Gold Stars and a Lowlife Who Tars....

   In the highly competitive dog BUSINESS there are rewards to be had, and those who are bad...for the breed, and not much good for anything else. It is difficult to know who-- if anyone --to trust. Who you wish to recommend to others. This, my friends, is sad but true. Some breeders have outstanding reputations, and deservedly so. Others are pathetic to the core. In time, you will hopefully discover this for yourselves.

There is a sucker born every minute-- be an intelligent buyer

   P.T. Barnum was quoted as saying, "There's a sucker born every minute." Apparently, the comment was first voiced by David Hannum, who was involved in a legal dispute with Barnum involving hoaxes connected to so-called giants buried in the earth. But today we attribute the quote to P.T. regardless of origin.
   Some breeders are charging obscene prices for their Golden pups. No breed club can do anything about it. Nor can the AKC. What we can do is educate the public about these ripoffs when they occur. Ultimately, though, it is up to the puppy buyer to do his homework.
   Years ago, when I was involved with another breed, a potential buyer rejected my pup because I was CHARGING TOO LITTLE. Clearly, the pup must be inferior at that price. Comparing pedigrees I showed him how similar the backgrounds were of ALL Bearded Collies in the U.S. at the time. He was unconvinced and purchased a pup elsewhere for more than four times the cost of mine. Perhaps that gave him bragging rights. Who knows. In any event, both the sire and dam of my litter were AKC show champions. Apparently that was not enough for the gentleman. His loss, not mine.

June Is Just Around the Corner...sort of....

   Just a gentle reminder to make plans to attend what should be a fun-filled and informative event. The judges are outstanding; the competition should be excellent, with multiple chances to win. It's part of a six-show IABCA weekend, so you may very well have the opportunity to earn both puppy and adult championships in a single weekend. If a typical event, there will be lots of owner/handlers in the ring-- that alone will level the competition considerably. And the AKC/GRCA breed standard will NOT be used to evaluate the entries. So coat color will NOT be an issue for the judges in any way whatever.

Fab Four; Not So Fab Fifth

   Fab Four. We all know who they are. Then there were the four famous storytellers-- Aesop (NOT a sop), Joel Chandler Harris (NOT harass) and the brothers Grimm (NOT grim). Whose childhood was not replete with the fables of the Greek (a former slave), the African-based folk tales of Uncle Remus (a former slave) and now the slavish adherence to the notion that "to be truly a Golden Retriever, the dog must be truly gold in color?" And who has missed or can possibly forget Walt Disney's Schneewittchen or Aschenputtel based upon the stories gathered by the Grimm boys? Fables have filled our lives, often accepted blindly as fact. The Frenchman Voltaire claimed that history was largely the fable agreed upon. Some have attributed that remark to Napoleon Bonaparte though it appeared in Voltaire's Jeannot et Colin , published in 1764-- five years prior to the birth of the would-be emperor of France. No matter. And, for that matter, fabulist Aesop may never have actually existed at all-- a being as fictitious as the characters in his tales. And of course, Harris' Uncle Remus was a literary creation as well. Truth be told (or not) Aesop even slept with the wife of his first slaveowner and ended his life when he was forced to jump from a cliff to his death in Delphi. And many of the stories collected and reintroduced by the Grimms were quite grim indeed, often cruel and violent. Thank God, we children could enjoy Santa, that jolly old elf-- though he did put coal in many a stocking-- certainly no friend of the environment or showing any concern for global warming. And the Easter Bunny. Some even claim that he lays chocolate eggs for the holiday. We lie to our children. Or do we simply tell stories? A fabulist is defined as both a creator of fables OR a liar.
   My concern is with the less-than-fabulous fabulists at the GRCA, and their rewriting of history (reworking the British breed standard so that cream is simply a shade of gold) and rewriting their own AKC-sanctioned breed standard (by claiming that it states cream-coated Goldens are undesirable," though the word "cream" is nowhere to be found in the document). Their humbuggery is left unchallenged-- either by the Brits or good-thinking Americans. Opinion IS fable IS fact. Who are the best fabulators? The GRCA is not duping education-challenged children but rather adults on both sides of The Pond. What was it that President Bush tried to say-- so ineptly --"FOOL me once...?"

BOB CRUFTS 2015

Beautiful selection of Goldens, and a worthy representative of our breed. His dad, Zampanzar Say It Again Shardanell, was behind other winners as well. Quality begets quality.

AurGwyn Golden Retrievers-- Livin' the Life in Florida

   After living in Vermont, my Goldens have now adapted to life in the Sunshine State. No moose encounters here, but just like the Green Mountain state, there are occasional sightings of deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, foxes and such. And here, as well, armadillos, tortoises and turkey vultures....

COLOR THEM CRAZY

Greyhounds go way back in time; and are actually referenced in the Bible. Presently, the AKC recognizes more than thirty colors in the breed-- not one of which is grey.  The history of the Golden is far more brief; but good grief, the GRCA has determined to limit the acceptable range of coat color. Go figure.