' place and remind you how to just 'be.'  For me, nothing is more peaceful than the time each evening I spend with the dogs.  After they've eaten and before the sun goes down, I spend time with them, just me and them, and we'll play fetch, I'll give them pets while they give me kisses, we'll dance (yes, my dogs love to dance!) and I'll sing crazy made up songs to them and we are content to just 'be.' 

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
- Unknown

My favorite dogs part two

Tea Rose of the Morning Valley

Last week I wrote about my favorite English/European Golden Retrievers from the past and present.  The point was to help people who look at a pedigree for their dog have some sense of the "greats" in the breed.  These are just my opinions and many breeders have differing ones. 

This week I'd like to talk about my favorite bitches.  And let me tell you, this one was hard to write.  There have been some amazing English Golden Retriever bitches throughout the years. It's just too difficult to pick only five favorites so what I did was make a list of SOME of my very favorites.  Some of these dogs are still living and others have helped to shape the breed to what it is today.  But they are all  lovely in different ways. 

First, there is  Ch Styal Stephanie of Camrose.  She was a fabulous bitch from the 1970's and 80's.  I'm not sure if these facts are still true, but at one time she held more CC's than any other bitch with 27.   She had a lovely head and her structure was lovely. 


Another was Erinderry Gaelic Minstrel.  She is just a lovely bitch with nice bone, coat and a lovely head.  She produced the World Show winner this past year Dewmist Silk Screen (who won this same show again a few years ago).

Another of my favorite bitches is Gunhills Darby.  Again, she has nice bone, coat and a lovely head and she has produced some beautiful goldens who have produced some spectacular goldens. 

Rossbourne in Love is one of my favorites because the bone on this dog is lovely.  I don't know that she was bred often or if she produced  many champions, but I find her to be a lovely representation of what a golden should look like.  Feminine yet lovely bone.  She lived in the 1980's.


Remington Requisite of Ramchaine is a bitch that is still living today.  I have had the opportunity to meet Jazmin several times and she's stunning.  She's feminine and structurally lovely with nice bone.  And I loved her temperament as well...very friendly and sweet.  And she's had some beautiful offspring. 

Xanthos Orange Blossom is just a lovely bitch.  There's no two ways about it.  And she is the dam to one of my favorite dogs, Xanthos Apple Jack.   Some of my dogs have Xanthos Orange Blossom in their pedigrees.  I think she is another wonderful representation of an English/European golden.

Gatchells Royal Orchid is a bitch you look at and think "WOW!"  She was just stunning and another wonderful representation of the breed.  She went on to produce some amazing dogs including Gatchells Man of Honour and Gatchells Prince of Thieves and she also produced Gatchells Ruby Tuesday who I think looks a lot like her mother.

This is just a few of the wonderful bitches that have helped shape the dogs we have today.  There are many more. 

My Favorite Dogs

                      Erinderry Diamond Edge of Glenavis...photo by Lynn Kipps

It's funny when you talk to pet families because when they look at pedigrees of their dogs, it's like they are reading a foreign language.   I totally remember the feeling and still feel that way some times.  I thought in order to help people understand some of the "greats" in their dogs pedigrees, I would interject my two cents about my top five favorite dogs of all time, and my top favorites today.  I will write another blog about my favorites girls in the future.

The dog you see at the top of the page is English/Irish Show Champion Erinderry Diamond Edge of Glenavis.  Known as Clancy, I think he's probably one of the finest dogs that ever lived.  He's got great bone, the blocky head, the lovely coat, and from what I am told, a wonderful temperament.  He's one of my very favorite dogs of all time and almost all of my dogs have him in their pedigree.

Another stunning dog is Show Champion Elswood the Highlander.  Again, he has nice bone, a beautiful coat and a blocky head.   He went onto to sire many great dogs like Golmas Governor, Marjarmez My Guy at Rossgilde and the female English Show Champion Remington Remember Me to name a few.

