The golden touch

WE have had golden retrievers (‘This dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool’, April 20) for more than 30 years and they are such lovely dogs to live with—apart from the hair, my wife would say. We currently have Dudley (below, right), an 11-year-old retired Pets as Therapy dog, and Wellington (left), a fouryear-old working gundog. Last year, I decided I wouldn’t go on a shoot without Wellington and so he spent the season picking up, beating, rough shooting and wildfowling—truly a versatile dog.

David Beckenham, by email