# Fun Gathering of Goldens in Michigan Aug 28, 2021



## CAROLINA MOM

Bumping up


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## Megora

So.... what's the point of going? Just curious.

IE - Will there be vendors, what do people plan to do specifically when they get there?


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## monomer

Well if its like past years your dogs have access to a cattle pond without the cattle (never been any cattle)... you mingle with other Golden owners, you get to mingle with the Goldens (some of which are on leash and many are off). There is approx 8 acres much of which is grassy area surrounded by a corn field (it will become a corn maze in the fall) and an orchard on one side so the dogs will have lots of room to play with each other without getting anywhere near a road, however more than half the free running dogs I bet will likely be in and out of the pond at any given time. If you've ever been to a well attended dog park you've no doubt experienced just how friendly and easy most dog people are to talk to... contrast that to what people are like in a normal park setting without dogs. Golden people are even more friendly and the opening topic is always going to be the dogs... that's the obvious common interest linking us all... so there you have the reasons to go... its a dog friendly social event. I've always found any of the Golden gatherings (much smaller local gatherings) to be amazing because I like to crouch down to their level where immediately I become engulfed in happy wagging Goldens... I call this "swimming in a sea of Golden Retrievers", there's nothing else like it. Based upon past years (only been two so far) there will be a vendor or two or three (food and T-shirts) and free ice cream for the dogs, likely the local press will visit with cameras and there will be announcements and prizes... stuff like that. Also there is a rinse station if needed... (it can be a wash station if you bring shampoo... just saying, the pond can get a little mucky with over a hundred Goldens splashing about and retrieving).


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## Megora

Ah.... so if you think dog parks are a complete nightmare, this would be a no-go.


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## LA152

monomer said:


> Well if its like past years your dogs have access to a cattle pond without the cattle (never been any cattle)... you mingle with other Golden owners, you get to mingle with the Goldens (some of which are on leash and many are off). There is approx 8 acres much of which is grassy area surrounded by a corn field (it will become a corn maze in the fall) and an orchard on one side so the dogs will have lots of room to play with each other without getting anywhere near a road, however more than half the free running dogs I bet will likely be in and out of the pond at any given time. If you've ever been to a well attended dog park you've no doubt experienced just how friendly and easy most dog people are to talk to... contrast that to what people are like in a normal park setting without dogs. Golden people are even more friendly and the opening topic is always going to be the dogs... that's the obvious common interest linking us all... so there you have the reasons to go... its a dog friendly social event. I've always found any of the Golden gatherings (much smaller local gatherings) to be amazing because I like to crouch down to their level where immediately I become engulfed in happy wagging Goldens... I call this "swimming in a sea of Golden Retrievers", there's nothing else like it. Based upon past years (only been two so far) there will be a vendor or two or three (food and T-shirts) and free ice cream for the dogs, likely the local press will visit with cameras and there will be announcements and prizes... stuff like that. Also there is a rinse station if needed... (its can be a wash station if you bring shampoo... just saying, the pond can get a little mucky with over a hundred Goldens splashing about and retrieving).


This sounds like so much fun! Where I live there aren’t too many places to take a dog swimming (I’m not too far from the ocean, but the amount of beaches that allow dogs is very limited) so I wouldn’t miss out on that pond if there was something like this in my area.


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## monomer

Kate... I would say that is likely true... certain types of people and dogs enjoy dog parks and have a wonderful time socializing... if one doesn't like dog parks, I would think it quite likely they would not enjoy an event of this type.


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## DevWind

Definitely sounds like a horrible idea. There’s no way I would take my dogs!


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## Megora

Abeille said:


> Definitely sounds like a horrible idea. There’s no way I would take my dogs!


Right? 

Getting together for an impromptu We are Golden parade in places like Frankenmuth or Mackinac Island where foot traffic is pretty safe + all dogs on leash would be a lot more fun and less concerning.  

You guys do something like that and a lot of us who are super protective of our babies might join in.


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## monomer

Abeille said:


> Definitely sounds like a horrible idea. There’s no way I would take my dogs!