English Champion Ritzilyn Cockney Robin is another spectacular dog in my opinion.    He had a darker coat, a lovely head and chest and bone and that beautiful blocky head.   Most of my dogs have "Robin" in their pedigree.  And again from what I'm told, his temperament was outstanding!  He sired many great dogs!

English Champion Sansue Golden Ruler is another one of my favorites for the same reason as the ones above.  I just find him to be a great representation of what a Golden Retriever should look like.   He sired quite a few wonderful dogs, and one that stands out to me specifically is Papete Philosopher, another lovely boy! 

Lastly, English Champion Camrose Cabus Christopher set the standard in English Goldens forty years ago.  If you look at a photo of him today, he's a nice boy.  But in his day, he was outstanding!  And he still holds many records today in the dog breeding and show world.   He is in the pedigrees of all of my dogs.  And my boy Max is a direct descendant...Toffer, as he was lovingly called, is Max's great grand-father. 

Many of my favorite dogs today are descendants from these great dogs.  Today my favorite dogs are:
Shardanell Talk O the Town at Ipcress
Ritzilyn Male Order
Xanthos Apple Jack
Camrose Time to Return
Ritzilyn Brandon
Ashbury Angel Heart
Majik Truth or Dare
Zampanzar Say it Again Shardanell

I am probably forgetting a few that I adore, but these dogs are some of the greats from today.   

I am sure that there are many breeders and show folks who  may not agree with all of my choices.  And that diversity makes the world go round!   But hopefully this helps you note some of the great English Goldens in your own dogs pedigree. 

Summer fun with your English Golden!

Summertime is such a great time of year with your four legged friends.  My dogs love to be outside running, playing and being in the water.  If you have a ball, they have the will to play fetch any time!   They also love sitting inside in the cool air conditioning in the 100 degree days of summer.  In NC, there have been many 95+ degree days as of late.   In areas around the globe it's even hotter.  So what are some things you can do with your dog in this type of heat, and what precautions should you take?

First, you should always bring lots of water for both your dog and yourself.   Their coats act as built in air conditioners but they will need a lot of water to keep cool.  It's good for you too!

Avoid playing in the hottest part of the day if possible.    As with people so with dogs and they can get overheated just as we can.   If you have to be out in the hottest part of the day, make sure you take a lot of breaks for water and rest.  Again, you don't want either of you to become overheated in super hot weather.

And if you're like me with English Goldens, water is a great place to spend time.  My dogs love the water whether it be a lake, an ocean, a pool or a garden hose!    You may not like the mess that comes with a day at the water, but you're sure to have a lot of fun together!

Oh, and be sure to bring lots of sunscreen for you!  A non-sunburned owner makes for a much happier day!  Enjoy the weather and your furry friends.  Fall will be here before we know it!

Talented English Goldens

Most people know that dogs bring joy and unconditional love to their families.   But did you know dogs can be quite humorous with little personalities all their own?  Take Zoe for instance.   She's sweet and quiet and oh, so obedient until there's something that catches her eye.   Then she morphs into "S Squared" or "Super Sneaky" as we like to call her.     Let me explain what I mean.

The above image is a photo of my son, Harrison jumping on the trampoline.  Zoe LOVES to do what Harrison does so she decided to jump up on the trampoline with him.   Now I told her five times to get down because I didn't want her to injure herself.  But the minute I went into the house, the above scene in the photo happened.

Really, it's quite humorous.  Here's a girl with a mind all her own.  She's sweet and obedient, but by God when Harrison jumps on the trampoline, why should he have all the fun?   So up she goes and shows the rest of us she can do what we can do.  That takes talent!

But all of my dogs have their own personalities.  Max will play fetch until my arm falls off.  He has a retrieving instinct like nothing I've ever seen.  Emma is the "alpha" and if she doesn't like something one of the other dogs does (ie. try to take her toy) she lets them know.   Reagan just wants you to pet him.  He's such a little love bug!   He looks at you with these beautiful brown eyes and begs you to love him.  There's no way you can say no to that!

