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Golden Retriever or Golden Pyrenees?

8K views 34 replies 27 participants last post by  PrincessDi 
#1 ·
I found an apparently older golden retriever at a local SPCA. I would love to share all the details of finding him, but it would fill pages and pages. Basically he was an abandoned dog found loose wandering the streets. He and I clicked and now he is mine, or I really should say, he has chosen to stay with me. This is one big dog. Last weighed in at 85 pounds prior to becoming accustomed to regular meals after coming to my house. His paws are huge, his head is heavy, his coat is pale and he has creamy markings on his body, legs, feet and what appears to be the mask of an older dog. His teeth are great. This dog, Cyrus, is amazing. AMAZING. He is gentle, playful, quiet, loves to put his paws on my shoulders and stare into my eyes. Never fights with other dogs in fact trips trying to get away. NEVER FETCHES! Totally indifferent to tennis balls, sticks, any throw toys. Will amuse himself when I am busy by tossing a rope chew into the air and catching it. When he chooses to bark it is a thunderous deep roar. He stands in the yard still and surveys the territory in and outside the fence. He simply adores the snow. He likes to lie in it for even hours if I let him. He likes to roll around in it. He has selective hearing when it comes to commands and prefers to stand in the yard at watch than to come in. Sometimes I feel like I am the first person to tell him his home is indoors with me, the person in his life. Once he wanted to follow me to the car and climbed over the 3 foot picket fence to get to me. I said in a quiet and sensitively stern voice, No, Cyrus, you have to stay in the fence. Since then he never, never attempts to get out regardless of the temptations which go by. So. Is my wonderful companion a large Golden Retriever? Or is he a mix with the reputedly independent and gentle Great Pyrenees? Do Goldens adore the snow and lie in it until forced to leave? Do some Goldens ignore tennis balls? Anybody know about the mix of Goldens and Great Pyrs? I read they are called Golden Pyrenees.
 

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#2 ·
I don't see any Pyr in him. Looks all Golden to me.
 
#4 ·
Looks golden to me too. Does he have rear dewclaws? If so, that would definitely support the mix theory. And to answer some of your questions, yes, some goldens adore the snow and yes, some are indifferent to fetching.
 
#6 ·
We have had a few golden pyr mixes in our rescue, some looking totally like a golden and others look like both.Every golden pyr mix we have had, always had the double dew claw. Yours looks all golden to me
 
#7 ·
Looks all golden to me. My boy, George would never fetch.. and he doesn't want to swim. But as I birthed him bred him, I know he is all golden!!
 
#8 ·
Do one of those dna tests on him just for fun....
Canine Heritage is the one I used for Paco, my Feist.
 
#9 ·
Thanks all. Only a few people who have met Cyrus have asked me if he is part Pyr. I think it is his extremely calm demeanor. Most say he looks all Golden. His age is another big mystery. Clean intact teeth and pink gums. The white mask of an old dog. The energy of a puppy without the kookiness. Well. He can be kookie if I give him that let's be kookie together body language. I may or may not send away for DNA results. It is not important, just I am curious. And I feel sooo lucky to have found this fellow and for him to have accepted me into his life.
 
#10 ·
Looks all Golden to me too. Darby is 92 lbs. and 100% golden. They both LOVE snow and Kirby will lay in it, roll around for hours if I let her. She also could care less for tennis balls and just this past fall learned how to play fetch.

Darby is very clam and laid back at home, out walking but in class he is a total ADD goof ball. Goldens may share a common easy going temperament but individual personalities can vary quite a bit.

He is gorgeous, congratulations to both of you.!! :)
 
#13 ·
No dew claws on back legs. I love hearing about your snow loving nonfetching Goldens! Cyrus is my first. Struck Gold it would seem;). Do you get tire of hearing that?:--big_grin:
Kar, I stuck GOLD too with my Storm! He was also a rescue from the SPCA, 5 years old and so calm and patient. My first dog and definitely my <3 dog.

Your Cyrus is a very handsome boy! Yay to rescue dogs!!!
 
#14 ·
Looks like my foster Lance...
He has a very heavy coat, great big flag of a tail,his paws are huge too.
I had wondered too, until I met his dad, Marty, who says he's 100% Golden Retriever from a breeder in Kansas.
He was the biggest of the litter.
He only weights 89# now, but Marty says he was over 100# a while ago from lack of exercise.



 
#17 ·
Hi Kar55. We are glad you found us, and found Cyrus. He is one handsome, 100% Golden Guy.
So, now, we need to hear the long story! (that's what all of us here love, long stories about how our wonderful Goldens came into our lives)
Oh, PS, Brooks doesn't fetch tennis balls either (well, he used to bring it back a few times but got seemingly got bored with it)
 
#21 ·
vote all golden

There's some reference to a touch of newfie, bloodhound & labs in the European goldens. Our female has hound "ridges" on her brows.
Our dark male lives for the ball and retrieving. The light yellow female loves to sniff out the field, mild interest in the ball. My simplistic deal lables Casey a bird (fetch) dog, Maya more the field (flush) dog. As much as I love Casey he does seem over-the-top obsessive on the ball.
 
#24 ·
Is my wonderful companion a large Golden Retriever? Or is he a mix with the reputedly independent and gentle Great Pyrenees?
He looks like a mix to me. You can definitely tell he has a lot of golden retriever ancestry, at least half, maybe more, especially in the tail and the body. The legs and the face both look slightly "off" for a golden, though, at least in my very amateur uninformed judgment. I've never seen the other breed you're talking about, though, so whether the mix is that or some other breed, I have no idea. Regardless of what breed or mix of breeds he is, he sounds like a cool dog. Good find. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with him.
 
#25 ·
Looks all golden to me--he's beautiful. In fact, if Cyrus is part Pyr then my Joey (also a rescue from a shelter) is too--they look like they could almost be brothers and I've seen that same stance (however, Joey LOVES to chase a squeaky ball over and over). The shelter thought he was a senior due to his white mask but we think he is probably around 5 or so. Thanks for rescuing this big guy!
 

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#29 ·
Your guy looks all golden to me. Some goldens get that old dog mask very early, as young as two for some of them. The sugar face isn't a good indication of age. How lucky that the two of you found each other! Now, you're hooked. You will never be able to live without a golden in your home and maybe even in your bed:)
 
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