Hundreds of fluffy golden retrievers have all met up at their ancestral home to celebrate 115 years since the breed was created.
Continuing on with what is a legendary tradition at this point, with previous milestone meetings grabbing headlines and going viral on social media – most-notably back in 2018 for the 150th anniversary – hundreds of golden retrievers have once again joined forces for a mass meet-up this week at the home of their ancestors in the rural Scottish Highlands.
The meet up is to celebrate an important milestone for the breed, as the first golden retriever puppies were born at Guisachan House in Glen Affric 155 years ago.
The proud breed – which has gone on to become one of the most popular in the UK, and is known for its loyalty and obedience – was bred by aristocrat Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, as he wanted a pup that had all the traits of a gun dog but was suited to the rugged Scottish Highland terrain.
The first golden retriever puppies were born at Guisachan House in 1868 / Steve Bancroft (via Golden Retriever Club of Scotland)
The first litter of golden retriever puppies was born in 1868 to a now-extinct breed, the Tweed water spaniel, and yellow wavy-coated retriever, and were called Primrose, Cowslip, and Crocus.
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The golden retriever was officially recognised as a breed by The Kennel Club in 1913.
In honour of the place they were first born, owners from not only across the UK, but also from continental Europe, and as far as the US, Australia, and Japan have been known to meet at the ruins of Guisachan House on several occasions – and this week was one of them.
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Organised by the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland, and with dogs and owners travelling from 12 different countries, a series of events – including talks, workshops, demonstrations, and a night-time procession – are all taking place this week at the site of the ruined mansion house near Tomich and Cannich, which is just south of Inverness.
The golden retriever was officially recognised as a breed by The Kennel Club in 1913 / Credit: Shayna Douglas (via Unsplash)
The gathering of the hundreds of fluffy pups was expected to be one of the world’s largest of the breed all in one place, according to the BBC.
Carol Henry, who is the secretary of the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland, told the BBC that the aim of the gathering was to keep alive knowledge of the breed, explaining that established breeders were mindful of protecting the golden retriever’s qualities and temperament.
“We want to hold on to the confidence, the biddability, the companionship and loyalty,” she added, “which are all the things the golden retriever was built on”.
Featured Image – Golden Retriever Club of Scotland
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One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right about now.
With just under two weeks to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
Featured Image – The OurWhiskey Company (via Pexels)
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More than 12 million Brits think Yorkshire puddings belong with your Christmas dinner
Emily Sergeant
More than 12 million Brits would argue that your Christmas dinner needs a side of Yorkshire puddings, a shocking survey has revealed.
The survey in question carried out by retailer Next – which polled a total of 2,000 Brits about their Christmas dining and tableware habits – has uncovered that millions of people stray off the beaten track when it comes to, what we can all agree is, one of the biggest and heartiest meals of the year.
It turns out, Brits like a lot of unusual items on our Christmas dinner plate.
Some of the most obscure finds the survey is that two million people admitted to eating onion rings alongside their turkey and sprouts, and a further 5% (3.4 million) Brits like tucking into a bit of seafood on Christmas Day.
A surprising 4% (2.7 million) of people admitted that they like to add ketchup to their Christmas dinner plate – with mac and cheese, chips, and sweetcorn also making the top 10 list.
More than 12 million Brits think Yorkshire puddings belong with your Christmas dinner / Credit: Rumman Amin (via Unsplash)
If all of that wasn’t mad enough as it is, one of the most shocking stats from the survey is probably the fact that a whopping 1.4 million respondents even said that they wouldn’t consider it a Christmas dinner without the addition of baked beans.
But when it comes to Christmas dinner, there’s probably one debate that’s bigger than them all, and is still yet to be decided – do Yorkshire puddings belong on your Christmas dinner plate or not?
Well, 12.7 million Brits believe that they do, and we reckon a good chunk of that number is us northerners.
The UK’s top 10 non-traditional Christmas food items
Yorkshire Puddings (19% – 12.7 million)
Bread sauce (5% – 3.4 million)
Seafood (5% – 3.4 million)
Ketchup (4% – 2.7 million)
Mac and cheese (3% – 2 million)
Onion rings (3% – 2 million)
Chips (2% – 1.2 million)
Bread (2% – 1.2 million)
Sweetcorn (2% – 1.2 million)
Beans (2% – 1.2 million)
A new survey has revealed has uncovered that millions of people stray off the beaten track for Christmas dinner / Credit: Lisa Baker (via Unsplash)
While previous research has shown that the most common items on a British Christmas dinner are roast potatoes and gravy, these latest stats reveal there are some people out there who just like to do things a little differently.
But no matter how you like to eat it, a delicious Christmas dinner is always going to be something to celebrate, right?
Emily Sergeant -
13th July 2023 