Like people, dogs have their own personalities and idiosyncracies.  And some are multi-talented.   I would love to hear about what your talented dogs can do!

English Goldens....too smart for their own good at times!

 This is my boy Finn.  He's gorgeous, talented and super smart.   He's gorgeous both inside and out.  I have yet to find a sweeter golden.  He's talented because he can find a ball in 5 seconds flat.  You throw it, he'll retrieve it.  Yes, he is an English Golden Retriever so he should be good at retrieving.  And he's super smart because he can do things regular dogs can't.  That is except for my other goldens.  And the English goldens some of my friends have.  And of course, my Bernese Mountain Dog, Sadie, but that's another story.

Now I have been saying how I really need to get back in shape.  It's so hot outside in NC in the summer that it's hard to get motivated.  I could be wrong, but I think my goldens got tired of hearing me complain about my weight so this morning, they decided to help old mom out.

Some how my babies figured out how to open the gate to get out of the backyard.  That in itself is a feat.  You have to lift up a bar that locks the gate into place.  You have to open the lever.  AND you have to unhook a dog collar that I put in place that serves as a second lock for my gate just in case.   Somehow the little buggars figured out how to unlock all three and all of the sudden I hear my six year old running down the street saying, "Mommy!   Get the leashes!!" 

In a panic I immediately grab the leashes and head toward the door.  Thank goodness two of mine came right back home and were happy to drink water and be in the cool air.   But the other three were half way down the neighborhood with my six year old  in tow.   Bionic Mom took over.  Here comes Jamie Summers toting her leashes running as fast as she can to catch three English Goldens and a six year old.  

When they saw me running toward them shouting their names they came right to me with their sweet smiling faces.  And Emma just smiled as if to say, "We just wanted to help, Mom."  I guess that's what I get for complaining about needing to lose weight.   My English Goldens made sure I was the one who was going to start my weight loss program whether I wanted to or not.   Gotta love those smarty britches!!

Clean English Goldens....Really??

Look at my dog, Emma....she's the one in the back with the mud all over her face.  You're probably thinking she never gets a bath.  Truth be told...she gets them quite often because she is constantly a mess.  And the best part is, SHE is the one making the mess.  And she LOVES to make a mess.  Welcome to the wonderful world of English Goldens!
It's instinctive for English Goldens to want to dig.  If you have a flower bed or a retaining wall, that's all the more attractive to an English Golden.  Or if you have a nice piece of grass, that's a possible future hole for them to dig.  You see, the thing about this wonderful breed is that for all of their wonderful qualities, they are natural born diggers!  And if you have a place to dig anywhere near water, that's even better.   Because then they can make a super huge mess of themselves and the area they are digging in!

What can you do to avoid holes?  A couple of things.  You can fill the holes with concrete and add top soil to the very top layer.  That should slow them down.  You can section off a certain part of the yard where they can play.  Holes will be fair game there, but if they aren't near your garden, you can enjoy your plants.  You can try to spray apple bitter on your plants.  I have to say depending on the dog it doesn't always work.  But you can try.  Or you can just know that if you have a Golden, be prepared for holes, dirt and a lot of baths! 

Emma loves the water.  Sometimes I wonder if she does this on purpose so she can get into the bathtub and play.   They are very smart dogs!  It wouldn't surprise me.  Perhaps we should look at getting a pool sooner than later!

Hip Health Testing

One really can't stress enough the importance of health testing when breeding animals.  There are so many hereditary things that can be passed down from parents to offspring that it's crucial for a responsible breeder to do as much health testing as possible.   While nothing in life is perfect, a responsible breeder will test their dogs to try to avoid health issues in offspring.

