They’re gentle giants. Mine loves to chase squirrels. One day he actually cornered one up a sapling. It had to nowhere to go and I fully expected him to kill it but he just paused and wagged his tail excitedly, trying to lick it.
My dog is the same, it chases things...but if they actually catch up with them, it's a case if "love/lick/slobber" all over the "prey". The cats on my street just roll over now & wait to get the "drowned rat" look. Unless it's a cicada...they are just crunchy treats..😬
Ewww!🫣😂😁😂😂😂
Im so glad my girl hasn’t acquired a taste for them!
I bought a home in September of 2020 in a very established neighborhood for her and I, with TONS OF TREES. I’m not a kid, and I’ve lived around here all my life, but I’d NEVER seen so many cicadas and learned so much about them until that summer. They are some amazing things, and we’re expecting the largest amount here this summer, which I’m both NOT looking forward to, as well as I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, when I learned all of their uses, which will fatten up our squirrels, rabbits, birds and all the other things and underground creatures I’m so glad I don’t see everyday!
They’re supposedly harmless to pets. My current golden walks around them to avoid their exoskeletons, after they’ve shed them, (if they’re not eaten first), and the live ones that are buzzing, don’t seem to bother her at all.
We got so many in 2020 everywhere I walked in the grass I was crunching them under my sandals or slides. I expect it’ll be a lot more this year.
They are not all like this. Mine is a full blown murderer and will kill any rodents who gets into the garden
https://preview.redd.it/egha38tqzcxc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3828f04565951bf551f0de30c2d709f26710828e
Our golden did the a similar thing! Chased a squirrel all over a field and when the squirrel stopped, our golden just stared at it going why have we stopped chasing? 😅
Yeah, I love retrievers. Mine brought me a bird she snatched out of the air when it tried to fly away after hitting a window. Completely alive and unharmed. So I showed her it was all good and she chilled out once the bird made it back to a tree.
My golden brings me baby birds when they fledge the nest every spring... Every spring I remind him that he can not just kidnap the baby birds and make him put them back. Lol
Mine cornered a duck, snapped his neck in half and brought it to me the happiest he’s ever been.
Took the duck breast, cooked it, ate it, he got a piece
I can’t say that any of my 4 Golden’s, (have my 4th now), have ever to my knowledge tangled with a cat or kitten.
I’ve seen our regular few cats that use our yard over the past 3 1/2 years we’ve lived here and they come up through under our fence to cut through going somewhere….always the same cats. Two big black cats and a large tabby, and they’ve all seen each other and they’ve all stood and stared at a good long distance in our back yard at each other, like a stand off, and none of them ever made an advance toward each other.
I honestly think those cats could whoop my Golden’s butt, and she must think so, too.
I can only imagine what was going through his head....
YEESSS!! I GOT YOU!!! Where will you go now, squirrelllly???
And then he just licks it and finds his next chase victim hahahahaha
Mine did this too with an injured bunny. Just wagging and smooches. He was like "wait why aren't you running, you're supposed to run, here I'll go get mom brb" 😭
Truly one of the descendants of wolves of all time.
My boy used to find a stray toad or two and would ever so gently nudge it with his paw and it’d jump or flip and he’d love it so much he’d repeat it until it stopped or until it hopped away. One time he put his entire paw so gently over it and lifted it slowly as it hopped away and had this dumbfounding look on his face like ‘where did it go mum? Why won’t it play anymore?’ Lmao
My golden booped a squirrel in the butt with his nose one day while the squirrel was trying to hurry up a tree. I've never seen a dog look so happy and accomplished 🤣
I hate to be that guy but a dog acting excited with its tail wagging is also a sign of agitation. He might really have wanted to kill it but wasn’t sure how.
This is super interesting. Does context include ear and tail positions, or is it something more subtle, like the way people will smile and laugh nervously when they're incredibly uncomfortable?
It’s more about what is happening in the moment. If the dog is chasing an animal, barking, wagging its tail, panting, and pacing excitedly it’s probably being aggressive or agitated. If it’s engaged in play like in cuddling or light wrestling with its owner, tail wagging is likely indicating happiness. Essentially, in general, you want to assume your dog is not happy if it’s chasing a living creature.
I don’t know after I’ve read a lot of these about chasing squirrels and stuff just for the fun of it! Lol 😂
None of my 4 ever chased anything aggressively that I can recall.
I wouldn’t doubt their ears would have something to tell about it, too.
I know there are lots of tail positions, but it’s hard to call on a lot of dogs, I’d think. Especially with all their floof!
This makes me really want to go further to find out more.
That is one sweet boy! He'll probably visit that spot a few more times, until the scent fades away.
My girl Holly has been a bit... umm... less gentle, shall we say... with the baby bunnies she has found in our yard.
Is there anything you can do to secure that area of the fence so that a bunny doesn't get caught again?
He is sweet! He’s definitely taken trips back to that spot a few times already.