Too bad but I'll admit its not for everyone. However its actually been a lot of fun for those that have attended in the past. Proof of fun? watch this Log into Facebook from last year or this <iframe width="1041" height="586" src="



" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> from the year before. It all looks like great fun to me... though I'm sensing a lot of negativity here, which feels strange coming from Golden owners... our Goldens teach us to 'wag more and bark less'. There are tons of more videos and pictures but I just grabbed the first ones I could find... better yet go visit the facebook group pages and scroll through the photos of get togethers of past and judge for yourself if you think this is something you might enjoy. I'm only posting this for those who think it would be fun and bring a smile to the faces... the rest need not apply as they say.

BTW, the second video was mine (that's me talking and Cooper is the white Golden wanting to water retrieve some more)... this was during the winding down phase and many of the Goldens splashing in the pond retrieving had exited to get some free ice cream (its what you see everyone feeding their Goldens near the truck and the tent and on the hills and those waiting in line for... notice how many of the dogs are still wet). The guy at the very end was a photographer from the local paper... he was a funny guy. These are the memories that bond you to your dog long after the event is over.


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## monomer

Megora said:


> Right?
> 
> Getting together for an impromptu We are Golden parade in places like Frankenmuth or Mackinac Island where foot traffic is pretty safe + all dogs on leash would be a lot more fun and less concerning.
> 
> You guys do something like that and a lot of us who are super protective of our babies might join in.


Don't know where you're from but if you are remotely close to Traverse City consider monitoring the group and look for activities you think you might enjoy... for instance they organize a leashed walk through downtown TC during the Christmas season and march in parades leashed. Other activities are often left up to the owner to decide leashed or unleashed... after all who would know their dog better than the owner? I do daily activities with my dogs and rarely do they require a leash... and its the reason they don't require a leash... get how this works?


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## monomer

LA152 said:


> This sounds like so much fun! Where I live there aren’t too many places to take a dog swimming (I’m not too far from the ocean, but the amount of beaches that allow dogs is very limited) so I wouldn’t miss out on that pond if there was something like this in my area.


I know, don't get me started on the lack of dog beaches... Beaches are god's gift to all of nature's creatures, don't you think? Why are some people allowed to own them or restrict what can be allowed onto it? I see used baby diapers left on the beach but no signs saying "NO BABIES ALLOWED ON THE BEACH" and broken plastic toys and empty beer cans and people peeing when they think no one can see them. According to statistics every third household on average has at least one dog (that's 30% of the tax paying population) and yet less than .001% of publicly supported beach front is legally accessible to dogs owners with their dogs. Grrrr.... I feel like biting someone.

EDIT: Apparently my statistics on dog ownership is outdated (like 2 decades old... and the pandemic has only increased the numbers of dog owners) The latest estimates I've seen state that its now up to every other household has a dog... that's 50% of all American households have at least one dog living there!!!! WOW, that's a lot of tax dollars and yet public dog beaches are nearly non-existant. And so I say, "Rise up dog owners and take back the public beaches from the dog haters of the world! Up the revolution!" (...dunno, a little too much you think? anyway you get the idea about how this subject riles me up sometimes)


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## Megora

monomer said:


> Other activities are often left up to the owner to decide leashed or unleashed... after all who would know their dog better than the owner? I do daily activities with my dogs and rarely do they require a leash... and its the reason they don't require a leash... get how this works?


Sure, owners should be the ones to decide if their dogs are leashed or unleashed because they they know their dogs better than anyone else.

🦄 <= And these exist.


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## monomer

Megora said:


> Sure, owners should be the ones to decide if their dogs are leashed or unleashed because they they know their dogs better than anyone else.
> 
> 🦄 <= And these exist.


sigh... Note to myself... wag more, bark less. Choose for yourself, if it scares you its best you don't participate. End.


