Hundreds of golden retrievers gather in Highlands

Hundreds of aureate retrievers, and their owners, person gathered astatine the Highland ancestral location of the breed.

The archetypal aureate retriever puppies were calved astatine Guisachan House successful Glen Affric 155 years ago.

They were bred by aristocrat Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, who wanted a weapon canine suited to Scottish Highland terrain.

Owners from crossed the UK, continental Europe, North America, Australia and Japan person been gathering astatine the ruins of Guisachan House.

A bid of events, including talks, workshops, demonstrations and a night-time procession, person taken spot this week astatine the tract adjacent Tomich, southbound of Inverness, and adjacent Cannich.

Thursday was expected to spot 1 of the world's largest gatherings of the breed successful 1 place, with hundreds gathering up beneath the ruined mansion house.

Carol Henry, caput of the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland, said the purpose of the gathering was to support live cognition of the breed.

She said established breeders were mindful of protecting the dogs' qualities and temperament.

But Mrs Henry said this had been enactment astatine hazard by irresponsible breeding during Covid pandemic lockdowns.

She said: "We privation to clasp connected to the confidence, the biddability, the companionship and loyalty - each the things the aureate retriever was built on."

Dogs from much than 12 countries including Canada, the US, New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Czech Republic, Italy, Croatia and Estonia are astatine Guisachan.

On Tuesday, a procession was held which started astatine 22:00 and progressive a mile-long locomotion to the ruined location wherever the dogs and their owners were met by a piper.

Thunderstorms did not materialise arsenic forecast, but biting Highland midges were retired successful force.

The nighttime ended with a rendition of The Proclaimers' opus I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) and much bagpipe tunes.

Over a fig of years, the gatherings person taken spot each 5 years and dates person fallen connected milestone anniversaries, including the 150th successful 2018.

The archetypal litter of aureate retrievers was calved successful 1868 to a Tweed h2o spaniel, a breed present extinct, and yellowish wavy-coated retriever.

The puppies were called Primrose, Cowslip and Crocus. Some histories of the breed study the litter having 4 pups.

More than 40 years later, successful 1913, the aureate retriever was officially recognised arsenic a breed by The Kennel Club, the UK's largest organisation acrophobic with canine health, payment and training.

Marjoribanks, a businessman and Liberal MP who was besides known by the rubric Lord Tweedmouth, bred the retrievers astatine his Guisachan estate.

The location had fallen into ruin by the 1960s.