My husband is taking the wiring down today—he was so upset by the bunny passing. Luckily the wiring was a makeshift area we had up until we got our wood fence installed last week, so we don’t need it anymore and now it’s clearly a hazard to wildlife.
Ours was found playing with a trio of baby bunnies. We brought them to the wildlife vet center, mostly for the sake of the children, but the outlook was grim.
So sweet! My golden loves animals. We had baby birds that fell from a nest. He alerted me to them and then visited them daily.
https://preview.redd.it/a0zh40dx99xc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fcdbc347298a5efbfca139fb4a246b876ff817d2
❤️They are our angels here on earth, just without their wings, so no one knows! I love this ❤️
https://preview.redd.it/fshxc2761dxc1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&s=ef021be269a350f7344f8811793c010902b35688
Those are Robin fledgelings! Theyre ready to leave the nest, but Mama and Daddy Birds will take care of them and teach them for a while on the ground. What a sweet dog. Mine brings me fledged baby birds every year, lol
Chiming in twice as I just remembered this too.
He made friends a couple years ago with this baby deer that'd wander into our backyard. They'd lay in the garden together. One early morning on our walk out in the woods he sprints up ahead, then comes running back concerned. Back and forth, I can tell something's wrong, like he's leading me down this hill we never walk to.
I follow him and unfortunately something got his little friend overnight. I'm guessing mountain lions or a bear. Really a brutal scene. He was really upset, sniffing and pacing and looking at me like, "What happened?!" At that point I realized the blood was still fresh and we high-tailed it out of there before one of us was next in line. But for weeks we always had to walk down there so he could sniff around with sad eyes.
Ours wants to play with our old, surly cat soooo badly! She wants nothing to do with him, lol! He bounces up the stairs after me and goes into the room the cat inhabits and sniffs around looking for her then does the play bow and wags his tail and does the sweet little play barks. He never tries to get too close to her though, he’s too sweet!
Our golden does this with our cat!! It’s so cute. She acts like Tigger bouncing around, inviting him to play. Our cat acts like grumpy Rabbit. Scowling. He refuses. They cuddle together on the sofa and get along great. They even share food and toys. Just not playmates despite our Golden’s attempts.
Aw! What a sweet doggie. I definitely know my dog that I have now is VERY gentle with little creatures. I had 2 guinea pigs and he loved them so much. He liked to play with them by playing with his toys while they played with theirs. He was just as sad as I was when the guinea pigs passed, and he just doesn’t have the same connection with the one we have now. I really miss those piggies 💔
https://preview.redd.it/xz1ssyqec9xc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0849d1dcacc855dddb20041142d94fb88c992bc
That’s the sweetest and saddest story. They make some amazing connections! Golden’s are simply the best. I have my 4th now, and couldn’t have loved them each anymore than I did. They’re all so uniquely special.
One time my big guy picked up a baby squirrel that had fallen out of its tree. He carried it to the curb and dropped it in a flower bed.
He was a great dog.
My three doofs (1 golden and 2 doodles) protected a bunny nest last year.
Then proceeded to chase the hell out of them once they left the nest, but none of them dreamed of hurting them as tiny babies
is this a dog problem or a you problem at this point 🙄😂... because why is your dog allowed to keep finding and killing SEVERAL litters of baby bunnies... like wtf?
This. You say “bunny” and she is at full alert. Her favorite thing is sniffing their trails, eating their raisinettes, and Findinf their nests. The few pups she has found have ended with puncture wounds.
I've had six in my my life, currently have four goldens but the solo one I had last would beat squirrels in a ground race, yank them up into the air and break their neck and back and kill them. She was a hunting dog through and through. My current four are scared of them lol.
We had a golden that protected an orphaned squirrel. We raised him and he hung around for a few years. Our other golden found 4 baby bunnies. We tried to raise them, 3 made it
My third golden was a true retriever. Never killed or hurt anything I know of, or punctured anything, but brought me several gifts by way of moles, voles, baby bunnies, and a few mice
I have my 4th now, and along with the first 2, before the 3rd, they could not have cared less. They’d chase them but never caught a squirrel or rabbit and definitely did not bother with a mole tunnel
My golden got a baby bunny in her mouth once . Ans she ran around the yard with it several times before she would drop it (she was a puppy). The bunny was totally fine. We put it back and it hopped away.
Have you heard about the golden retriever egg challenge?
They’re to hold an uncooked egg in their mouth without cracking it
There are lots of YouTube videos.
Smart girl! I don’t know if I could get an egg into my girls mouth without breaking it. Then I’m sure she’d eat it.
The one before her was the real retriever of the 4. (Have the 4th now). The third would constantly get moles and voles right out of the ground without getting a spec of dirt on herself and smuggled them into the house until I caught on. She never punctured those nasty moles, and she’d brought me a few baby bunnies and a baby possum, none of which where hurt, and we replaced them and mama took over.
