Golden Retrievers Essay

Why Golden Retrievers Make Excellent Family Pets My love of animals goes back to when I was a little girl growing up on my grandpa’s farm. We had most of your normal farm animals; pigs, cows, chickens, heck I even had my own pony. But none were more lovable and enjoyable than our family dog. This particular breed was a border collie and was incredibly intelligent, loyal, and friendly. She was a bit hyper but to a little girl of ten, was the source of entertainment for many years. Plus, she sparked a desire in me to become a life-long family dog owner. As a result, over the last twenty years I have owned and trained many breeds; German Shepherds, bird dogs, hound dogs, Chihuahuas, collies, and a few mixed breeds. I have loved all of my dogs …show more content…
As with most puppies, their loyalty lies mainly with their mother. But, once they are weaned and reach young adulthood, the entire family soon becomes the recipient of their steadfast loyalty. In fact, they consider themselves part of the family and they adore all members equally. And, when properly trained, they are exceptionally obedient when given commands, as my husband quickly learned on his hunting trips with the family retriever. They also have the canine instinct to defend their family without fear. I see this when the UPS delivery man knocks on the door. My retriever will run to the door and bark in its deepest tone. He will also raise the fur on his back and take what appears as a combat stance. Only when I give the command of “Heel” will he back down. He will also go into an adjacent room but not out of sight. He peers around the corner making sure that his family is safe. Another incident involved out first family retriever. One night, as we were sleeping, our retriever started growling. She came to the side of the bed and nudged my husband with her nose, waking him up. He asked, “What’s wrong girl?” She continued to growl looking out the window. Then we heard the sound of glass breaking in our back yard. She began to bark ferociously. My husband got up and ran to the back door, with our retriever right by his side. He opened the door and she darted out like a Greyhound out of a racing gate, barking the whole way. He quickly turned on the light and saw someone jumping the fence, narrowly avoiding the powerful jaws of our family guardian. This person had broken our garage window and was attempting to enter when he heard the deep, threatening barks of our beloved retriever. He wisely decided to vacate the premises, quickly! We have never since had another intruder attempt to