Breeders often find unique and creative ways to name their kennels. Some have more thought put in them, and others not so much. Believe it or not, we actually spent time figuring out our kennel name. I know it appears simple, but a lot went into it.

Most people are familiar with the development of the golden retriever breed in Scotland by Lord Tweedmouth. The original golden retriever came from a cross between a yellow colored retriever dog, with a Tweed Water Spaniel female. Lord Tweedmouth bred his dogs in Glen Affric of Scotland. More specifically,”Guisachan” the Scottish highland estate of Dudley Marjoribanks. When considering names for our kennel I wanted something relating to golden retrievers heritage.

My last name is Bearden. Most people don’t recognize my name, let alone know the history of it. My name has its origins from the town of Bearsden. Bearsden is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It’s on the outskirts of Glasgow. Since I was a history buff, and I have studied the root of my name extensively, I was familiar with my heritage from Scotland. Bearsden was first introduced in town as a name for a new train station in the 1800’s. Bearsden was originally used as an old cottage’s name that was owned by a local gamekeeper. Ironically, they may have even used golden retrievers there. It was believed that two bears had been kept on the grounds of the cottage by the local laird. Also it is important to note that “bear” is an old Scots word for barley and “dene” the word for valley. This was a crop grown near present day Bearsden. There are various names that originate from Bearsden. Many immigrants went to England to travel to the United States. Those who traveled from Scotland carried various versions of the name such as Bearden, Beardon, Barden, and Burdon. There is a separate lineage coming from English terms like Bardon. However, records show my family heritage coming from Scotland.

Knowing that my name originates from Scotland, and the heritage of golden retriever also come from there, we thought it would perfect to use our surname. Bearden immigrants left England to travel to the United States. Golden Retrievers first became a breed standard in the UK as part of the Kennel Club. Then 12 years later in the American Kennel Club.

Since my wife, daughter, cat, and dogs are all family, we wanted to use a term that is inclusive of our fur family members. Hence the pack. Maybe someday we can take our fur friends to their origins as well as ours.