A brief history of golden retrievers

1868 Sir Dudley Marjoribanks (later Baron Tweedmouth) mates his yellow retriever with a Tweed water spaniel, producing a litter of yellow puppies: Ada, Primrose, Crocus and Cowslip

1903 The Kennel Club (KC) accepts them for registration, but as golden flatcoats

1911 The Golden Retriever Club is formed in the UK

1913 They are given a separate register at the KC as ‘Retriever (Golden or Yellow)’

1920 The ‘yellow’ is dropped from the KC breed register, leaving ‘Retriever (Golden)’ 1937 A golden retriever—haulstone Larry, handled by Mrs J. Eccles—wins the International Gundog League retriever championship for the first time 1952 The 6th Earl of Ilchester publishes an article titled ‘Origin of the yellow retriever’ in COUNTRY LIFE, revealing details of Lord Tweedmouth’s stud books and consequently dismissing the rumour that goldens descended from Russian circus dogs