EVERYTHING is exciting for a golden retriever,' states Sue Jordan, owner of five working goldens. 'I love watching them work. They air scent, so their noses are up and they're working away, tails in the air, looking fantastic. When the sun is out, they're glowing—they know they look good out there, I'm sure of it.'
With long, flowing locks, feathered tails, and gentle eyes, the golden retriever is a handsome gundog and a joy to see out in the field. Darker and with a slender, more athletic frame than their heavier, pale-cream show strain counterparts, working goldens are often mistaken for another breed—'I've been asked if they're setters, fox-red labradors or flat coats,' Mrs. Jordan admits—and still fairly unusual to spot on a shoot. The golden retriever's good looks, sunny personality, and popularity as a family pet can mean its prowess in the shooting field is overlooked, but this intelligent, biddable and steadfast gundog should not be underestimated.
'A few years ago, my bitch, Nell, caught the scent of a running partridge, and off she went after it and disappeared,' Mrs. Jordan recalls. 'She was away for a good few minutes and everyone assumed she was just running around. I think they half expect goldens to turn into clowns out there. Then, a dot appeared in the distance and it was Nell returning with the partridge. Someone had seen the whole thing: she'd gone over three fields to retrieve it. They said it was spectacular to watch.'
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
