Golden Retrievers descend on Barossa in battle for most fetching dog title
One of Hollywood’s best-loved breeds is descending on the Barossa Valley as the nation’s top Golden Retrievers compete to be named top dog.
InDaily catches Golden Retriever Club of South Australia secretary Ruth Thompson in the middle of bathing her dogs for a prestigious national dog show being held in SA for the first time since 2017, starting with the gundog and retrieving ability test at Grand Cru Estate in the Barossa Valley on Monday.
“I’ve been bathing my dogs every week for the last six weeks to make sure they’re looking absolutely tip-top for the show, and then each bath and blow-dry and trim probably can be anywhere up to two hours per dog,” explains Thompson, who is entering nine of her Golden Retrievers in this year’s competition.
The 13th Golden Retriever National is being held from August 3 to August 6, with retrievers from around the country competing to be crowned top dog in the event held around Australia only every three years.
This time round, there are more than 280 entries in the confirmation (beauty contest) event, while 60 dogs will take part in the obedience category, with the event held at Tanunda Show Hall and surrounding oval until this Thursday.
The event featuring one of the most recognisable breeds from Hollywood films like Air Bud, Homeward Bound, A Dog’s Purpose and The Parent Trap, is being hosted by the Golden Retriever Club of South Australia.
Among Thompson’s competitive line-up is Frank, whose show name is ‘Had to Be You’ after the Frank Sinatra song and Roger, whose show name is ‘Game Set Match’ after tennis star Roger Federer, while Thompson’s “older girl” Lola competes under the name ‘You Are the One’.
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Thompson says the National is the peak Golden Retriever event in Australia, with competitors and spectators travelling from far and wide to catch a glimpse of the silky dogs.
This includes about 120 individual competitors plus a contingent of 12 breeders travelling overseas from New Zealand, with Thompson expecting at least 150 spectators watching the event.
“It’s something that everyone looks forward to – we’ve got people who’ve driven from WA, they’ve driven from Queensland, Sydney, Victoria’s not such a big hike; people have even come on the ferry from Tasmania to Melbourne and then driven across from Melbourne – so, some people started driving here a week ago,” she said.
Thompson said the Golden Retrievers entered would range from “baby puppies that are three months of age right through to veterans”, with a veteran parade for dogs that have been “outstanding representatives of the breed through their years”.
She said dogs would be judged by how they fit the breed standard for Golden Retrievers, including the dog’s head, expression, forequarter and hindquarter construction, their top line, the length of their body compared to their leg and their coat, which must be a double coat.
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“It’s basically the judge’s opinion as to which dog they think fits the standard the best, and also that they perform well in the ring and that they move well, they’re sound, and they have a good temperament,” Thompson said.
Thompson has been breeding Golden Retrievers for the past 30 years plus, with her 11 Golden Retrievers “burning off their beans” at her 70-acre property at Gumeracha.
She goes to extreme lengths to make sure the dogs are fit and healthy, with each breeding pair going through a health screening prior to mating.
This includes having the dog’s hip and elbow X-rays scored by a radiologist, having the dogs’ hearts tested by a veterinary cardiologist and getting their eyes checked yearly by a veterinary ophthalmologist to make sure they are free of eye diseases such as cataracts and Progressive Retinal Atrophy.
Thompson said that when breeding, a top priority was for the dog “to look like a Golden Retriever”, and she connected with overseas breeders to ensure her own puppies had top bloodlines.
“I do import a lot of semen from overseas – I’ve imported semen from Sweden, Italy, the UK, and I always try to make sure I can breed the best that I possibly can,” she said.
“For me as a breeder, the number one priority is always temperament because 90 per cent of the puppies that we breed generally end up in pet homes, other than what we’re keeping for ourselves for showing or trialling or obedience of whatever.”
Asked what she likes about Golden Retrievers, Thompson said she loves their temperament.
“They’re always happy, they’re always social, you can take them anywhere, they can be with anyone, be with any other dogs and nothing’s ever a problem because of that beautiful nature that they have – they’re very eager to please and they just love you unconditionally, really,” she said.
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