Golden retrievers to return to Highland ancestral home for 160th anniversary gathering

The next planned event is due to take place in July 2028

Golden retrievers to return to breed’s ancestral home in the Highlands for 160th anniversary gatheringPeter Jolly

Hundreds of golden retrievers and their owners will gather at the breed’s ancestral home in the Highlands to mark 160 years.

Known as The Guisachan Gathering, the event takes place every few years near the ruins of Guisachan House in Glen Affric.

The event was last held in 2023, where nearly 500 dogs from 12 countries, along with their owners, came out to celebrate 155 years.

It has now been announced that the next planned gathering will take place in July 2028, according to the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland.

The gathering brings hundreds of golden retrievers from across the world.Peter Jolly
The gathering brings hundreds of golden retrievers from across the world.

Golden retrievers were first bred by Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, known as the Laird of Guisachan and Glenaffric.

He wanted a gun dog better suited to the Highland countryside, with the first litter born in 1868 to a Tweed water spaniel, a breed now extinct, and a yellow, wavy-coated retriever.

The puppies were called Primrose, Cowslip and Crocus, but some theories suggest the litter consisted of four pups.

Four decades later, in 1913, the golden retriever was officially recognised as a breed by The Kennel Club, the UK’s largest organisation concerned with dog health, welfare and training.

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