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## DevWind

monomer said:


> Too bad but I'll admit its not for everyone. However its actually been a lot of fun for those that have attended in the past. Proof of fun? watch this Log into Facebook from last year or this <iframe width="1041" height="586" src="
> 
> 
> 
> " title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> from the year before. It all looks like great fun to me... though I'm sensing a lot of negativity here, which feels strange coming from Golden owners... our Goldens teach us to 'wag more and bark less'. There are tons of more videos and pictures but I just grabbed the first ones I could find... better yet go visit the facebook group pages and scroll through the photos of get togethers of past and judge for yourself if you think this is something you might enjoy. I'm only posting this for those who think it would be fun and bring a smile to the faces... the rest need not apply as they say.
> 
> BTW, the second video was mine (that's me talking and Cooper is the white Golden wanting to water retrieve some more)... this was during the winding down phase and many of the Goldens splashing in the pond retrieving had exited to get some free ice cream (its what you see everyone feeding their Goldens near the truck and the tent and on the hills and those waiting in line for... notice how many of the dogs are still wet). The guy at the very end was a photographer from the local paper... he was a funny guy. These are the memories that bond you to your dog long after the event is over.


As long as there’s off lead dogs I don’t know, my dogs wouldn’t be there. My dogs and I bond over training and going on our trial weekends. We tend to stay away from off lead chaos.


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## monomer

Abeille said:


> As long as there’s off lead dogs I don’t know, my dogs wouldn’t be there. My dogs and I bond over training and going on our trial weekends. We tend to stay away from off lead chaos.


Did you actually view the videos? Where some see chaos, I venture others see fun... for both dogs and owners. We are each free to choose which is which and apparently you find it frightening... its your prerogative. You've made it crystal clear this type of event is not for you... sigh. End.


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## DevWind

monomer said:


> Did you actually view the videos? Where some see chaos, I venture others see fun... for both dogs and owners. We are each free to choose which is which and apparently you find it frightening... its your prerogative. You've made it crystal clear this type of event is not for you... sigh. End.


Frightening isn’t exactly the word I would use.…. You are correct, it’s not the type of event I would enjoy. Its exactly the kind of thing we warn students to stay away from.


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## monomer

Abeille said:


> Frightening isn’t exactly the word I would use.…. You are correct, it’s not the type of event I would enjoy. Its exactly the kind of thing we warn students to stay away from.


Okay this is getting ridiculous... You obviously have a different philosophy on how to treat dogs, that's not surprising, we all think differently from each other as life would be boring otherwise... what perplexes me is why do you and Kate persist in putting down this event, by all accounts you should be ignoring this thread since you obviously disagree with the way the event is conducted and claim to have no interest in attending. The whole purpose of starting this thread was to make this event known to those who find socializing fun and can well make up their own minds for themselves. We don't need you telling us what behaviors you find acceptable. This posting under the forum titled Golden Retriever Events is meant to be informational for those who live in Michigan and would like to attend a Golden Retriever Event... it doesn't need your endorsement. You two obviously dislike the whole idea but rather than ignoring and walking away as would be the normal thing to do for someone not interested, you two insist on inserting yourselves and your beliefs on dog socialization. We get it, you don't enjoy dog parks, nor having dogs off-leash so, why comment at all? Here's a constructive idea for you: Why not start your very own thread about why no one should attend any dog venues that will possibly have a dog off-leash... your comments would be appropriate there, not here. I hope this is not considered typical for responses to anyone who posts on this forum... you're going to drive people away... which probably explains why so many have moved away from forums and onto facebook groups. Thanks for ruining a perfectly reasonable thread. Comment all you want, I'm outta here.


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## Megora

monomer said:


> This posting under the heading of Golden Retriever Events is meant to be informational for those who live in Michigan and would like to attend a Golden Retriever Event... it doesn't need your endorsement.


OK, if I wanted to be mean - I probably would have more to say about that mud puddle that the dogs are swimming in.  

You posted on multiple threads a mysterious link suggesting people check it out - without providing any information. 

I personally didn't click on the link until after it was clear others did - because I thought it was spam or buggy. 

Then after I clicked the link - I was trying to figure out what the draw was intended to be - since it was unclear. 