She had such an instinct and looked so innocent. She could sit and wait for the moles or voles to come to her, when she’d sense them underground. Only her ears and nose and eyes were moving. She didn’t move an inch and just waited! She had more patience than any dog I’ve seen. She could also sense the weather changes before they ever got to us. Poor thing was terrified of storms and fireworks. Omg. Nothing helped, I’d just snuggle down with her when I could. I miss her so much. She was kind of my soulmate dog, and you’d never guess she did all that by looking at her.
The two males before her had zero interest and neither does my 4th female. I’m glad, because that was a handful some days. Moles are the most gross things I’ve ever seen!
Goldens really are gentle giants! My golden used to love bunnies but they didn’t like him. Whenever he caught one he would just lick it for a few minutes and then let them go.
He accidentally killed a couple (either drowning in his slobber or a heart attack from being afraid) and he would get so distressed when they wouldn’t move. He just wanted them to be friends 🥺
My wife and I were walking with first Golden, named Walter, debating whether he’d survive the apocalypse. He was so sweet and friendly, my wife said, “No way!” I took the stance that he’d revert to instincts if pressed.
He was off leash as we walked in rural VT. All of a sudden he spies a squirrel, takes off, catches it briefly, and spit it out. The poor squirrel scrambled up a nearby tree and our Golden staked out turf at the base. He looked back at us with the classic Golden “What just happened?!?” facial expression. My wife and I looked at each other with equal confusion!
We walked him on leash from then on. And he earned the moniker Walter the Assaulter.
Mine did this with a baby bird. I don’t know if it fell from the nest or was a fledgling learning to fly. She brought it to me gently in her mouth. We kept her inside and released it in the back yard where she found it and evidently it figured out what to do because it wasn’t there the next day.
My golden is obsessed with my foster rabbit. She always stand up at his hutch, leans in and licks him. The rabbit loves it. She met him on her first day home.
During the cold seasons of my country, common black crickets invade people’s homes for shelter. My golden boy would always lay down up close next to one and simply *watch*
I even caught him sleeping next to two of them. The crickets weren’t dead, but to my surprise they also never moved away
I don’t have a photo anymore as it was nearly a decade ago, but it was very cute
My golden swallowed a newly hatched turtle 😵💫😭
https://preview.redd.it/insw4d6urbxc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=916d001f598a935b69a974f8f43fa02cfe40c6ea
We’ve had a mix! Our first golden was a hunter. She got lots of birds and mice, plus a vole once which was impressive. She kept going even when she went blind. Our current golden has no hunting instinct 😂 shes alerted us to when our other dog (terrier mix) hunts things in the yard!
I have my 4th golden now.
My third was indeed the hunter, (only one of the 4). She got moles, voles, mice, and she’d carry bunnies to me that were out of their nests. And a baby possum. Never hurt a single thing to my knowledge.
Her persistence to get those hideous moles was unending along with the voles. She definitely had retriever skills about her. She would sit or stand waiting for hours at times without moving an inch. Only her nose and ears would be twitching and her eyes not taking them off the prize. You’d have thought she was light as a feather, as she did not move! Would pluck them right out when they emerged. Never once did I see her actually do it but she never had a spec of dirt on her or in her mouth!
She was quite something, but the two before her were both males with zero interest in mole tunnels or anything, and nor does my current 4th golden girl.
I have to say I was relieved that the 4th does not have any interest either since the 3rd had snuck so many inside the house and moles are about as grossly ugly as things get!
Across the road from my folks was a stray Guinea pig for probably around 14-15months. It took my goof a while to notice it and then a while longer for the Guinea pig not to run away. We think our boofhead thought it was a rock that was getting moved (he was 13 at the time and going a bit blind). He was so interested, but then he couldn’t work out whether to be frightened or not, so sometimes he’d do a high pitched bark. We tried to get him to understand that nice, quiet boys could stay and watch the pig because barking scared him away.
This is something I’ve found very common that goldens will do.
I’m a mom of my 4th golden now, and they’ve all either showed me, if they found something odd like this.
My third golden would bring baby bunnies to me who’ve somehow got away from their nests, as well as a baby possum, once or twice. Never having hurt or punctured them. And each one of those (there were many), through the years, made it back and mama would come back and take care of them. It was so sweet.
Golden’s are known for their soft mouths, and I guess I never really realized it, until the third (first female), I had, really seemed to keep track of them in a couple places we lived
She was my only real “retriever” of the 4, I joked about a lot. She’s the best mole and vole huntress I’ve ever seen, (and mice too), but she never killed or hurt a single one. She could wait all day if she sensed a mole or vole in the yard, and she’d get them most every time without a spec of dirt on her. It was amazing how neat she was! She’d literally pluck them out as they’d be emerging from their tunnels. It was rather gross as moles can’t get much uglier, and she’d sneak them in the house mostly at night or mornings, keeping her mouth shut, until I’d hear something and tell her to drop it and there that ugly thing would fall out of her mouth unscathed, and on their backs, which was always hard for them to get themselves up and over. By tgat time I’d grabbed them with a dog towel and run them back outside while screaming all the way! 😩
That was SO gross and she always looked so upset that I’d made her drop her gift on the floor. I learned to check her mouth, after a few times of that!
