We agree with Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson when he speaks to the importance of dogs in our lives: “There is some profound essence, something about being a dog, which corresponds to our notion of an inner soul, the core of our being that makes us most human. In human animals, this core, I am convinced, has to do with our ability to reach out and help a member of another species, to devote our energy to the welfare of that species, even when we do not stand to benefit from the other––in short, to love the other for its own sake. If any species on earth shares this miraculous ability with us it is the dog, for the dog truly loves us sometimes beyond expectation, beyond measure, beyond what we deserve, more, indeed than we love ourselves.”

Author, Arthur Vanderbilt, takes this a bit further when he says: "For the Golden Retriever, the bond with people runs deep, to the depth of his soul." In this same vein, we believe that there are five unique reasons that Goldens, in particular, are used more often in Animal-Assisted Therapy and Animal-Assisted Activities. Let us know if you agree with these Golden characteristics that seem inexplicably tied to their success.