You may well be obsessed with Golden Retrievers, but do you know everything there is to know about them?
If not, you’re in luck – buzzfeed I recently produced a video called “10 Golden Retriever Facts That Will Make You Smile” which should shed some light on the subject (or, at least, make you smile). Check out all the facts below – we’ve expanded it a bit – and watch the video at the bottom of the page.
1. Golden Retrievers were developed in Scotland in the mid-19th century.
By crossing the Water Pole with an existing Retriever and then mixing offspring with a Bloodhound, the St. John’s Water Dog, Irish Writer, and more Retrievers came to be the Golden Retriever. Apparently, you can never have too many retrievers.
2. Goldie was originally bred to hunt Wildfowl.
This requires a dog that can traverse both land and water, due to the many wetlands and rivers where hunting usually takes place.
3. Golden Retrievers are known for being great swimmers and loving water.
Maybe a little too much?
4. There is a kangaroo in Australia named Dusty who believes his mother is a golden retriever named Lilly.
Dusty and Lilly’s caretaker says:
“He always calms her down, she’s always together, and if Lily goes out of the yard, he stands next to her and kind of hops up and down the railing until he comes out with her to go with her.”
No, I’m not crying, I’m just…well, yeah, I’m crying.
5. Last year, a 10-month-old golden retriever named Cody ate an entire bulb before passing it on intact.
That’s why… impressive?
6. A Goldie Once Kept African Wild Dogs.
When Xena, an African wild dog at the Oklahoma City Zoo, gave birth to three puppies—one male and one female—she had no interest in caring for them. Luckily, the zoo’s animal care team stepped forward and introduced him to Lilly, a golden retriever and new mom. She immediately took on the puppies, nursing them along with her own puppies.
7. Charlie, a golden retriever from Australia, holds the Guinness World Record for top-notches with 113.1 decibels.
By comparison, a chainsaw is 110 decibels, and chainsaws are really noisy and noisy.
8. But “Loudest Bark Ever” isn’t the only world record held by Goldie.
A Golden Retriever named Augie holds the record for “most tennis balls held in the mouth by a dog” at 5 regulation-sized balls. That’s pretty good, but it can’t compare to the human record for “most tennis balls held in one hand” – 24 balls. Better luck next time, my friend!
9. In 2010, the 18-month-old golden retriever Angel saved his 11-year-old owner, Austin, from a cougar attack.
He threw himself between the boy and the cougar and the animal fought until a policeman arrived and killed the cat. While it was initially believed that Angel was mortally wounded in the attack, according to the boy’s father, it eventually sucked in “He took a big breath of air and then got up [و] He walked over to Austin, sniffed him to make sure he was all right, then sat downHe went on to make a full recovery.
Yes, I’m still crying. Let’s not make too much of it, okay?
10. Finally, the golden retriever was the third most popular American Kennel Club breed in the past year.
Maybe because of pictures like this:
Featured image via BrotherBear13
