Frequently Asked Questions

Data Commons is an open, free database available to the research and educational communities. Qualified individuals can gain access to data generated by the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, one of the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies ever conducted in veterinary health research.

Data Commons provides global access to historical data from the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study cohort, covering 11 key subject areas: activity, behavior, dental, disease diagnoses, diet, environment, grooming, geographical locations, medications, physical exams and reproduction.

Data Commons is only available to academic researchers with approved credentials, which includes anyone with an affiliation with a university, nonprofit or government agency. After agreeing to the data use agreement you’ll be guided through a series of steps to start the approval process.

If you do not yet have an account, please visit the Log In / Register page.

Your login credentials are valid as long as the associated email address is still active. If you change institutions, we ask that you re-submit a request for access.

The agreement details publication requirements and how the data can and cannot be used. We encourage everyone to read the document closely and contact the Foundation with any questions.  In general, the Data Commons can be used freely for non-commercial research (please contact us directly if you want to use the Data Commons for a commercial project).  We do not restrict publication rights, but we do request that the Foundation be acknowledged in publications and we ask that we be sent a manuscript prior to publication for review.

The data can be downloaded as a .csv file. You’ll have an opportunity to customize which data you wish to download.

For login, password or other technical problems, contact us. We’ll respond to your email within 48 hours.

We cannot provide analytic help, but if you have general questions about the data you can contact us.

You can’t get data through Data Commons, but you can contact us for more information on data access. We’re happy to work with you on an individual basis. Send your request and information here.

Yes. If you’re interested in additional data sets or biological samples, contact Christy Weber for more information.