All About Us We are a small family based kennel located on beautiful Maple Bay in the heart of Muskoka**, Ontario, Canada. Goldens are our passion!! We may be new to breeding goldens but we have loved them and raised them for many years. We believe in carefully researched, selective breeding and we endeavour to provide the ultimate golden for you or your family. Traditionally goldens have been bred for both their beauty and their ability in the field - We strive to maintain the dual purpose identity of these elegant dogs. Our dogs live kennel-free . They are raised as treasured, valued members of our family and live in our home with us. They are also free to roam on 20 acres of beautiful woodlands and trails where our home is situated. A day in the life of an "Galianna golden" consists of running, playing, swimming in the crystal waters of Maple Bay and lots of love and attention. We gladly adhere to, and aim to surpass, the Canadian Kennel Club Code of Ethics. We specialize in 100% English-style Golden Retrievers with international multi-champion lines from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Hungary, Poland and beyond. Known for their loyal and steadfast temperment, their beauty and their willingness to please - a golden truly is man's best friend. We refuse to breed for convenience or recreation. We seriously seek out only champion lines to incorporate into our breeding program to maintain or increase the sophistication and intelligence of the breed. All dogs involved in our breeding program must have, at the very minimum, complete health clearances. Galianna Goldens has derived its title from the European name Galianna which means "supreme one". It is our goal to breed goldens that are a supreme example of the breed, superior in health, beauty and temperment. We will never stop our research of the golden retriever (past and present), and the amazing science of genetics in our search to protect and improve this wonderful breed. Galianna Goldens is officially registered with the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club - name change pending). (**Muskoka is the region including and surrounding Huntsville, Ontario, Canada - known for its magnificent lakes and forests) All About Golden Retrievers The origin of the Golden Retriever lies primarily in the careful work of one man, Sir Dudley Marjoribanks (later the first Lord Tweedmouth) who originally set out to breed a good hunting dog. A colorful folk tale once recounted that Lord Tweedmouth began his breeding history with Russian circus dogs, reportedly 100+ lbs., 30 inches at the shoulder, pale blonde and extremely intelligent. This fanciful story even appears in the GRCA's Yearbook as late as 1950. However, examination of his Stud Book, covering the years from 1835 to 1890 (finally made publicly available in 1952) records no such purchase but instead details a careful line-breeding program unusual at that time and place for dogs. In 1865, Lord Tweedmouth purchased a yellow retriever "Nous" from an unregistered litter of otherwise black Wavy-Coated Retrievers. Nous was later bred with "Belle", a Tweed Water Spaniel, and the resulting litter produced four bitches that were instrumental to his breeding program. One of them, "Cowslip," he bred back to for over twenty years. Over the years, several outcrosses, to black Wavy Coated Retrievers, an Irish Setter, and later a sandy-colored Bloodhound occurred as he sought to improve and fix his new breed. The coat textures of the Goldens of this time reportedly varied, as did the color, which ranged from fox red to light cream. The Wavy-Coated Retrievers were the ancestors of today's Flat-Coat Retriever and they in turn were developed from crossing setters with the lesser St. John's Water Dog of Newfoundland. The Tweed Water Spaniel, now extinct, came from early water dogs crossed with land or field spaniels to develop Water Spaniels. These spaniels were developed in the Tweed River area and were described by contemporaries as a small liver-colored retriever ("liver" at the time signifying any shade from yellow to brown). The Kennel Club of England accepted the first Goldens for registration in 1903. Is a Golden right for your family? The golden retriever is one of the world's premier family companion dogs. Although many goldens become champions in the ring or in the field, they are first and foremost a wonderful family pet and playmate. They enjoy play sessions with their family, retrieving balls and other toys and the ideal environment for this dog is a family home with plenty of company and plenty of space. Golden Retrievers are not well suited for a two-career family, as they require an inordinate amount of human interaction and companionship and they need plenty of attention from their owner and family. Goldens love to be loved, love to learn and are eager to please. All dog breeds require a certain amount of grooming and care necessary to keep both adult dogs and puppies looking at their best. Because the Golden Retriever sheds a fair amount he requires a thorough brushing a few times each week. If you love to have an immaculate house and cannot stand the thought of dog hair - perhaps a golden is not the dog for you. To maintain optimum health goldens require regular training, daily exercise, grooming, a balanced diet and veterinary care. The Golden Retriever can live between 12 and 14 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions. The Golden Retriever is quite possibly one of the friendliest animals on the planet when it comes to dog breeds. The genuine Golden Retriever is a great companion; they are loyal, friendly with children and very obedient. Goldens are a robust but elegant dog. Just as Lord Tweedsmouth intended when he began his work with the breed, a true golden retriever will display the characteristics of being both beautiful and dependable. ......A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself..... -Josh Billings-