This leads me to the topic of hip testing.  The norm in the breeding world in the US is to use a company called OFA or the Orthapedic Foundation for Animals.  They look at one view of an x-ray of a dogs hips and grade it.  You can get either an "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," "Borderline" or some degree of hip dysplasia.  The thing to note which is quite frustrating to me is that the OFA will grade anything you send to them.  If the hips are not positioned properly, the OFA will still grade the hips.  They don't send the x-rays back and tell you to redo them so the hips are positioned correctly.  To me, this is just plain laziness on the part of the OFA.   

When it happened to me, I decided to see what other options were out there and made the decision to use the BVA or British Veterinary Association.   I import my dogs from Europe so it made sense to me to use their hip scheme.   They look at the same view an OFA vet will look at, but the difference is they will give you a number score between 0-53 on each hip.  Their scores are like a golfer's game....the lower the score, the better.   The "standard" score that most breeders use is a total score of 20 or under, but some breeders require lower scores than that.  And some will use higher scores if they know the scores of the ancestors behind a dog.  The thing I appreciate about the BVA is if a hip is not positioned properly, they will send the x-ray back to you refusing to grade it.   The BVA only gives you a grade once in the lifetime of a dog and they want to make sure they are grading fairly.  You can send your x-rays to the OFA over and over again.    But the OFA refers back to anything you've submitted previously instead of grading the x-ray for how it looks that day.  They also don't tell you what degree of "Good" or "Fair" your dog may be.  Are they just barely fair or good?    As you can tell, it's just not a system I am a fan of.

There are MANY breeders who have been breeding for years who won't look at a dog without an OFA rating.   And there are many more who will tell prospective puppy owners to ask about health testing.  While I agree that puppy families should know how healthy the parents of their puppies are, I also believe there are different hip schemes that as good or better than what the OFA offers.   For me and  my dogs it's the BVA. 

When does an English become European?

I was talking to a breeder friend of mine in Europe recently.  She's been breeding English Goldens for about 30 years now, and her dogs are phenominal.  And she asked me a question that has befuddled me.  At what point does an English Golden Retriever become a European Golden Retriever?  There are some breeders who believe that the only English Golden worth breeding is one from the UK.  There are many fine UK Goldens from the UK but there are also some amazing Goldens from other places in the world .  Ashbury Conan Doyle is a beautiful dog from France who won the World Show in Denmark in 2010.  He's from France...part of Europe.   The Specialty Show I went to the day after the World Show had a world renowned Swedish breeder as judge.  He chose a wonderful dog as best in show from Spain....again in Europe.   Crufts, the UK equivalent of our Westminister Dog Show, awarded best in breed in 2010 to a Norwegian dog....again from Europe. 

The funny thing is that ALL Goldens came from the UK to start with.   Our American Goldens ancestors came from Scotland.   European Goldens all come from UK ancestors.  The question "When does an English Golden become a European Golden?" is so valid!  When does it become European?  When it's born in Europe?  How can that be if both parents are from the UK?   What if you have one parent from the UK and one from Europe?  Does that make the dog a European dog?  What if the parents are both European but the grandparents are from the UK?  Does this mean they are European now?    When does the magic switch turn on that makes a dog European instead of English? 

There are Americans, African Americans, Chinese Americans, Mexican Americans, and the list goes on.  But what do these people all have in common?   They are Americans.  Why can't the same be applied to the English Golden Retriever?  They all came from the UK to begin with.  There are English Goldens, European Goldens, Canadian English Goldens and American English Goldens, but they are all English Goldens.  Instead of having to make a distinction between English and European, why can't they all just be English Golden Retrievers?   

At the end of the day, all English Golden Retrievers are from the UK.  Whether they came from the UK five generations ago or not, they are still English Goldens.    There are some kennels that are better known than others.   Some people prefer big bone, a wavy coat and color.  Others prefer a more straight coat that's blond in color.  But I just don't see where the magic switch is that suddenly makes an English Golden a European Golden.  Isn't the UK part of Europe anyway????