If I had to rank living beings according to the love I have for them, my cat would be at the top of the list. Then come about twenty people, then dogs. Not bad, any dog…
Loyal beings who only seek our approval and who have funny little butts when they walk fast? We don’t deserve them!
Well aware of my canine adoration, my lover gave me the most beautiful gift a few months ago. And since I think about it every other day, and since last Monday was World Dog Day, I’m launching this new year of columns in The Press passing you the tip. Do you like pooches, bucolic settings and trips to Vermont? Welcome to Golden Dog Farm.
Becca and Doug Worple, a photographer and an advertising executive, respectively, were living in Cincinnati when the pandemic sent them into a state of rethinking (you know the drill). In May 2020, they sold their home to drive around the United States in an RV, hoping to find another life. Their criteria were simple: They wanted to work outdoors and have a home big enough to live in with at least eight dogs. (My kind of world.)
Six months and more than 27,000 km later, they arrived in Vermont, the place that would change everything for them.
As they drove through the town of Stowe, they came across a pickup truck. A dozen golden retrievers sat quietly in the open trunk.
“If God were to send me a sign to live somewhere, it would definitely be a truck full of golden retrievers,” Becca thought immediately.
By chance, the couple then learned that a local farm was for sale. The location was idyllic, but not for the uninitiated: the 275 acres included a vineyard, fruit trees, a maple grove and beehives. Doug wanted to work outside, yes, but one of those four skills would have been enough for him! After a few days of thinking, the couple came to a conclusion: just because all of these activities were possible, didn’t mean he had to do them all at once.
Becca and Doug bought the house, then… they immediately started doing all four jobs at once.
A year later, Dana saw the van full of goldens again. That’s when she met Dana Menne, co-founder of Butternut Golden Retrievers. The man and his wife, Susan, lived with their 14 adult dogs and two litters of 22 puppies… a dream, according to Doug and Becca.
The breeders and new farmers quickly became friends, to the point that the Worples allowed the Mennes to host a “puppy/future owner” meet-and-greet on the farm. Seeing the joy that came from the contact between animals and humans, they had an idea… What if they invited people to play with the adult Butternut Golden Retrievers?
Nestled in the Green Mountains in Jeffersonville, Becca and Doug’s farm offers an extraordinary view. So the owners put out an invitation on their social media in September 2023: on Saturdays in the fall, volunteers could come play with golden retrievers while enjoying the enchanting scenery.
Radio silence. No one interested.
Then, one morning, all the spots were suddenly booked! A Vermont tourism account had shared the announcement on TikTok and the offer had gone viral. Since then, every event has been sold out… And there have been about 200 since the birth of what is now the Golden Dog Farm.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOUG WORPLE
Susan Menne, Becca Worple, Dana Menne and Doug Worple, surrounded by some golden retrievers
When I went, there were about thirty of us waiting for the dogs to arrive near a Pinterest-worthy barn.
When Dana and Susan parked their truck, we couldn’t hold back our squeals of excitement. The dogs were begging for our petting in the trunk!
And we had been warned: we had to take advantage of it, because as soon as they got out of the vehicle, they would run until they were exhausted.
The goldens did indeed rush onto the field to catch the balls that were thrown to them. For three quarters of an hour, the pooches did as they pleased. Several played with us, some lay down at our feet, others rebelled. Special mention to my favorite, Gina, who dove into a pond despite her master’s tired and repeated warnings. “She always ends up going there…”
PHOTO BECCA WORPLE, PROVIDED BY ROSE-AIMÉE AUTOMNE T. MORIN
We conclude the experience with a photo shoot.
After about an hour of play, it was time to relax in the barn. Dogs were walking from person to person to get petted, others were choosing to devote themselves to a lucky person (I had the honor of being a dripping Gina’s crush). Then, we wrapped it all up with a photoshoot where Becca captured the huge smiles.
It’s this happiness that fuels Doug and Becca’s mission. Farm work is grueling, but their land is the setting for a long parade of happy faces and many celebrations (including nine marriage proposals in one year!).
The activity, unique in North America according to Doug, attracts people from all over the world. Some have traveled from Australia and Alaska just to throw the ball to the dogs.
Then, in each group, there is at least one Quebecer, estimates the entrepreneur.
It’s such a success that the six-day-a-week playdates are now joined by wine tastings with canine affection. What started as a pandemic questioning has become a viral activity that draws crowds. And if you ask me, an hour from the American border, Golden Dog Farm is the perfect place to see, once again, how superior dogs are to many humans…
Visit the Golden Dog Farm website (in English)
Visit the Butternut Goldens website