Dirnanean Golden Retrievers

Breeder of:

Golden Retriever

Granny Tizzy with Honey's last litter

photo by: Clare Svennevik

Honey with her daughter Chummy

photo by: Clare Svennevik

Piper with Great granny Honey - 5.9.17

photo by: Lexy Svennevik

Honey's last Christmas (with Piper) - 12.17

photo by: Clare Svennevik

There have been Golden Retrievers in our family since the 1930s. The breed was my father's choice of working gundog during summers spent at his home "Dirnanean" in Perthshire, Scotland. All current Dirnanean Golden Retrievers are descended from old, dual purpose lines rarely found these days, originally nurtured by my sister's Overdene Golden Retrievers from whom our foundation bitch Tizzy came in 2000. Most are mid to dark gold in colour, with just one or two ending up more cream than golden.

Our dogs live indoors as family and as a general rule, we only have a litter when it's time to keep a puppy for our line, or when someone in the family (or a close friend) would like one and currently, we do not have plans for more puppies at Dirnanean for the foreseeable future. Eyes are tested under the KC/BVA scheme, and hips/elbows are usually X-rayed and scored/graded when our girls are old enough. Temperament is our most important consideration when choosing a stud dog, and it's rare for us to have more than one litter every 18-24 months. We endorse the KC registrations of all our puppies with "R" (progeny not eligible for registration) and "X" (not eligible for issue of an export pedigree) and we do not send puppies to homes overseas even if we already know the enquirers.

Our litters are raised indoors with access to the garden (weather permitting) from about 4½-5 weeks old, and they leave home with an extensive puppy pack, including puppy sales contract. We are happy to hear from people who have our puppies for as long as they would like to keep in touch with us, and aim to answer questions and provide advice through the lifetime of a Dirnanean Golden Retriever.