You explained you are looking to have 200 goldens show up and be off leash - and it does not sound like there is any screening process to weed out people with aggressive dogs. And your response when questioned is that people know their own dogs and can decide if they should be on leash or off. Which is irresponsible and reckless, btw. But have fun.


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## CAROLINA MOM

A reminder all- please be respectful to one another and keep the Forum Rules in mind when making posts.


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## Prism Goldens

I like your voice saying 'I love your mask'... 
but hey! Anyone wanting to see 2500 Goldens all in same place, should come to the National Specialty! Field Trial, Hunt Tests of every level, WC/X, Agility, Obedience, Rally, CCA, Tracking and of course conformation- plus many many vendors! Ocala, FL- OCt 22-31 2021. Join us!


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## DevWind

First off, everyone be cautious if you go. My mom was telling me about the exact same type of thing for Collies in Michigan. Just kind of suspicious to me. 

I can’t speak for Kate…

We are talking about somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 dogs. Some on leash, some off. I worry about safety. The smallest disagreement or misunderstanding between dogs and it’s on. It could get real ugly, real quick with 200 dogs running loose. One dog has another dogs ball, one won’t leave another alone…..I could go on all night. They will argue over just about anything, just like children with different colored cups. Even friendly dogs! 

Then you have to worry about health. Does anyone have kennel cough? Rabies? Any other contagious disease out there? For people, there’s dog bites, being run over by dogs running around, stepping in poop because if that many dogs are running around, who’s cleaning it up? There’s also them finding something that could potentially hurt them. 

I allow my dogs off lead in safe situations. They absolutely love field training, FastCAT, dock diving, agility, obedience, etc. One dog off lead at a time. Or if both dogs are well trained, 2 off lead. They don’t need to meet every dog at an event. Or any dog actually. Socialization is about coexisting in the same area with another dog or person, not in your face play. I love to take my dogs places But only if they are safe. 

Not trying to be mean. I hope nobody gets hurt, human or canine.


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## DevWind

Prism Goldens said:


> I like your voice saying 'I love your mask'...
> but hey! Anyone wanting to see 2500 Goldens all in same place, should come to the National Specialty! Field Trial, Hunt Tests of every level, WC/X, Agility, Obedience, Rally, CCA, Tracking and of course conformation- plus many many vendors! Ocala, FL- OCt 22-31 2021. Join us!


Now this is a safe way to be around many, many goldens! Unfortunately, we won’t be going this year. We definitely plan to go to next years though.


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## monomer

Sadly, there are no more tickets left for the annual gathering of Goldens event. I just happened to notice today there are people expressing some desperation in not being able to get a ticket to the event... so I checked and apparently they are sold out. Hope everyone who wanted one already got one. The excitement is growing amongst those going.


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## monomer

Well the event was a great success. It was hot and humid but the dogs didn't seem to mind at all. There were prizes and Frosty Paws for every dog and a good time was had. There were puppies and Golden oldies and the humans ranged from infants to oldsters with canes. The local news media attended and put it on a segment of the evening news last night. This was its third year and not a single issue between dogs or with people arose... oh well, they are Goldens after all and we were all Golden owners so I guess that explains it. This video was taken very early on when people and dogs were still arriving. 



 and here is the reporting from local tv https://www.9and10news.com/2021/08/...VAVe0bt1RIrAr-M2jlxN0d34TWIgRNcAoNHeuZofKkxYs
So many good memories were made yesterday.


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## Ontariodogsitter

Wow, nice !!!


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## monomer

Ontariodogsitter said:


> Wow, nice !!!


Maybe consider attending next year's event... the borders should be opened by then (you'd think so anyway?) Years ago right here on the Golden Retriever Forum we organized Golden meet-up events at Michigan locations (Muskegon @ Norman F Kruze dog beach, Lansing @ Soldan dog park, Orion Oaks dog park) and got in attendance from Canada... so it might not be too far for you to travel? Anyway you might want to consider it. In addition there are a ton of things to see and do in and around Traverse City... enough for a fun mini-vacation.


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