When we started to research golden retrievers, I was surprised how long people were waiting for well-bred puppies. But an even bigger surprise—English Cream golden retrievers are now everywhere. You can still find dark or light golden pups if you look hard, but clearly English Creams are the “it” dogs right now. Fortunately, I don’t want or need a clone of Chipper, but I had to find out more.
First, I discovered there’s some confusion out there whether English Cream golden retrievers are simply another color choice as the AKC maintains, or if there’s more to it than that. Online, you can find breeders who maintain that English Creams have a calmer temperament and they certainly seem a little stockier over all. I also read that English Creams might be less prone to cancer, which I was grateful for since that’s ultimately what got Chipper just before his 10th birthday.
Through the pet shop, we meet a lot of Golden Retrievers and the color of their fur is not a good predictor of personality. It’s really all over the place. So, without any solid evidence, Bob and I decided to go with whatever well-bred, healthy pup we found. Which turned out to be English Cream. Good—no Chipper clones!