Recently, I posted on Facebook that I was about to give Morgan, my Golden Retriever, his summer cut, and much to my surprise, a heated debate ensued. I’m not sure if most dog owners give this much thought whether to clip their dog or not. I mean no one bats an eye at all the different hairstyles humans wear. But when it comes to fur-styles, Golden lovers have strong opinions about this issue. Some people think it’s perfectly fine to shear your pup, while others think that the double coat of a Golden keeps him/her insulated in both the cold and the heat. It actually warms my heart that we feel so passionate about our dog’s comfort.
A Golden Retriever has been my companion since 1981. Nicholas, my first dog, had beautiful reddish-gold fur. I lived in San Francisco back then and we spent many a day at Ocean Beach where he got soaked, looked like a wet seal and then rolled in the sand, getting covered with it. Trimming his coat was the furthest thing from my mind.
Willy was my second companion. I lived up at the Russian River when Willy came into my life. He was a blond Golden with bright gold colored eyes that matched his fur. He spent almost every day in the river, carousing along the muddy banks. Our home was in the redwoods where he’d get nature’s debris stuck in his coat. Love is a many splendid thing with a Golden Retriever. Still, it never occurred to me to clip his gorgeous fur.
But then Willy and I moved to Palm Springs where the temperature soars above a hundred on a regular basis. I noticed as soon as I moved there that it was common for Goldens to get clipped. The dogs were all cut to varying lengths. I’ve seen some dogs shaved right down to the skin while others are just touched up around the legs and hind. At this point I was still opposed to a fur trim. But one day at the dog park, I met Edward, who had a beautiful Golden named Harley. As soon as it got hot he would have his dog’s coat clipped short. Harley looked so much younger, seemed cooler and loved all the attention being doted on him. It convinced me to give my Willy the “Harley Cut.” Willy loved it for all the same reasons that Harley loved it. I found that I loved it, too. Less hair all over the place. Easier to wash the sand and sea salt off him. Easier to get the dust and any stickers he might have picked up in the woods off his short coat.
I’m not a meticulously clean, neat guy. I don’t brush my dog each night. I don’t give it a second thought to go out with my own hair all frumpled and unkempt, so I try to keep it short (except when I visit my mother, who prefers it a little bit longer.) So, like myself, I made the decision to keep the “Harley Cut” year round for Willy. Now, a few years later, I have my current Golden, named Morgan. He was about a year old when I rescued him. He was in rough shape when he came home. I hadn’t gotten to see him as a puppy and watch his fur grow out. Also, I didn’t know anything about his lineage so I had no idea what he would look like with a longer coat. But as his health was restored and he matured I discovered that Morgan had beautiful Farrah Faucet fur with all different shades of gold. I changed my approach. I let Morgan’s hair grow out. I just thought he deserved to be handsome after all he’d been through, and I loved admiring him all woolly.
But then the time came when comfort and convenience became important again. So for the past six years Morgan has gotten the “Harley Cut” for the summer. I decided that during the winter months I would let his fur grow out. After examining both sides of the debate socially, I decided to call the SF SPCA for their expert opinion. Dr. Sheryl Owyang responded that a shorter coat can help keep a dog cooler in warm weather, is less likely to pick up foxtails and makes it easier for guardians to find them on the coat for removal. For dogs that need regular bathing (dogs that swim or that get dirty often, dogs with allergies that need medicated baths) having a shorter coat helps make bathing easier. Based on this bona fide opinion, I decided to go ahead with Morgan’s summer cut to keep him clean and healthy, but most of all because he seems happier!
Dan Perdios is a writer and a blogger living in San Francisco and Palm Springs. He has a well-shorn rescued Golden Retriever named Morgan. He has had Goldens since 1981. He recently completed a book called Rescued by Goldens and is a regular contributor to The Dodo, a webzine dedicated to the changing relationship between humans and animals. Find more info at rescuedbygoldens.com.
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