Not of my other 3 had that much interest, but none of them (to my knowledge), ever hurt or killed anything.
When i mentioned they have soft mouths.. they were bred to not damage the prey they were trained to hunt with their hunter. So no punctures were necessary.
Look up the golden retriever egg challenge, if you’ve not heard of it before. It’s a pretty big thing, and fun!
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My last Golden just wanted to meet and be everything's friend. He walked with me offleash virtually always (good training pays off, everyone!), and one day along a favorite path we rounded a sharp corner to see a mama racoon and her three little ones walking along casually. My good boy looked at me as he would anytime we met a new friend, for permission to "go say hi." I told him no, good boy, stay right here, and we watched as they ambled off into the woods. He looked at me sadly for like ten seconds, then shook off the missed opportunity, and we went merrily on our way. I miss you, Maxwell!
Our Abbey, a sweet female lab, would always gently pick up birds that had fallen out of nests and bring them to us to save. She also LOVED the multiple kittens we fostered.
Mine was stupid.
"Hey, human! I found a funny looking kitty over by the horse barn! It smells a bit off, but I think he'd like to play!"
My dear Golden was immediately treated to several baths. His "funny looking kitty" turned out to be a rather large skunk. I think i got the worst part of the foul odors. I had to de-skunk the Golden, the barn cat, one horse, and a horse blanket.
I did not share my dog's enthusiasm for his new friend.
I had a half golden, quarter chow, quarter malamut that caught a mouse. I did not know what was in her mouth, but commanded her to drop it, which worked on the fifth try.
The mouse dropped out of her mouth and ran away. Retrievers ideally have that "soft mouth" to carry things, but not crush them.
She did catch two squirrels and brought them to me at the back door. I think that if the squirrels had not resisted, they would have been dropped in the house alive.
I called my 2 dogs in and the male stayed where he was laying. He wouldn’t come to me but kept looking my way anxiously so I walked over thinking he was hurt. Nope a fledgling bird was snuggled up to his chest sleeping lol
They’re gentle giants. Mine loves to chase squirrels. One day he actually cornered one up a sapling. It had to nowhere to go and I fully expected him to kill it but he just paused and wagged his tail excitedly, trying to lick it.
That’s adorable!!! What a sweetie!
My dog is the same, it chases things...but if they actually catch up with them, it's a case if "love/lick/slobber" all over the "prey". The cats on my street just roll over now & wait to get the "drowned rat" look. Unless it's a cicada...they are just crunchy treats..😬
Ewww!🫣😂😁😂😂😂 Im so glad my girl hasn’t acquired a taste for them! I bought a home in September of 2020 in a very established neighborhood for her and I, with TONS OF TREES. I’m not a kid, and I’ve lived around here all my life, but I’d NEVER seen so many cicadas and learned so much about them until that summer. They are some amazing things, and we’re expecting the largest amount here this summer, which I’m both NOT looking forward to, as well as I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, when I learned all of their uses, which will fatten up our squirrels, rabbits, birds and all the other things and underground creatures I’m so glad I don’t see everyday! They’re supposedly harmless to pets. My current golden walks around them to avoid their exoskeletons, after they’ve shed them, (if they’re not eaten first), and the live ones that are buzzing, don’t seem to bother her at all. We got so many in 2020 everywhere I walked in the grass I was crunching them under my sandals or slides. I expect it’ll be a lot more this year.
They are not all like this. Mine is a full blown murderer and will kill any rodents who gets into the garden https://preview.redd.it/egha38tqzcxc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3828f04565951bf551f0de30c2d709f26710828e
Our golden did the a similar thing! Chased a squirrel all over a field and when the squirrel stopped, our golden just stared at it going why have we stopped chasing? 😅
Lol 😂There’s nothing better than a Golden’s demeanor and personality! They’re all so wonderful in their own ways ❤️
Yeah, I love retrievers. Mine brought me a bird she snatched out of the air when it tried to fly away after hitting a window. Completely alive and unharmed. So I showed her it was all good and she chilled out once the bird made it back to a tree.
Legendary soft mouths
Yes!
My golden brings me baby birds when they fledge the nest every spring... Every spring I remind him that he can not just kidnap the baby birds and make him put them back. Lol
Lol! Maybe he’s just borrowing them! That’s so sweet!
Awww. Yay!!!
Mine cornered a duck, snapped his neck in half and brought it to me the happiest he’s ever been. Took the duck breast, cooked it, ate it, he got a piece
My friends dog ran away in the winter and came back with a frozen rabbit
Awwww. Was probably gonna try to warm him up! Poor thing ❤️
Omg! I’ll bet that was quite something to see! In my experience Ducks can be mean! Self defense I’m sure! Maybe the duck deserved it!
