The average cost of a single talk therapy session in the U.S. is $174 per hour, according to 2023 data.
We're not mental health professionals or anything, but we've discovered a guaranteed way to elevate your mood at a relative bargain: For $99.95, you can spend an hour and a half in the presence of 10 or so golden retrievers on a farm in Vermont.
Launched in autumn 2023 to coincide with leaf-peeping season, the Golden Retriever Experience at Golden Dog Farm in the village of Jeffersonville allows attendees (approximately two dozen at a time) the chance to play with, cuddle, and photograph the canines—unwitting dealers of what farm co-owner Doug Worple described in an email as "that happiness fix you can only get unconditionally from a dog. And to an exponential degree with this many dogs."
(Golden Dog Farm co-owner Doug Worple with golden retrievers in Jeffersonville, Vermont | Credit: Becca Worple - Golden Dog Farm)
How the Golden Retriever Experience got started
Married farm owners Doug and Becca Worple moved to Vermont from Cincinnati during the height of the Covid pandemic. After hosting a puppy adoption event at their farm for a local American Kennel Club–certified, cage-free retriever breeder, the Worples proposed arranging mixers for humans and adult dogs for a limited time at the farm.
Then TikTok got wind of the event and the whole thing just "blew up," Doug told Frommer's in 2023. "Millions of views. We went to bed with just a couple of spots filled [for the golden retriever event], and we woke up and were sold out. We added more dates and they sold out."
It's not hard to see the appeal, particularly when you watch video clips of friendly, flaxen-furred beauties tumbling from a pickup truck bed, getting the zoomies during games of fetch, and submitting to group hugs in one big puppy pile.
There's a reason the Worples call a group of golden retrievers a "happy"—as in a school of fish, a pride of lions, and a murder of crows.
In addition to the visiting dogs, you're likely to encounter the Worples' own golden retrievers, Dewey, Uncle Lenny, and Mar.
Dog lovers have made pilgrimages to the picturesque farm from far and wide, according to Doug.
"We've had people from almost every state, including Alaska, and they are specifically planning their trip around this event," he told us. "We've had visitors from Canada and Mexico, the U.K., France, Belgium, and Ireland so far as well."
It's fair to say the dogs have upstaged anything else happening on the property. But "until the Golden Experience, we were best known for our maple syrup," says Doug.
The farm also has more than 30 beehives producing honey (Becca is the resident beekeeper), as well as orchards and a vineyard. You can take separate tours highlighting those aspects of the operation or shop for the Worples' wares in person and online.
How to book the Golden Retriever Experience at Golden Dog Farm
The Golden Retriever Experience takes place on weekends no matter the season, so if you're in the area for, say, skiing in nearby Stowe, you can still swing by the farm for a fix of doggie joy. In case of bad weather, the experience will move into the barn, Worple told us.
Just be sure to make a reservation well in advance of your visit because the experience frequently sells out.
Another thing to keep in mind: This is a group event, meaning your party will not be the only one attending at a time.
(Golden Retriever Experience at Golden Dog Farm in Jeffersonville, Vermont | Credit: Becca Worple - Golden Dog Farm)
Tickets for the Golden Retreiver Experience are $99.95 apiece. For more information or to reserve a spot, go to GoldenDogFarm.com.
An earlier version of this story, published Nov. 29, 2023, has been updated for autumn 2025.