New Delhi, Dec. 10 -- A passerby could hear the cacophony from miles away in the Argentine capital, the unmistakable sound of 2,397 dogs barking - and breaking the unofficial world record for the largest-ever gathering of golden retrievers.

Excitement pulsed through Bosques de Palermo, a sprawling park in Buenos Aires, as golden retriever-owners from all over Argentina transformed the park's grassy expanse into a sea of bright yellow fur.

Dog owners of all ages, their clothes covered in dog hair and stained with slobber, plopped down on picnic blankets with their beloved goldens to take in the surreal sight of so many other, exceptionally similar-looking ones. Children squealed with delight and giddily petted every dog that pranced abou...