It all started with Glen — the end of an era for Golden Retriever breeder

• Published date: 12 April 2024
• Author: Paul Williams
• Publication title: Horowhenua Chronicle

The well-known dog breeder has just said goodbye to her very last litter of puppies. After decades of careful and selective breeding this brood of Golden Retrievers signals the end of an era

The seven little pups rolling around in the backyard have all gone to approved homes in the Auckland area. Except one. A stocky little fella she’s calling Vino. He’s staying.

“He’s gorgeous,” she said.

A hobby that has given her so much enrichment all started when Pat shifted to New Zealand in the 1980s. With two young children in tow, they were longing for a dog.

One day they spied a Golden Retriever and thought “this is the dog for us”. They were introduced to “Glen”, a dog bred by recognised Golden Retriever breeder Mariam Dobson.

Glen grew from cute to handsome, and Pat was encouraged to take him to shows.

“He was a great pet for the children. He was a brilliant obedience dog. He wasn’t the perfect show dog, but he still became a show champion. And children learn so much from having a dog,” she said.

It wasn’t until years later that Pat thought about breeding. Along came Mac, a dog for Pat’s husband to work. Her daughter began to show him too. She then purchased a bitch, called Isla, who she said wasn’t the best show dog, but made up for it with her brains.

“She was just so clever,” she said. Isla won top obedience prize at the national show in 1980. No Golden Retriever has achieved the same feat since.

From this bitch Pat began breeding Golden Retrievers, but never often and always with meticulous care. She only had a litter of pups arrive once every 18 months and was always selective when mating, conscious of not breeding from dogs with any physical or mental challenges.

“I’m certainly not a big breeder. I’ve bred the best to the best and hoped for the best,” she said.

“I’ve been fussy.”

Pat had always considered temperament to be the most important trait in a dog, while it was important that breeders continued to consider all traits when mating.

The aim has been to breed dogs that can work, ie. retrieve birds like pheasants and ducks, while also be obedient and have aesthetic show appeal.

“In the UK there tends to be two separate types now — working dogs and show dogs — which I find disheartening. Working dogs seem to be mainly dark gold and lighter in bone whereas the show dogs are mainly cream to mid-gold with heavier bone,” she said.

“I think some breeders have forgotten what Goldens were originally bred for. Many dogs in the show ring could not do a day’s...