Heart-stealing puppies signal end of era for Golden Retriever breeder (2024)

When Pat Munro moved from Scotland to New Zealand almost 50 years ago, she managed to find a little bit of home in her new country. A golden, fluffy, cuddly, mischievous piece of home.

The well-known dog breeder has just said goodbye to her very last litter of puppies. After decades of careful and selective breeding this brood of Golden Retrievers signals the end of an era.

The seven little pups rolling around in the backyard have all gone to approved homes in the Auckland area. Except one. A stocky little fella she’s calling Vino. He’s staying.

“He’s gorgeous,” she said.

A hobby that has given her so much enrichment all started when Pat shifted to New Zealand in the 1980s. With two young children in tow, they were longing for a dog.

One day they spied a Golden Retriever and thought “this is the dog for us”. They were introduced to “Glen”, a dog bred by recognised Golden Retriever breeder Mariam Dobson.

Glen grew from cute to handsome, and Pat was encouraged to take him to shows.

“He was a great pet for the children. He was a brilliant obedience dog. He wasn’t the perfect show dog, but he still became a show champion. And children learn so much from having a dog,” she said.

It wasn’t until years later that Pat thought about breeding. Along came Mac, a dog for Pat’s husband to work. Her daughter began to show him too. She then purchased a bitch, called Isla, who she said wasn’t the best show dog, but made up for it with her brains.

“She was just so clever,” she said. Isla won top obedience prize at the national show in 1980. No Golden Retriever has achieved the same feat since.

From this bitch Pat began breeding Golden Retrievers, but never often and always with meticulous care. She only had a litter of pups arrive once every 18 months and was always selective when mating, conscious of not breeding from dogs with any physical or mental challenges.

“I’m certainly not a big breeder. I’ve bred the best to the best and hoped for the best,” she said.

“I’ve been fussy.”

Pat had always considered temperament to be the most important trait in a dog, while it was important that breeders continued to consider all traits when mating.

The aim has been to breed dogs that can work, i.e. retrieve birds like pheasants and ducks, while also be obedient and have aesthetic show appeal.

“In the UK there tends to be two separate types now - working dogs and show dogs - which I find disheartening. Working dogs seem to be mainly dark gold and lighter in bone whereas the show dogs are mainly cream to mid-gold with heavier bone,” she said.

“I think some breeders have forgotten what Goldens were originally bred for. Many dogs in the show ring could not do a day’s work in the field.”

“Luckily, there are still quite a few breeders in the UK who still put value on retaining the working lines in their show dogs. In New Zealand, the prevalence has been for breeders to concentrate on breeding dual purpose Goldens and I hope this will always be the case.”

Under the Speyside kennel name Pat’s dog’s had built a reputation, while she herself was well-respected in the breeding community. People would travel from all over the country for her breed. She had even sent some dogs to Australia and other countries, like Hawaii, and Tenerife, Spain.

Breeding had always remained a hobby for Pat, but she loved showing her dogs at competition. A room full of a ribbons attests to her success over the years.

“I have achieved some amazing things and met some amazing people. When I purchased Glen I never dreamt how much this would change my life,” she said.

It still amazes her that the Golden Retriever breed originated just down the road from her hometown, Speyside in Scotland, thanks to Lord Tweedmouth, the sixth Earl of Illchester.

Tweedmouth was a avid sportsman and hunter and who wanted a dog capable of retrieving game from the rugged field and water of the English coast. According to record, in 1865 he acquired a yellow retriever pup called Nous, which he mated with a Tweed Water Spaniel given to him by a cousin.

Their union produced four pups, Ada, Crocus, Primrose and Cowslip. For the next 20 years Tweedmouth methodically line-bred from those first four pups, out-crossing at times, then breeding back to the original mating. The rest is history.

So as far as dog breeds Golden Retrievers were fairly new, but they grew in number so rapidly Tweedmouth would be amazed should he be alive today. They rank one of the most popular breeds of dog anywhere in the world. The latest Forbes list of Most Popular Dogs had Golden Retrievers ranked third, behind the French Bulldogs and Labradors, but ahead of German Shepherds, Poodles, Bulldogs, Rottweilers and Beagles.

Looking back, her love affair with Golden Retrievers all started with that chance meeting with Miriam Dobson all those years ago.

“I have achieved some amazing things and met some amazing people. When I purchased Glen I never dreamt how much this would change my life,” she said.

“It’s been the most wonderful hobby. It really has. There is a brilliant pedigree dog community and I’ve met people from all over the world,

Even around town or at the beach, having a Golden Retriever beside her was a conversation starter with perfect strangers.

“I’m meeting people all the time. I go to the beach all the time and people stop and want to know more about them,” she said.

In the final few days before the last litter of puppies left, she still enjoyed watching them playfully roll around on her back lawn and was comfortable letting them nibble on her trouser leg.

“Having the neighbour’s children visit is so beneficial for the pups before they go to their new homes. And the children love the experience too,” she said.