Golden Dog Farm — Local services in Cambridge

When we planned our fall foliage trip to Stowe, this experience was literally the first thing I booked. I had seen a video of the Golden Dog Farm on TikTok and just knew we had to go! It was everything we hoped for and more.

TLDR: 100000/10 highly recommend, book now!

For those who want more detail:

The Golden Dog Farm is conveniently located; it was a short drive from The Lodge at Spruce Peak where we stayed. The directions are clear and there are signs for the turns, so don’t worry about getting lost! Upon arrival we were greeted by David, who was friendly and personable. He instructed us to walk the short and scenic path through the property to the area where the goldens would arrive. When we got there, Becca (who is AMAZING) gave us some backstory on how the Golden Dog Farm came to be. She also had Uncle Lenny with her, who was the absolute sweetest.

When Dana arrived with the beautiful Butternut Goldens, we were given a good few minutes to familiarize ourselves with the dogs, learn their names, and give them some pets before they were released into the field. You will ask yourself “Is this what heaven looks like?” and the answer is yes. They were full of energy and had the sweetest demeanors. It was so fun watching them dive into the pond, roll around in the grass, and eagerly await the throwing of the tennis ball! There were also a couple of dogs who preferred to just sit in the grass and cuddle, which was lovely.

Once the dogs got their energy out, it was time to go down to the barn for a more relaxed experience. We helped dry them off and had more time to chill and cuddle with the dogs. Becca is snapping pictures the whole time, but there we had an amazing photo session with the dogs and the beautiful fall background. When it came time to say goodbye to the dogs, they were loaded back up into the truck and we had another photo session with them before they departed. These photos are precious memories that I will always treasure!

Once the dogs have gone back home, you have the opportunity to explore the shop in the barn. I had to restrain myself from walking out with everything they had. But we did take home several high quality, soft and comfy apparel items to remember the trip by. They also have their own brand of maple that we had a tasting of, and it’s delicious!

As a dog lover, I think it would be worth the trip to Vermont just for the Golden Dog Farm. Becca and Dana ran the show and ensured everyone had the best time. It really is the happiest place on earth — move over, Disney. I cannot recommend this experience enough, and hope to go back for another session with the Butternut Goldens at Golden Dog...

We had a great day at Golden Dog Farm

Pulling in I expected to see some signage but the drive in is pretty sweet. The trees are a full canopy of the drive and the gravel road is well maintained. There is a sign on the gate after you drive up the road a bit. As you pull in the first structure on the left is the gift shop. It’s a pretty cool small, stand-alone building and there were a few guests in there. We were a group of four and soon after walking in, we did a shot of syrup. This is the best syrup we tasted in Vermont. Imagine enjoying a shot of syrup. Really good! Once it was just us in the shop, we started chatting up Farmer Doug. I’d seen a few of his IG posts. (A good follow btw). He asked if we were interested in a tour and soon we were off. There is a walking version but we were in side-by-sides and were able to cover a lot of ground. The farm is huge and the trees were near full fall color. Quickly one thing that is clear is how much work it must be to maintain so much stuff- grapes, bees, apples, syrup, and the structures and grounds. I guessed there were 6-8 workers but Farmer Doug said they have one full time worker- Mike. Didn’t meet but Mike must be solid. During our tour we saw turkeys, deer, trout (fed them), chipmunks, lots of birds and evidence of bear. Highlights for me were stirring the vat of grapes that were fermenting for wine. Learning the syrup process and different color results. Donning the bee suit and learning so much about raising bees. Seeing all the tools/equipment it takes to run a working farm. Talking to Farmer...

I would give our experience at Golden Dog Farm a 100 star rating if I could! My husband and I were fortunate enough to attend the last Puppies and Pancakes event of the Fall season. Honestly one of the happiest mornings we may ever experience in our lifetime! Doug and Becca welcome you to their beautiful farm with open arms along with their impeccable team of dog (and agriculture) loving humans :)

The puppies are exactly as pictured, perfect little fluff balls that fill your entire being with happiness! We were able to watch them run and play, interact with people and each other, hold them, pet them and even take fun photos with the group of them!

In addition to the puppies, we were able to visit with some of the adult Butternut Goldens! These Goldens are so well trained and so incredibly friendly and calm. . . Susan and Dana of Butternut Golden Retrievers are very good at what they do and all their dogs reflect that in their behavior.

The farm is stunning and so well maintained. We had fluffy pancakes in a beautiful barn with the best company anyone could ask for, more dog loving humans!! We were offered a generous assortment of maple syrup from Runamok and the Golden Dog Farm's own, made right on the farm.

Also important to mention we happened to visit on a sunny, 70 degree Fall day. . . We had an amazing day and cannot thank the owners of Golden Dog Farm and their collaboration with Butternut Golden's enough for sharing their space and beautiful dogs with us, we are...