Over 80 excited golden retrievers and their owners came together in high spirits at the grounds of the Waterfront shopping mall here for a gathering of the Golden Nugget Club members, a club for golden retriever owners in Malaysia.
Organised in collaboration with Oh My Pet Expo, the event is believed to be the largest-ever gathering of golden retrievers in Malaysia.
Despite a sudden storm that forced a last-minute change of venue, its two- and four-legged attendees enjoyed themselves, leaving with goodie bags and prizes in tow.
“I think it all went quite smoothly. Despite the bad weather, we had full attendance, and there were even new members joining this.
“We hope to have more events like this in future, hopefully on an even bigger scale,” Golden Nugget Club president Audrey Yeow told FMT Lifestyle.
According to Yeow, the Golden Nugget Club was founded around March 2022. It started after her own golden retriever, Titus, became ill and needed medical attention: Yeow discovered that it was difficult to help him as different veterinarians gave her conflicting advice on what to do.
“After that bad experience, I didn’t want other paw-rents to go through the same thing. So, this club’s objective is for us owners to share the happiness our dogs give us, talk about our experiences, and help each other,” Yeow said.
Starting with just seven or eight members, the Golden Nugget Club has now grown to over 700 members: Yeow estimates around 600 are from the Klang Valley, with the rest from Ipoh, Penang, Melaka and Johor Bahru.
Yeow said the club aimed to hold even bigger gatherings in the future, and hoped to find a venue large enough to accommodate a large number of dogs.
The event offered a wonderful opportunity for socialising, with some attendees travelling from as far as Melaka to join the fun.
Many of the golden retrievers sported eye-catching costumes, dressed as everything from pretty butterflies to gallant knights.
The gathering ended with prizes presented for various categories, including Best Dressed, Oldest Dog, Youngest Dog, and even Most Leng Chai/Leng Lui.
Most of the attendees said they thoroughly enjoyed their time at the gathering.
“It was a lot of fun to be able to take my dog out to meet his friends and run around. Kimo is my best companion. It was a bit crazy because of the weather, but I think the event went well,” said Winnie Yong.
“I’ve always been a dog lover. So going out and being surrounded by so many other pets and pet owners feels wonderful,” said Sachin Bhardwaj, who came with his dog Ted.
“The thing about having a golden retriever is you’ll never feel depressed, watching them jump and run around you. They’re just so full of positive energy,” Sachin added.
Follow the Golden Nugget Club on Instagram.