We have two Golden Retrievers. They are wonderful dogs. They are good with kids, patient with me, and always look like they are smiling.
Golden Retrievers are the best dogs. We've had three goldens since we got married.
We got our first golden when the kids were very young. She was great with them. Our daughter would comb her hair. I think our youngest even rode the dog around like a horse. She was amazing with the kids. She was my favorite. She passed away just as the COVID lockdowns were starting. I was devastated about it. I never thought I would be upset about a dog dying, but I was.
Once she passed away, we made it roughly a week before getting a new puppy. We got our next two goldens over COVID. The first was just as the lockdowns were getting started. The youngest was about a year later.
Like kids, each dog has a completely different personality. Our older pup now is incredibly intelligent but has crazy separation anxiety (from my wife). Our younger pup is dumber than a rock but more patient than any dog we've had.
The photo above is of our youngest pup. This photo was taken on Halloween this year and she was done with the trick-or-treaters.
The only downside of goldens is that they shed all the time. All. The. Time. You need to vacuum up after them at least weekly.
We hadn't vacuumed in about two weeks and everything had a slight layer of fur on it. I spent about an hour today vacuuming up the fur around the house. I filled up a trashcan with fur. As soon as I was done, there were little fur tumbleweeds rolling around the house. It never ends.
Golden Retrievers are the best dogs. Just be prepared for constant vacuuming.