Breed History
Although you may not think it – the Golden Retriever is a relatively recent breed having been introduced to Britain from the late 19th century. It was Lord Tweedmouth who carried out a series of matings at his estate at Guisechan, near Inverness in Scotland. He took a yellow coloured Flat Coated Retriever and mated with a Tweed Water Spaniel (a breed now long extinct) and then bred on from the offspring of this mating using the occasional outcross to an Irish Setter, a second Tweed Water Spaniel and a black Flat Coated Retriever.
Puppies from the matings were given to friends and family, notably his nephew, Lord Ilchester, who also bred them. The dogs bred true to type, and so the forerunners of the breed we know today were established.
Golden Retrievers are inteligent and versatile which sees them employed in a variety of roles including illegal drug detection, search and rescue, as hunting dogs and as guide dogs. Their friendly, eager-to-please and patient demeanor also make them popular family dogs.
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Breed History
The Siamese cat, with its distinct coloration, brilliant blue eyes, and inquisitive social personality, is one of the more popular cat breeds to own. As the name indicates, these cats originated arrived from Thailand (old name Siam). And it is thought by some that they are a result between crossing original Egyptian cats with wild cats native to Eastern countries. Kept as regal pets by the King of Siam, they lived in the confinement of the palace, which allowed for the development of a new breed of colorpoint blue-eyed cats.
In 1884 a pair of seal point Siamese cats were given to the British consul-general in Bangkok, Owen Gould, by the King of Siam. Mr. Gould, brought the first Siamese cats to Britainand the popularity of the Siamese took off from here and by 1892 the first show standard had been written.
In 1902 the Siamese Cat Club of England was founded and the breed was based entirely on the seal point Siamese, which are still informally regarded as the classic Siamese.
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Owning a pet can bring hours of fun and companionship for any household, but taking the plunge needs careful consideration to ensure a pet fits with your lifestyle, space limitations at home and your own personal desires.
The sorry storey is that many pets are bought with all the best intentions but within weeks the novelty has worn off and they are staring at life in a rescue home. In 2007 the RSPCA collected and rescued 146,477 animals in the UK and the trend is set to rise this year.
Despite these worrying figures however, there are over 9.5 million cats and nearly 7 million dogs owned as pets within the UK*. (more…)
