One of the last of the retriever breeds to get established (if not the last)  is also one of the world’s most beloved breeds, the Golden Retriever. It was also a breed one might say was born of necessity, if not frustration. Nineteenth century hunting dogs lacked not only the size, but the proper coat to plow through mud and heavy marsh grass. Guns changed, as well, and multiple shots could now be fired. This meant that dogs needed to find and retrieve more than one bird, sometimes as many as ten to twenty, and the dogs of the day couldn’t do it.

Sir Dudley Majoribanks, the first Lord of Tweedmouth, was keenly aware of the need for a different kind of retrieval dog and commenced to create it. From Lord Chichester, he bought a yellow colored puppy out of a litter with black wavy hair and named her “Nous,” Gaelic for wisdom. In 1868, he bred her to “Belle,” a Tweed Water spaniel. Of the litter, Tweedmouth kept one female he named “Cowslip,” and gave the rest to friends and neighbors. He continued to breed only yellow pups from “Cowslip,” and together, these dogs were the basis of the Golden Retriever breed we love today.

“Daydream” by Kimberly Santini
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