Happy International Golden Retriever Day from Alfie & Archie
Yesterday it was International Golden Retriever Day, and we’re celebrating two of Merilli1885’s most enthusiastic residents: Alfie and Archie, our golden retrievers who’ve mastered the art of living well.
The Best of All Worlds
While guests stay in the cottage enjoying quiet luxury, Alfie and Archie are living their best lives across 90 acres of working farm, and they’ll tell you it doesn’t get much better than this.
Farm life? Check. They’ve got cattle to watch, paddocks to patrol, and kangaroos to observe from a respectful distance. Morning rounds with Richard on the farm bike are a daily highlight.
Beach days? Absolutely. Seven minutes to Middleton Beach means regular runs in the surf, chasing waves they’ll never catch, and returning home sandy, salty, and completely satisfied.
New guests to visit? Their favourite part. Every arrival brings new people to greet, new hands to pat them, and new opportunities to demonstrate their speciality: making guests feel instantly welcome.
Professional Greeters, Amateur Beach Runners
Alfie and Archie have their routine down. Morning farm patrol, mid-morning nap in the sun, afternoon beach adventure (if they’re lucky), evening supervision of whatever Richard’s working on, and a solid eight hours of sleep before doing it all again.
They’re excellent at:
- Welcoming guests with appropriate enthusiasm
- Judging optimal stick-throwing locations
- Knowing exactly when someone needs a golden retriever nearby
- Finding the best sunny spots on the property
- Looking photogenic in basically any setting
They’re terrible at:
- Staying clean after beach visits
- Understanding why not everyone wants to throw the ball immediately
- Resisting the urge to supervise every farm task
- Anything involving staying still for more than five minutes
The Golden Life
This is what golden retrievers were made for: space to run, water to swim in, work to watch, and people to love. Alfie and Archie have won the location lottery, and they know it.
If you’re staying at Merilli1885, you’ll likely meet them. They’re friendly, well-mannered (mostly), and genuinely delighted you’re here. They won’t intrude on your privacy, but they’ll happily accept pats if you’re handing them out.
They might also try to convince you that they haven’t been fed today, that nobody’s thrown the ball in weeks, or that they desperately need whatever you’re eating. None of this is true. They’re golden retrievers. It’s their job to be optimistic about snacks.
Happy International Golden Retriever Day
To Alfie and Archie: thanks for being the world’s best farm dogs, beach enthusiasts, and unofficial welcoming committee. Your joy is contagious, your loyalty is unwavering, and your ability to find mud within seconds of being clean is truly impressive.
To golden retrievers everywhere: you make the world better just by being in it. Keep doing what you do best: loving unconditionally, living fully, and reminding humans what really matters.
And to anyone considering a golden retriever: if you’ve got space, access to water, and a willingness to accept that your life will now revolve around ball-throwing schedules, we highly recommend it.
Happy International Golden Retriever Day from all of us at Merilli1885, especially Alfie and Archie, who would write more but they’ve just spotted a magpie and priorities are priorities.
Note: Alfie and Archie are not available for bookings (they live here full-time), but they’re usually around the property and always happy to say hello to guests. Just don’t believe them when they claim they’re starving.