Hundreds of golden retrievers gather in Scotland to celebrate 155th anniversary of the breed

The golden retriever breed is now 155 years old!

Hundreds of golden retrievers have recently made the journey to their ancestral homeland in Scotland to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the breed’s first litter at the ruins of the Guisachan House near Inverness, where Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, later known as Lord Tweedmouth, bred the first golden retrievers in 1868.

This year’s event — which ran from July 10 to July 14 — saw 466 dogs attending, and had people travelling from places including the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Africa.

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Carol Henry, the secretary of the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland, told BBC the purpose of the joyous event is to share knowledge about the breed and discourage irresponsible breeding.

"We want to hold on to the confidence, the biddability, the companionship, and loyalty — all the things the golden retriever was built on," she said.

The owner of the property — now a historical ruins site — allows the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland to host the event, and “he has been very supportive,” said Henry.

The first official gathering was held in 2006 and the second was in 2013. Since then, it has taken place every five years.

So cute.