Breed: Golden Retriever
Date of birth: 18/01/2026
Gender: Male
Neck circumference: 42cm
Chest circumference: 61cm
Base of neck to base of tail: 76cm
Height to shoulder: 61cm
Weight: 23kg

General Description

Ask Wilbur to learn something new and you will watch a dog light up. Training is his favourite game, food is his currency and the combination makes him one of the most willing pupils an agent could hope to represent. His coat is a deep, burnished gold that catches the light in a way flat photographs rarely do justice to and his expression is open, curious and permanently pleased to be involved. Happy-go-lucky by nature, he greets strangers, children and other dogs with the same uncomplicated delight then folds himself quietly under a table when the moment calls for stillness. He is as at ease settling in a busy coffee shop as he is charging into a lake.

The Golden Retriever traces back to the Scottish Highlands, where Lord Tweedmouth set out at his Guisachan estate in the 1860s to build a gundog that could handle the rain, the rivers and the rough ground of the glens. He paired a yellow retriever with a Tweed Water Spaniel and the puppies that followed became the foundation of everything the breed is today. The Kennel Club granted formal recognition in 1913 and within a few decades the golden had crossed from the shooting field into the family home, where it has stayed ever since. Popular culture has been kind to the breed. Shadow led the way home across the wilderness in Homeward Bound, Comet padded through the Full House living room for eight seasons, a golden named Buddy shot hoops in Air Bud and Pixar handed Dug the talking collar in Up. More recently the phrase “golden retriever energy” has entered everyday internet shorthand for boundless, uncynical warmth, which tells you how thoroughly this breed has embedded itself in the public imagination.

Wilbur comes from a working line and that heritage shows in his focus and his appetite for a job. He has completed his Kennel Club foundation training and is currently working towards his Bronze award alongside Hoopers. He is fully vaccinated, kennel cough included, has no known allergies and nothing on file that bothers him. Vacuums, crowds, unfamiliar handlers, long car journeys – none of it registers as a problem. He will hand his lead to someone he has never met and carry on cheerfully, which on a busy set is worth a great deal.

That working bloodline makes Wilbur a natural fit for anything set outdoors. He swims willingly, launches himself into water without hesitation and retrieves from it cleanly, so scripts involving rivers, coastlines, lakes or country estates play straight to his instincts. He scrambles up and over obstacles, clears jumps and loads himself into and out of a car boot on request, giving directors plenty of physical business to cut between. Add a strong recall over distance, reliable enough to hold even when something interesting is happening nearby, and long wide-shot sequences become straightforward to stage.

He also carries a rare and genuinely useful piece of trained positioning. On the word “middle” he comes in and sits squarely between his handler’s legs then rotates a full 180 degrees while holding that position, which allows a scene to be reblocked around him without breaking the frame. He responds to a whistle at range and drops to quiet on cue, so a barking dog can be silenced the instant dialogue begins. His long-duration stay lets him anchor the background of a scene for as long as the schedule demands and his tug play brings energy to any moment needing a dog and a child at boisterous full tilt. Off lead he is entirely trustworthy, sitting and waiting calmly as another dog walks past, which opens up busy street scenes and location work where multiple animals share the call sheet.

A coat this colour is a photographer’s gift. Rich gold reads beautifully against autumnal palettes, forest greens, stone interiors and clean studio white alike, which places Wilbur squarely in the frame for outdoor clothing labels, country lifestyle titles, footwear brands and campaigns built around walks, weekends and the great British outdoors. He holds a pose and keeps his attention locked on his handler through a watch-me cue, so a photographer can shoot around him without losing his gaze. He perches confidently on a platform where a composition needs elevation and he stands square on request, an asset for anything requiring a clean profile silhouette.

Grooming is a pleasure rather than an ordeal for him and he accepts handling from unfamiliar stylists without a flicker, making coat-care, shampoo and canine wellbeing brands an obvious avenue. His food motivation is a real advantage in the studio, since he will work enthusiastically for a reward across take after take, which suits treat manufacturers, pet nutrition ranges and anything requiring convincing enthusiasm around a bowl. He catches a treat mid-air and crosses his paws, two neat pieces of business currently being polished, and he is learning a “selfie” position in which he rises behind his handler and drapes his front paws over a shoulder. For social campaigns, phone brands, insurance advertising and any concept selling companionship, that image alone is worth booking him for. Meet-and-greet work rounds out his range nicely, since he actively enjoys attention from the public, travels comfortably to any location and behaves impeccably in cafés, shops and exhibition spaces.