Going to the dogs!

[togor]

Has anyone owned a Golden Retriever? I know the puppies are expensive but they are handsome, smart, friendly and easy to train. Id like to have one but wife is against owning any dog in our retirement years due to her urge to travel.

I have one who thinks like that, but I'm adamant on the subject and for now the line is holding at "1".

[oscars]

Goldens are wonderful family dogs. We had three over 25 yr as my kids came and grew up. Problem now is extensive breeding has resulted in a relative short life compared to 50 yr ago. The biggie is that an estimated 65% of Goldens will die of cancer. Purdue University has a large NIH funded research program to study genetic linkage of cancer in Goldens.

[Gun Smoke]

Goldens are wonderful family dogs. We had three over 25 yr as my kids came and grew up. Problem now is extensive breeding has resulted in a relative short life compared to 50 yr ago. The biggie is that an estimated 65% of Goldens will die of cancer. Purdue University has a large NIH funded research program to study genetic linkage of cancer in Goldens.

That seems to be the case in all breeds.

We lost a Schnauzer (also a great breed) to cancer not long ago.

When I was a child we always had dogs. None of them died of cancer that we know of but recently I was in the vets office and a poster on the wall had a chart of life expectancy of dogs in relationship to their size and it said all dogs have about a 40% chance of dying of cancer.

[Allen]

Goldens are wonderful family dogs. We had three over 25 yr as my kids came and grew up. Problem now is extensive breeding has resulted in a relative short life compared to 50 yr ago. The biggie is that an estimated 65% of Goldens will die of cancer. Purdue University has a large NIH funded research program to study genetic linkage of cancer in Goldens.

I remember back in the 70's Irish setters being very popular with so many owning one or breeding them. Perhaps this is what happened to them along with inter breeding. You don't see many now.