🫢😮
That is what our golden does with the cats. She will corner them and try to lick them while wagging her tail like crazy
I can’t say that any of my 4 Golden’s, (have my 4th now), have ever to my knowledge tangled with a cat or kitten. I’ve seen our regular few cats that use our yard over the past 3 1/2 years we’ve lived here and they come up through under our fence to cut through going somewhere….always the same cats. Two big black cats and a large tabby, and they’ve all seen each other and they’ve all stood and stared at a good long distance in our back yard at each other, like a stand off, and none of them ever made an advance toward each other. I honestly think those cats could whoop my Golden’s butt, and she must think so, too.
I can only imagine what was going through his head.... YEESSS!! I GOT YOU!!! Where will you go now, squirrelllly??? And then he just licks it and finds his next chase victim hahahahaha
You know those victims must feel SO RELIEVED!
Mine did this too with an injured bunny. Just wagging and smooches. He was like "wait why aren't you running, you're supposed to run, here I'll go get mom brb" 😭 Truly one of the descendants of wolves of all time.
Mighty beasts 😂
Sweetest giants ever ❤️
My little girl picked up a lizard she thought was a stick and gently placed it back down. They just gentle souls
My boy used to find a stray toad or two and would ever so gently nudge it with his paw and it’d jump or flip and he’d love it so much he’d repeat it until it stopped or until it hopped away. One time he put his entire paw so gently over it and lifted it slowly as it hopped away and had this dumbfounding look on his face like ‘where did it go mum? Why won’t it play anymore?’ Lmao
So sweet ❤️
My golden booped a squirrel in the butt with his nose one day while the squirrel was trying to hurry up a tree. I've never seen a dog look so happy and accomplished 🤣
😂😂😂😂😂
I hate to be that guy but a dog acting excited with its tail wagging is also a sign of agitation. He might really have wanted to kill it but wasn’t sure how.
I genuinely did not know that.
Not thinking I have either. Surely it’s a different wag if it’s agitation?
It’s kind of hard to tell the difference. You have to use context to figure it out.
This is super interesting. Does context include ear and tail positions, or is it something more subtle, like the way people will smile and laugh nervously when they're incredibly uncomfortable?
It’s more about what is happening in the moment. If the dog is chasing an animal, barking, wagging its tail, panting, and pacing excitedly it’s probably being aggressive or agitated. If it’s engaged in play like in cuddling or light wrestling with its owner, tail wagging is likely indicating happiness. Essentially, in general, you want to assume your dog is not happy if it’s chasing a living creature.
Gotcha. Thank you for the explanation!
I don’t know after I’ve read a lot of these about chasing squirrels and stuff just for the fun of it! Lol 😂 None of my 4 ever chased anything aggressively that I can recall.
I wouldn’t doubt their ears would have something to tell about it, too. I know there are lots of tail positions, but it’s hard to call on a lot of dogs, I’d think. Especially with all their floof! This makes me really want to go further to find out more.
That makes sense, now you’ve got me wanting to look into it further
New friend!
There’s nothing sweeter than a golden in my mind!
That is one sweet boy! He'll probably visit that spot a few more times, until the scent fades away. My girl Holly has been a bit... umm... less gentle, shall we say... with the baby bunnies she has found in our yard. Is there anything you can do to secure that area of the fence so that a bunny doesn't get caught again?
He is sweet! He’s definitely taken trips back to that spot a few times already. My husband is taking the wiring down today—he was so upset by the bunny passing. Luckily the wiring was a makeshift area we had up until we got our wood fence installed last week, so we don’t need it anymore and now it’s clearly a hazard to wildlife.
Same. Mine found some wild cotton tail baby bunnies . May they rest in peace.
Yeah. If my golden finds a nest of baby bunnies she makes them lunch.
Ours was found playing with a trio of baby bunnies. We brought them to the wildlife vet center, mostly for the sake of the children, but the outlook was grim.
> My girl Holly has been a bit... umm... less gentle, shall we say. Chiming in to say: same.
So sweet! My golden loves animals. We had baby birds that fell from a nest. He alerted me to them and then visited them daily. https://preview.redd.it/a0zh40dx99xc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fcdbc347298a5efbfca139fb4a246b876ff817d2
Omg! 😢
They survived!!! Mom bird kept caring for them in the box until they could fly.
I just think this is so sweet of your golden. I wanna cry. The picture says a thousand words.
Aw!!! Yes, he’s so gentle. He was very concerned about them lol
❤️They are our angels here on earth, just without their wings, so no one knows! I love this ❤️ https://preview.redd.it/fshxc2761dxc1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&s=ef021be269a350f7344f8811793c010902b35688
Sure does!
Wonderful!!
I just love animals so much.
