This isn't necessarily true. Yes they are bird dogs and without exercise and training they will go after poultry but that is not a given. They have to be trained. And they have to be sufficiently exercised so they are calmed down. But with training they can be fine and Goldens in particular are very sweet, gentle dogs and usually excellent with other animals, even little babies. Labs might be a little bit more work, especially the American varieties, but it can be done. In fact, I've heard of several that are hunting dogs and can go out and hunt ducks, quail, pheasant, whatever, but then they come home and they get along fine with the ducks and/or chickens because they have been trained to know the difference and taught not to go after them. It might be a little bit harder to train them but retrievers (and other hunting dogs) are very intelligent and love to please they're people so they can be trained to leave them alone. It does get easier with maturity around 2 or 3.
I can get a better one later.
). She would "herd" an escaped rabbit or chicken until I could catch it and was the best mouser I've ever seen! Yes, she was a "pound puppy," probably someone's cute Christmas puppy 
that got to be too much to handle. I'm not sure how I'm going to find another dog smart enough to know the difference between crows and chickens or between mice, squirrels, and guineau pigs or between cats, raccoons, and rabbits. 
We lost her to cancer Christmas 2016 and not a day goes by that I don't think of her.
