Our Achievements

The previous Buffalo Kennels website, which served us during the latter years of our four and a half decades
with Golden Retrievers, has been preserved in an abbreviated form as a remembrance of times past.

banner-2
Or visit the website of three ex-Buffalo Golden Girls
kbd

THE GOLDEN YEARS – OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

With forty five Golden years behind us, Buffalo Kennels is proud of its achievements:

    • From a limited number of litters we have bred 52 Australian Champions. All up over 75 champions have lived at Buffalo.
    • We have bred SIX New Zealand Champions.
    • We are very proud to have bred the first ever Australian and New Zealand Golden Retriever – Ch & NZ Ch Buffalo Woodchester CD. In the years to follow, three more Buffalo-bred dogs attained their AUSTRALASIAN titles.
    • We are also proud to have bred the breed’s FIRST GRAND CHAMPION bitch – Grand Champion Buffalo Luvmelots to be followed by Grand Champion Buffalo Bel Ayre Prince and Grand Champion Buffalo Spellmaster. All have won Best in Show awards.
    • Pioneers of hereditary testing for Golden Retrievers in Australia:
      • In the early 80s we pioneered the introduction of hip scoring. When Malcolm Willis visited Australia, we organised the “Malcolm Willis Presents” and “Malcolm Willis Returns” Seminars.
      • We also organised the first eye clinics..
    • The concept of eye clinics continues to this day and it is now accepted that all breeding stock is checked regularly. Many other breeds also hold regular eye clinics.
    • Nowadays, hip scoring and eye testing is an accepted practice in Australia and in some breeds it is mandatory for breeding stock to be x-rayed and hip scored before the registration of a litter is accepted by Dogs NSW. The Golden Retriever breed falls into this category. We will continue to push for and support awareness of the inherited problems which face Golden Retrievers.
  • Golden Retrievers bred and/or owned by us have successfully fulfilled roles in the show and obedience rings. Over the years their bloodlines have been behind field trial champions and top show and obedience “legends” of their time. Today they are highly regarded amongst Golden enthusiasts and still compete successfully in all the various aspects of our “sport”.

We are very grateful to the many lovely goldens who have made our success possible and to all the owners who have campaigned our dogs to their respective titles. However, it isn’t all about competition and Goldens bred by us have also assisted the Guide Dogs for the Blind in their many programmes, including successfully graduating as a guide dog.

Stacks Image 128

We are just as proud of those goldens living with families as their treasured pets. It is very humbling and gratifying to receive letters, notes, phone calls and emails thanking us for their pets and the wonderful times they enjoy together. It brings home to us the reason we do what we do and makes it all worthwhile. One of the most fulfilling moments is when a family rings for their second, third and even fourth golden from our kennel. To provide long living, healthy, good natured family members over the years has been very rewarding.

We can look back on a very rewarding and successful 45 years and would like to thank all Buffalo owners for the love they give our dogs and for providing them with the best homes possible.

Why “when one door closes, another opens”

A question which has and will no doubt be asked in the future. Why after all this time can/are we closing in on our golden retriever adventure? It has been so hard to “let go” and a decision not made overnight. Whilst we are by no means “ancient” age wise, both being in our early 60’s, it was time to down size and open another chapter and another challenge with our new breed, Whippets.

There comes a time in life when you feel you have fulfilled all there is to achieve and you have reached your goals. Do you quit whilst still on top of the game or continue on and struggle against changes and influences in the breed in this country, which may not be to your liking? We would rather look back on our time in Goldens with satisfaction that we achieved what we did. Our dogs have done us proud over the decades and we have just about achieved all there is to achieve. Best in Shows at all breeds and specialty levels, Royal Best of Breeds, National win, obedience titles and MOST IMPORTANTLY providing beautiful dogs for the general community. WE ARE VERY PROUD OF OUR REPUTATION GLOBALLY.

As Sandra says: Golden Retrievers will always be in my heart. I know I will continue with a huge interest in the breed. I hope to use my knowledge and experience to help others appreciate and learn about the breed; to judge the breed, to lecture on the breed and to mentor those who wish to judge or to start breeding Golden Retrievers.

© 2013 Sandra Patterson