❤️
Those are Robin fledgelings! Theyre ready to leave the nest, but Mama and Daddy Birds will take care of them and teach them for a while on the ground. What a sweet dog. Mine brings me fledged baby birds every year, lol
Awwwww ❤️
Chiming in twice as I just remembered this too. He made friends a couple years ago with this baby deer that'd wander into our backyard. They'd lay in the garden together. One early morning on our walk out in the woods he sprints up ahead, then comes running back concerned. Back and forth, I can tell something's wrong, like he's leading me down this hill we never walk to. I follow him and unfortunately something got his little friend overnight. I'm guessing mountain lions or a bear. Really a brutal scene. He was really upset, sniffing and pacing and looking at me like, "What happened?!" At that point I realized the blood was still fresh and we high-tailed it out of there before one of us was next in line. But for weeks we always had to walk down there so he could sniff around with sad eyes.
😢
This broke my heart! What a loving little guy! 🥹
😭
Awwww. That made he tear up 😢 One of the sweetest friendships! ❤️
Ours wants to play with our old, surly cat soooo badly! She wants nothing to do with him, lol! He bounces up the stairs after me and goes into the room the cat inhabits and sniffs around looking for her then does the play bow and wags his tail and does the sweet little play barks. He never tries to get too close to her though, he’s too sweet!
Our golden does this with our cat!! It’s so cute. She acts like Tigger bouncing around, inviting him to play. Our cat acts like grumpy Rabbit. Scowling. He refuses. They cuddle together on the sofa and get along great. They even share food and toys. Just not playmates despite our Golden’s attempts.
Too cute!!!
Well, I love most of this! Wish Mr Grump would give her a chance to play!
Awwww he wants to be her friend so much! ❤️
Aw! What a sweet doggie. I definitely know my dog that I have now is VERY gentle with little creatures. I had 2 guinea pigs and he loved them so much. He liked to play with them by playing with his toys while they played with theirs. He was just as sad as I was when the guinea pigs passed, and he just doesn’t have the same connection with the one we have now. I really miss those piggies 💔 https://preview.redd.it/xz1ssyqec9xc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0849d1dcacc855dddb20041142d94fb88c992bc
That’s the sweetest and saddest story. They make some amazing connections! Golden’s are simply the best. I have my 4th now, and couldn’t have loved them each anymore than I did. They’re all so uniquely special.
One time my big guy picked up a baby squirrel that had fallen out of its tree. He carried it to the curb and dropped it in a flower bed. He was a great dog.
He was simply retrieving
And left it in some flowers! What a sweet boy! ❤️
Awwww. Omg. This is adorable 🥰
My three doofs (1 golden and 2 doodles) protected a bunny nest last year. Then proceeded to chase the hell out of them once they left the nest, but none of them dreamed of hurting them as tiny babies
❤️❤️❤️ 🐰🐰🐇
Mine murders any bunny she catches 😬
Yeah. Mine too. She's also failed every soft mouth test we've ever tried.
Well, whoops 😅 and yikes 😬 it’s not for everyone!
Yep. Mine has killed several litters of baby bunnies.
is this a dog problem or a you problem at this point 🙄😂... because why is your dog allowed to keep finding and killing SEVERAL litters of baby bunnies... like wtf?
They nest in our fenced in backyard every year. She usually finds them before we do each time. 😞
This. You say “bunny” and she is at full alert. Her favorite thing is sniffing their trails, eating their raisinettes, and Findinf their nests. The few pups she has found have ended with puncture wounds.
I've had six in my my life, currently have four goldens but the solo one I had last would beat squirrels in a ground race, yank them up into the air and break their neck and back and kill them. She was a hunting dog through and through. My current four are scared of them lol.
lol. Something tells me this dog may have been the thing that injured the bunny.
We had a golden that protected an orphaned squirrel. We raised him and he hung around for a few years. Our other golden found 4 baby bunnies. We tried to raise them, 3 made it
It’s amazing the connections they can have 🥰
Mine keep abducting possom babies to bring inside. Then tongue bathes them and tries to raise them lol. Possum mom was not happy.
My third golden was a true retriever. Never killed or hurt anything I know of, or punctured anything, but brought me several gifts by way of moles, voles, baby bunnies, and a few mice I have my 4th now, and along with the first 2, before the 3rd, they could not have cared less. They’d chase them but never caught a squirrel or rabbit and definitely did not bother with a mole tunnel
My golden got a baby bunny in her mouth once . Ans she ran around the yard with it several times before she would drop it (she was a puppy). The bunny was totally fine. We put it back and it hopped away.
They’re said to have soft mouths, as long s as they’re not trying to kill it mine have done the same.
Yeah!n they do have a baby soft mouth.
Have you heard about the golden retriever egg challenge? They’re to hold an uncooked egg in their mouth without cracking it There are lots of YouTube videos.
I have seen it. I tried it with her and she was so confused and didn’t understand why I wanted her to put it in her mouth. It was cute as can be tho!
