Kicker: Golden retrievers turn 155

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Last week in the Scottish Highlands, hundreds of golden retrievers and their humans gathered at the birthplace of the breed.

SOUND: [Barking, photographer clicks]

The video shows what you’d expect with the easy-going, easy-to-train breed: scads of pups excited to be there, eventually sitting for a photograph as a good pup should. Especially when treats are on the line!

The first golden retrievers arrived more than 150 years ago when a Scottish aristocrat crossed a water spaniel with a wavy-coated retriever.

So he was able to get dogs that were suited to the rugged terrain of the Highlands.

That first litter of pups set the standard for the breed. Names? Primrose, Cowslip, and Crocus.

EICHER: Well, you did say an aristocrat.

REICHARD: I did! And that’s where their descendants gathered to mark the happy occasion.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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