Kala and her human, Dawn Champion, drove up from Pueblo West for the event.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer/Let the Light in Studio
Billed as the world’s largest “unofficial” gathering of goldens, the get-together is hosted by Visit Golden and this year occurred the day after National Golden Retriever Day, which was February 3.
Everyone fell in love with four-month-old Lulu, one of a handful of golden puppies at the event. “How could you not?” asked her dog mom, Heather Angel.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer/Let the Light in Studio
The event was founded in 2019 by Joy Meadows, who has worked with Visit Golden for fifteen years. Meadows says she was inspired by her golden retriever Waffle, who passed away in 2022 but was definitely there in spirit, along with the Meadows family’s newest addition, Sadie.
If there were about 3,000 dogs in Golden on February 4, there were at least twice that many humans.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer/Let the Light in Studio
“The first year we held this event, we had counters and tried to have an official count, but as you can imagine, that was impossible,” Meadows says. “So now we are hands-down the unofficial world-record holder for the world’s largest gathering of a single dog breed. There is one in Scotland, which has an annual event in the birthplace of golden retrievers, but they’ve never had more than 400. And a beach community in L.A. also has a goldens gathering, but they’ve never cracked a thousand.”
Goldens are famous for their love of water, and so a dip in Clear Creek was a must for some.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer/Let the Light in Studio
Someday, Meadows says, they might get organized enough to have an official count, but as she points out, “That sort of defeats the spirit of this easygoing breed and this easygoing town.” Washington Avenue is shut down for the gathering, and the whole downtown area gets in on the fun by offering pet-friendly patio dining and lodging deals. There are also dog treats handed out by the shops, and one of the most popular spots for humans, a dogs-welcome beer garden at Golden Mills, hosted the “after-party.”
After the cups ran out, Rory was just fine eating the whipped cream right out of her human’s hand.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer/Let the Light in Studio
Not everyone who comes to the event has a golden — or even owns a dog at all. “I’m here for the pure joy of it,” says Madelene Gozansky, who moved to Golden four years ago from North Carolina and never looked back. “I’m 82 years old, and I know how important it is to just enjoy the good things in life. And this is definitely one of them. Look at how cute they all are!”
Emcee Stacy Fowler, left, and Goldens in Golden founder Joy Meadows kept the crowd entertained by interviewing some of the dogs and their humans.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer/Let the Light in Studio
At noon, most of the participants gathered under the welcome arch on Washington Avenue for a group photo, and the rest of the time was spent going through the line to get a “pup cup” of whipped cream — after they ran out of cups, pet owners were just having it sprayed into their hands for the dogs to lick off — or jumping into Clear Creek, a classic way to spend a day in Golden. Some dogs just sat happily next to their owners, while others tried to break the world record for “most butts sniffed.”
Amazingly, over the two hours, not one dogfight broke out — which is why this event could really only be held for the famously friendly golden. “I just love seeing all the shapes and sizes,” says Dawn Champion, who drove with her golden, Kala, from Pueblo West. “It really is amazing how everyone is so well-behaved — even the people.”
Putting the “retriever” in golden retriever was the treat-chasing Moab, whose mom, Bridgette Bradshaw, drove them from Colorado Springs.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer/Let the Light in Studio
According to the American Kennel Club, the golden retriever has been in the top five most popular breeds — and usually in the number-three slot — for more than a decade. The Labrador retriever has been number one since 1991, but you don’t want to get into that argument here, where there are thousands of owners who’d beg to differ.
Check out our video of the Goldens in Golden today on Instagram.
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