Updated, The Pros and Cons of a Hairy Friend (Golden Retriever)

Member Name: milmol

Product:	Golden Retriever
Date:	09/06/02 (3241 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Friendly, Gentle, Trainable

Disadvantages: Dog Hairs, Not good on protecting you, Drools

Seven years ago my family persuaded me to join the 'I own a dog' club. Having always been one of those people who believed I would join the club when dogs learnt to remove their feet at the back door and use the loo like other civilized members of the family, I eventually gave in to my families yearning and we purchased a little ball of fluff. She came complete with pedigree, a useful list of do's and don’ts from the breeder and lovely brown eyes that would melt the heart of even the hardest person. We named her Molly.

Always being one to end on a positive note, I have decided to tackle the cons of owning a hairy friend first. The coat of a retriever is not for the fainthearted. Regular grooming is required to prevent problems; our Goldie is also prone to patches of eczema. She loves to be groomed, on site of the brush she will lay on her back with everything open barring her eyes and we become tired of grooming long before she does. I believe some people use dog’s hair for garment making, well you'd certainly get enough from a retriever but I've never fancied trying it.

Goldie’s are typically 'tummies on legs' and care is needed to prevent them becoming overweight. Molly once weighed in at 36kgs and yes I admit to saying silly things to the vet like 'She’s big boned, her mother was big, maybe its her glands?', in reality the only gland problem the Goldie has is to do with her salivary glands working overtime. This in turn has its own problems as meal times mean a Goldie firmly at your side. Molly was always instructed to 'Lay down' at meal times, now a look is enough to instigate this manouvere although I have yet to perfect the art of preventing 'Molly Drool'. These are amazing secretions that form either side of the jaw and can stretch for several inches, long walks produce the same effect, please be careful not be within a three foot radius should your Goldie decide to
shake whilst producing Drool, it has the ability to stick like glue.

Another 'con' of Golden Retrievers is dog hairs, my house often resembles dog hair city in a morning and I believe all Goldie’s should arrive complete with a free industrial strength Hoover.

These dogs also have a love of water, its wonderful to see them swimming in the sea, but not so pleasant in a filthy ditch. Beware walks on hot days, if Molly becomes too hot, she will ditch hop anywhere.

Now the best bits, the Pros....
A Goldie is faithful, ever friendly and loyal. A gentle dog by nature, a real family pet. On the two occasions my Goldie has been unlucky enough to be attacked by another dog she still did not attack back, instead it was I, screaming and shouting like a banshee who protected her honor. So if its a guard dog you are looking for, forget it, a Goldie would just lick burglars to death they are so gentle. Last year we adopted an eight-week-old kitten, it regularly tried to 'breast feed' from Molly, sometimes successfully locating a nipple and sometimes just sucking blindly. Apart from a surprised look of 'What are you doing to my nipple?', Molly lay still and let the kitten suckle.

Their placid nature means they are ideal family pets. Molly has had her toenails painted, gone trick and treating with the kids (fully dressed of course in witches hat and cape) and has her own supply of bandanas and a doggy baseball cap.

On long walks Molly never strays far, she will go a few paces ahead and then stop and wait for us. Beware though Goldie’s can be stubborn, in new and exciting places she will trot along, tail up and ears pricked, but should you try to take a boring familiar walk down 'our lane she will lay down in the 'I'm playing dead' position and refuse to move except to go home.

Talking of tricks, she was a dream to train, eager to please she learnt sit, lay down, play dead
and roll over very quickly, she know predicts your next move and on sight of a biscuit will go through the full repertoire before you ask, just to make sure she covers the one required to earn a reward.

The Costs ~ My dog is 7 years of age now and cost £250, the price varies but is still around that mark, bitches sell for more than dogs due to their breeding potential. These dogs can have health problems, including cataracts and hip dyplasia. Both parents need to have their hips x-rayed prior to breeding and the lower the combined score the better.

Vaccinations ~ Initial vaccinations vary from vet to vet. Boosters in my area are £18 per year.

Spaying ~ The cost of spaying at my vets depends on the weight of the dog, Molly’s spaying cost £110. The operation involves a general anaesthetic and a total hysterectomy but surprisingly she recovered fairly quickly and was back to herself within about a week. Vets encourage owners to wait until the dog has had its first season before spaying.

Safety ~ Micro chipping cost £20 although our local RSPCA center often has 'special offers' where it will microchip for half price. The microchip is very tiny and is inserted into the loose skin at the back of the dog’s neck by a thin ‘trocar’, which is basically a screwdriver length instrument. It doesn't seem to cause much discomfit to the dog.
We then decided to enroll with a company called 'Pet safe' as we felt that micro chipping is a good idea but not visible. Someone finding the dog would need to take it to a vet or rescue organization to have the chip read. 'Pet safe' costs £10 per year and the dog wears a tag with a telephone number that anyone finding the dog can phone. They keep all your details and will contact you. I actually obtained the first years membership free with pet insurance.

Pet Insurance ~ I have insured Molly as I feared if she was ill or injured and I could
n't afford treatment, what a horrible situation. My insurance costs £12 per month. Shop around for pet insurance as some will only cover the dog for any illness for one year. This means if your dog had some chronic illness like diabetes or eczema, they would pay for one year but not after that. We chose Pet Plan as they will continue to insure for the same illness if you stay with the company. The policy has an excess of £50 for each plan but this is nothing in relation to what the fees could be should the dog have a major illness or accident. I have only needed to use it once, Molly had been unwell for 2-3 days with vomiting and when the vet examined her she felt something unusual in her abdomen. She immediately kept her in for X-rays and blood tests, this required sedation. It turned out she had a foreign body which had luckily passed into her bowel, with the help of laxatives she manages to pass it completely. The foreign body turned out to be a dishcloth. The vet’s bill was £175 but I only had to pay £50. I would recommend insurance to everyone thinking of purchasing a dog. It is nice to be able to say to vet 'Do whatever you have to save her'.

Food ~ Due to Molly’s weight problem, I buy a low protein food for older less active dogs called 'Supa dog 1', a 15kg sack costs £12 and lasts around 3 months. It can be fed wet or dry and Molly has a cup-sized portion twice a day. It doesn't sound a lot but the water actually makes it swell and it covers a bowl the size of a dinner plate.

Would I own another Goldie, I would love to, but I'm actually scared I would always compare it to her. My beautiful, faithful Molly dog, but I would recommend them to anyone.

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