Mr E Macintosh, Founder and Managing Director of Love and Malcomson, who owned champion cattle herds and sheep flocks in Scotland and his Foxbury Estate and Blacklands Farm in Surrey, England. He also kept different breeds of sporting dogs that were used by the gamekeepers and gillies to retrieve game when he and his guests were shooting over his land.

In 1888 he received a Golden Retriever (or Yellow Retriever/Russian Retriever as they were variously referred to at that time) from a friend in Scotland which he brought to his kennels at Foxbury House in Surrey. From this dog and others Golden Retriever breeding for working dogs started. This was continued by his son Mr D Macintosh at Box Hill Kennel (who exported some dogs to breeders in USA also short horn cattle) and then on to his son, my Father, Mr E D Macintosh at his Loch Moy Kennel in Surrey. After the Second World War my family’s emphasis with Sporting dogs slowly pivoted from the practical retrievers needed for a day of pheasant, partridge or duck shooting to Competition Gundog training and Field Trials, although I do recall when I was young going to Olympia in London with my Father and Uncle who were showing a dog at Crufts (the pinnacle of Conformation Dog Shows). My Father was one of the Founders of and the Honorary Sectary of the South Eastern Gun Dog Society. The interesting part of this is that I just saw papers on line (below) from the South Eastern Gun Dog Society.

In an Invitational Field Trial program/running order for Saturday 14 of November 1953 my father is identified as the Honorary Sectary of SEGS, on the opposite page my Mother is listed as handler of; ‘Popita’ (actually Pepita) ‘Golden Retriever’. Gordon Smith who was also a founding member of SEGS later wrote, ”……. I remember dogs. Was Eric Mackintosh’s super-going dog a Labrador or a Golden? This was never solved!” Although my Father had many dogs I an sure he was referring to Pepita.

This revelation from a respected source is surprising and edificatious for me. This was a dog at the kennel that I grew up with as a child, she was whelped in 1952 and this question was a subject that my Mother and I had a good natured disagreement about for over 40 years, because I believe that Pepita was a Labrador and she claimed she was a ‘short haired’ golden retriever, lol. I had my own 2 Goldens replica audemars piguet, Lancer and Sophie that I showed in New York in the 80’s, later I changed to Labradors. All my Fathers main dogs in Surrey were 100% Goldens, Ripple, Lancer, Foam, Ling Ling, Wave, Vicky … etc. etc. as were my Mothers dogs in Devon. My father continued his interest and breeding at Paradise House in Dorset, my Mother also continued her interest all her life from her beloved Narracott Manor, between duties as two time Mayor, Director of AGE UK Devon, President of Rotary, as well as other charities such as Age Concern SM and assisting the local gun club who shot over her land