ALANNAH KERR
On Sunday September 11th, approximately 20 people met in the Colmslie Recreation Reserve Dog Park. But this meeting wasn’t about humans.
It was a reunion for 15 Golden Retrievers who are related but have different owners.
Their breeders are Akhiri, Alubyc, Arangold, Mesfleurs, Imatriever, Goldrush, Wembury and Tyan Golden Retrievers, says their Facebook page, MIGGAWATS.
Puppies with names such as Dudley, Hadley, Georgia, Lemon and Pippa, enjoyed each other’s company in the designated dog area on the sunny Brisbane morning.
Treats were given to the best behaved and the naughty puppies who frolicked around for two hours while their owners sipped takeaway coffees and shared pet tips.
“Thanks for coming everyone it was great Golden gathering,” wrote breeder, Ms Kirilee Hailwood, on the community Facebook page who organised the event.
“So sad I missed all the fun. I was at a human wedding in Toowoomba so you know where I would have rather been,” wrote Kim Clarke, owner of puppy Charli.
The Facebook group, which has 210 members, has become an important place for the owners to converge, where they celebrate their “furry kids” and their personal successes.
Facebook is also where the group of dog owners joke, a lot: “A dog’s internal clock has the accuracy of a Swiss watch” reads caption accompanying a dog glaring as his dinner bowl.
Golden Retrievers were developed in Scotland in the mid-1800s, originally bred for hunting Wildfowl. Golden Retrievers are known for their loyalty, obedience and love of the water.
But don’t let their fluffy exterior fool you: Charlie, a Golden Retriever from Australia, holds the Guinness World Record for the loudest bark. And a Golden Retriever named Augie holds five tennis balls in his mouth, breaking another Guinness record.
According to Pawnation, Golden Retrievers are considered the “4th Smartest Dog Breed” trailing only behind border collies, poodles and German shepherds.