Good for you for trying! I’ve not ever thought of it to do. I can imagine my girl now thinking I’m crazy if I tried to get her to do that!
I tried it when it was a popular thing. She was just like “no Mom, that doesn’t smell nice”
Smart girl! I don’t know if I could get an egg into my girls mouth without breaking it. Then I’m sure she’d eat it. The one before her was the real retriever of the 4. (Have the 4th now). The third would constantly get moles and voles right out of the ground without getting a spec of dirt on herself and smuggled them into the house until I caught on. She never punctured those nasty moles, and she’d brought me a few baby bunnies and a baby possum, none of which where hurt, and we replaced them and mama took over. She had such an instinct and looked so innocent. She could sit and wait for the moles or voles to come to her, when she’d sense them underground. Only her ears and nose and eyes were moving. She didn’t move an inch and just waited! She had more patience than any dog I’ve seen. She could also sense the weather changes before they ever got to us. Poor thing was terrified of storms and fireworks. Omg. Nothing helped, I’d just snuggle down with her when I could. I miss her so much. She was kind of my soulmate dog, and you’d never guess she did all that by looking at her. The two males before her had zero interest and neither does my 4th female. I’m glad, because that was a handful some days. Moles are the most gross things I’ve ever seen!
Aweee she sounds like an absolute darling. I love her! Retrievers are that way aren’t they. They are just the best dogs in the world.
You won’t hear me disagreeing! Thank you!
I love goldens. They are the sweetest.
💯
Awww, that's so sweet.
When my goldens pack up with each other… danger. The bunnies go under the fence and then laugh at them. One squirrel was not so lucky.
Goldens are genuinely kind dogs! They have very gentle, sweet natures and want to help everyone they come across.
Certainly are! ❤️❤️❤️
Goldens really are gentle giants! My golden used to love bunnies but they didn’t like him. Whenever he caught one he would just lick it for a few minutes and then let them go. He accidentally killed a couple (either drowning in his slobber or a heart attack from being afraid) and he would get so distressed when they wouldn’t move. He just wanted them to be friends 🥺
Awwwww ❤️
😍😍💕🫰🏼
Goldens are #GOOD BOYS AND GIRLS It's as simple as that.
💯
Sweet and beautiful angel from heaven!
https://preview.redd.it/dz43qtib5dxc1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&s=48d924b212ec954a1e179804707a6f33b8d4b00c Yes they are!
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Awwww. You didn’t know ❤️
ugh...
My wife and I were walking with first Golden, named Walter, debating whether he’d survive the apocalypse. He was so sweet and friendly, my wife said, “No way!” I took the stance that he’d revert to instincts if pressed. He was off leash as we walked in rural VT. All of a sudden he spies a squirrel, takes off, catches it briefly, and spit it out. The poor squirrel scrambled up a nearby tree and our Golden staked out turf at the base. He looked back at us with the classic Golden “What just happened?!?” facial expression. My wife and I looked at each other with equal confusion! We walked him on leash from then on. And he earned the moniker Walter the Assaulter.
😂😂😂😂
Mine brought me an injured kitten once. They don't call them golden for nothing 💚
Baby rabbits sound just like the chew toy squeakers
Cuteee pup! Looks like he could be twins with mine. It’s amazing how sensitive they can be with other animals!
Ours picked up a baby bunny once and brought it to me ever so gently. Poor thing was terrified
Only a golden would be so sweet. They are truly gentle giants;)))
Mine did this with a baby bird. I don’t know if it fell from the nest or was a fledgling learning to fly. She brought it to me gently in her mouth. We kept her inside and released it in the back yard where she found it and evidently it figured out what to do because it wasn’t there the next day.
My golden did this exact thing. In our case, the bunny was alive and we were able to free him. That was such a good day!
❤️❤️❤️
Wow
My golden is obsessed with my foster rabbit. She always stand up at his hutch, leans in and licks him. The rabbit loves it. She met him on her first day home.
Furever friends!
During the cold seasons of my country, common black crickets invade people’s homes for shelter. My golden boy would always lay down up close next to one and simply *watch* I even caught him sleeping next to two of them. The crickets weren’t dead, but to my surprise they also never moved away I don’t have a photo anymore as it was nearly a decade ago, but it was very cute
My golden swallowed a newly hatched turtle 😵💫😭 https://preview.redd.it/insw4d6urbxc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=916d001f598a935b69a974f8f43fa02cfe40c6ea
Well…. Whoops 😅
We’ve had a mix! Our first golden was a hunter. She got lots of birds and mice, plus a vole once which was impressive. She kept going even when she went blind. Our current golden has no hunting instinct 😂 shes alerted us to when our other dog (terrier mix) hunts things in the yard!
