golden retriever

Yesterday was National Puppy Day and all the users of Imgur were joining in on sharing images of their adorable puppies, whether they are puppies or images of their dogs when they were puppies. And it was overwhelming with cuteness. You couldn't escape the cuteness, but again, why would you want to? 

In honor of National Puppy Day, we decided to feature one puppy, Nelson, or dubbed "the golden potato," and his glorious transformation from golden derp to older golden derp. Thank you to Imgur user RealisticDOc98807 for sharing these adorable images, you've brought some golden light into all our lives. 

Watch Nelson grow over the course of 10 months below! 

Meet Finn, the golden retriever and 1000% good boy! Finn had gotten received neutered and had to wear a cone for up to two weeks, in the hopes of cheering him up -- his mom, Jenn Frates, decided to decorate his cone daily in fun new themes. 

And not only did they cheer Finn up, but they also cheered us up too. Frates told The Dodo, "I thought it would be a fun way to get through the long two weeks of him having to wear an ugly cone. I'm trying to stock his first-year puppy book with lots of funny memories. I also just love art/being crafty in any form." 

Frates continued, "We do a lot of photoshoots so he knows when I have him sit in the backyard that he has to wait and if he does … lots of treats are coming." And what pup wouldn't be excited about a treat? We absolutely adored scrolling through Finn's photoshoot and we hope you do too! 

Story via The Dodo

We don't quite know what to make of this special family but all we know is that we're obsessed and need more. 

Bob and Marley are both golden retrievers with a huge Instagram following, and they also have a huge family. And when we say family, we don't mean a bunch of little golden pups running around. We mean a blended family, a family that consists of multiple birds, and a hamster. What's the most impressive thing about this unique family is their calm interaction with each other. So calm that their owner can line them us for incredible photographs like the images below. 

You can follow this adorable family on Instagram for even more incredible moments! 

Congratulations, August! 

As of April 24, 2020 (August's 20th birthday), August is officially the oldest known, living Golden Retriever. Augie currently resides in Oakland, Tennessee with her pawrents, Jennifer and Steve Hetterscheidt, who adopted her at the age of 14. 

Rescued from Golden Retriever Rescue of Southern Nevada, the Hetterscheidt's originally fostered August, unsure how long she had left. Well, 6 years later and we're happy to report that besides some minor health issues, Augie is in great shape! 

It has also been confirmed that Augie is the 19th oldest dog in the world, According to Guinness World Records! 

Story via The Insider

Sometimes, you just need something pure and wholesome to take your attention away from the madness. That something is Rae.

Meet Rae! Possibly the cutest one-eared Golden Retriever to ever retrieve! Due to an accidental injury at birth, Rae was born with one ear on her right side, and as she grew, it migrated to the top of her precious head. 

Prepare yourself, you're about to fall in love. We know because it happened to us. 

Leny is one of those golden retrievers that will put an instant smile on your face! Leny went viral for his most favorite pastime activity. It's not chasing birds that he loves the most nor cuddling with his favorite toy — Leny just absolutely can't get enough of sliding down a hill! But even with his newfound fame, his priorities remain the same: sliding down the hills and into your hearts. For more of this adorable good boy, check out hisInstagram page.

Shame on this dogs previous owner for trying to get the vets to put him down -- just because he was overweight! Truly disgusting.

Thankfully, when the previous owner brought the golden retriever, named Kai, to the vet, the vet immediately contacted the Misfits of Alberta Animal Rescue, which helped put Pam Heggie together with Kai. Their goal was to help Kai lose that dangerous weight and find him a home where Kai would be given the TLC he so clearly deserves.  

Heggie, his new foster mother, has told Good Morning America that she didn't know much about Kai and his past, but knew he needed help. The vet told Heggie that Kai was the most overweight animal she has ever seen, and that "anything you do is gonna help that dog."

Kai first weighed a whopping 172 pounds before Heggie stepped in and helped him lose more than half of his body weight!

Golden Retrievers are just pure joy. They provide us with companionship and endless entertainment, whether intentional or not. Here are 16 times Golden Retrievers were so adorable you wanted to cry.