why is my golden so small?

[u/1-800-no-one-asked]

hello everyone! meet cricket. we rescued this guy last january when he was 6 months old. now being a year and a half, my guy weighs just about 40 pounds. i was wondering if anyone knew why he ended up being just a little guy?

his history is a bit of a weird one. i was scrolling through the internet looking at golden puppies, pure bred, with no real intention of adopting one. i ended up messaging a breeder asking about pricing, and when it was more than i could afford at tha moment, i politely declined. she messaged again saying she had a golden who was a bit older than all the others, who they were planning on putting down if no one adopted him. when he was still a puppy, he got trampled by a cow so he has a weird gait and some neurological issues. if no one wanted him, they didn't want him either. if absolutely broke my heart. i call him a rescue for this reason, and i gave her $100 for him. flash forward to today, he still walks funny and isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he is the biggest sweetheart. the vet says his walk is no cause for concern until he is older. i'm very curious if this is what caused his growth to be stunted. according to the breeder, he is a pure bred, but i'm not sure that is the case. i haven't gotten him DNA tested.

i don't truly care that he's small... he's my best friend!! i wouldn't have him any other way :))

[u/HairTmrw]

I have a purebred Lab that had bright blue eyes at birth and they turned greenish brown.

[u/Canachites → u/HairTmrw]

But that's not blue eyes, like genetically.

[u/HairTmrw → u/Canachites]

It could be. Though I agree that this dog does look like it has aussie in it, a golden CAN be born with blue eyes and be pure.

[u/IHateTheLetter-C- → u/HairTmrw]

Puppies usually have blue eyes, same as human babies, but they lose it later on. Standard says medium brown is fine, and greenish brown is probably just a weird version of brown