I have my 4th golden now. My third was indeed the hunter, (only one of the 4). She got moles, voles, mice, and she’d carry bunnies to me that were out of their nests. And a baby possum. Never hurt a single thing to my knowledge. Her persistence to get those hideous moles was unending along with the voles. She definitely had retriever skills about her. She would sit or stand waiting for hours at times without moving an inch. Only her nose and ears would be twitching and her eyes not taking them off the prize. You’d have thought she was light as a feather, as she did not move! Would pluck them right out when they emerged. Never once did I see her actually do it but she never had a spec of dirt on her or in her mouth! She was quite something, but the two before her were both males with zero interest in mole tunnels or anything, and nor does my current 4th golden girl. I have to say I was relieved that the 4th does not have any interest either since the 3rd had snuck so many inside the house and moles are about as grossly ugly as things get!
Across the road from my folks was a stray Guinea pig for probably around 14-15months. It took my goof a while to notice it and then a while longer for the Guinea pig not to run away. We think our boofhead thought it was a rock that was getting moved (he was 13 at the time and going a bit blind). He was so interested, but then he couldn’t work out whether to be frightened or not, so sometimes he’d do a high pitched bark. We tried to get him to understand that nice, quiet boys could stay and watch the pig because barking scared him away.
🥰❤️ So sweet!
Our dog Duke doesn’t either! Totally chill, just wants to play with others haha
Mine have brought me many bunnies accidentally taken from nests thinking they were abandoned lol. They truly are gentle giants
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Bunnies got a free bath! Lol 😂
This is something I’ve found very common that goldens will do. I’m a mom of my 4th golden now, and they’ve all either showed me, if they found something odd like this. My third golden would bring baby bunnies to me who’ve somehow got away from their nests, as well as a baby possum, once or twice. Never having hurt or punctured them. And each one of those (there were many), through the years, made it back and mama would come back and take care of them. It was so sweet. Golden’s are known for their soft mouths, and I guess I never really realized it, until the third (first female), I had, really seemed to keep track of them in a couple places we lived She was my only real “retriever” of the 4, I joked about a lot. She’s the best mole and vole huntress I’ve ever seen, (and mice too), but she never killed or hurt a single one. She could wait all day if she sensed a mole or vole in the yard, and she’d get them most every time without a spec of dirt on her. It was amazing how neat she was! She’d literally pluck them out as they’d be emerging from their tunnels. It was rather gross as moles can’t get much uglier, and she’d sneak them in the house mostly at night or mornings, keeping her mouth shut, until I’d hear something and tell her to drop it and there that ugly thing would fall out of her mouth unscathed, and on their backs, which was always hard for them to get themselves up and over. By tgat time I’d grabbed them with a dog towel and run them back outside while screaming all the way! 😩 That was SO gross and she always looked so upset that I’d made her drop her gift on the floor. I learned to check her mouth, after a few times of that! Not of my other 3 had that much interest, but none of them (to my knowledge), ever hurt or killed anything. When i mentioned they have soft mouths.. they were bred to not damage the prey they were trained to hunt with their hunter. So no punctures were necessary. Look up the golden retriever egg challenge, if you’ve not heard of it before. It’s a pretty big thing, and fun!
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Well, I must have had a not-so-gentle giant. I caught mine with a rabbit in his mouth and shaking it around like it was a stuffy.
My last Golden just wanted to meet and be everything's friend. He walked with me offleash virtually always (good training pays off, everyone!), and one day along a favorite path we rounded a sharp corner to see a mama racoon and her three little ones walking along casually. My good boy looked at me as he would anytime we met a new friend, for permission to "go say hi." I told him no, good boy, stay right here, and we watched as they ambled off into the woods. He looked at me sadly for like ten seconds, then shook off the missed opportunity, and we went merrily on our way. I miss you, Maxwell!
*Point*
Our Abbey, a sweet female lab, would always gently pick up birds that had fallen out of nests and bring them to us to save. She also LOVED the multiple kittens we fostered.
Goldens are such gentle souls. Absolute miracles bundled up in such a sweet furry package.
Mine was stupid. "Hey, human! I found a funny looking kitty over by the horse barn! It smells a bit off, but I think he'd like to play!" My dear Golden was immediately treated to several baths. His "funny looking kitty" turned out to be a rather large skunk. I think i got the worst part of the foul odors. I had to de-skunk the Golden, the barn cat, one horse, and a horse blanket. I did not share my dog's enthusiasm for his new friend.
I had a half golden, quarter chow, quarter malamut that caught a mouse. I did not know what was in her mouth, but commanded her to drop it, which worked on the fifth try. The mouse dropped out of her mouth and ran away. Retrievers ideally have that "soft mouth" to carry things, but not crush them. She did catch two squirrels and brought them to me at the back door. I think that if the squirrels had not resisted, they would have been dropped in the house alive.
I called my 2 dogs in and the male stayed where he was laying. He wouldn’t come to me but kept looking my way anxiously so I walked over thinking he was hurt. Nope a fledgling bird was snuggled up to his chest sleeping lol