This is an early French golden retriever. This photo was taken around 1930.
I call this type either “The 1930’s model golden retriever” or the “Bush’s Baked Bean Dog.”
This dog appears to have a dark gold base with some moderate gold shadings, which is quite attractive.
I am slightly biased toward these dogs.
I have often wondered how these dogs fit into the French system. The French have a gun dog culture that celebrates regional dual purpose dogs. They also have the barbet, which although not as common now, is the national retrieving dog of France.
I’d hate to think that the retrievers from the Anglo-Saxon world wound up hurting the barbet. The barbet was there first, but a faster swimming retriever with an easier to care for coat would be more advantageous than a dog of this type.
Of course, the retrievers did largely replace the various water spaniels and water dogs of the British Isles; only one remains– the McCarthy strain of the Southern Irish water spaniel.
I can’t get over how much that looks like my crazy girl!
Are you sure the dog’s name isn’t “Gollywog” rather than as printed? That’s the one I remember…
http://books.google.com/books?id=WYfFCsR6fr4C&pg=PT34&dq=gollyway+de+saint-cyran&hl=en&ei=LtHaTauuBsXbgQep_5VY&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=gollyway%20de%20saint-cyran&f=false Here’s the French book.
This is a very beautiful golden retriever!!
Today, barbet is a very unusual dog in France. I have never seen one. Working golden retriever is not common too, but much less than the barbet. Some people work succesfully with this kind of golden retriever in France.
Barbet are becoming established here. At one time, though, that was the retriever for much of the continent. The English version of the barbet was called the ‘rough water dog.” It was the likely ancestor of the water spaniels, and the retrievers were partially derived from water spaniels.
There was also a giant barbet that was said to have come from Russia. They called it a Russian retriever (not to be confused with the golden retriever, which was also thought to be Russian).