If you know the origins of the golden retriever breed, you would know that the Scottish Highlands was their birthplace. The breed was developed in Scotland in the nineteenth century by Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, who sought a hunting dog adapted to the challenging terrains of the Scottish Highlands.
From there, they quickly became popular due to their friendliness and charismatic personality and so they spread to the rest of the world.
And this week, a joyful assembly of hundreds of golden retrievers, has converged on this Highland birthplace of the breed.
Guisachan House in Glen Affric, where the first golden retriever puppies saw the light of day 155 years ago, has drawn these dogs from all corners of the globe.
The dogs and the owners arriving from as far as Australia and Japan have converged to attend a host of activities. In total, the attendes have come from over a dozen countriss to take part in this event encompassing lectures, workshops, live demonstrations, and a nocturnal procession in the Tomich area, south of Inverness.
The reason for this gathering was to perpetuate awareness of the breed and the threat posed by reckless breeding during the Covid pandemic lockdowns.
Here's a TikTok from one of the attendees!!
@loumartin04 GUICHICAN GATHERING 2023 ~ The World's Largest Golden Retriever Gathering With 466 Dogs #goldenretriever #fypシ #fyp #dogsoftiktok #goldenretrieverpuppies #goldenretrieversoftiktok #scotland #goldenhour #heaven #fortheloveofdogs #tomich #inverness #bonnyscotland #goldenretrieverlife ♬ My Best Friend - Paravi !!!!! 🫶🏽💖🧚🏽♀️🌻🦋