Locating A Responsible Golden Retriever Breeder And Tips On Knowing If You Have A Responsible Breeder

This past Saturday, we added a new member to our family. A seven week old Golden Retriever. His name is Lincoln and he was born on June 13. After losing our adopted Golden Milo to cancer in May, we definitely had a hole in our heart that was longing to be filled. We knew we wanted another dog to join our family.

We spent a lot of time thinking about and researching what kind of dog to get. Ultimately, we decided that we wanted another Golden Retriever. Their temperament really suits us. Golden Retrievers are wonderful family companions. They are obedient, playful, intelligent, well-mannered, great with kids, and strangers. Another plus is that they are easy to train because they love to please you and will do anything for a some praise and a treat.

We considered adoption again, but after taking in an older dog and losing him so suddenly, we decided that we wanted to start with a puppy and have a dog that we would hopefully have many years to enjoy.

During our search to find a Golden Retriever puppy we came across some helpful information that I want share with you. I am sure that a lot of this information can be carried over to most any breed that you are considering.

HOW TO LOCATE A RESPONSIBLE GOLDEN RETRIEVER BREEDER

To help us locate a responsible and good breeder, we contacted our local Golden Retriever Society. We found our local society through the website for the Golden Retriever Club of America. They have a page that will help you locate one near you - http://www.grca.org/allabout/puppyreferrals.html.

TIPS ON KNOWING IF YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBLE BREEDER

The breeder will:

• want to meet you face-to-face if at all possible

• ask questions about your expectations, home environment, children, other pets, etc.

• conduct a home check if at all possible, or ask someone from a local club to do it, or ask for several references

• provide proof that sire & dam are at least 2 years old and have their health clearances for hips, elbows, heart & eyes

• provide a 3-5 generation pedigree

• tell you about any possible health issues in that pedigree

• provide puppy wellness details from a veterinarian

• probably provide a copy of the litter evaluation done by another knowledgeable breeder

• provide AKC registration papers

• talk to you about feeding, training and care of your puppy

• have a contract for you to sign that includes responsibilities on both sides

• take back the dog at any time if you no longer can care for it

• be a member of the GRCA and probably a local club

• be an active participant in at least one dog sport or activity

• always be available to advise and consult on diet, vaccinations, injuries, health issues, etc.

(information from the Golden Retriever Club of America website)

We found all of these to be true with regards to the breeder that we used. They have been wonderful about answering our questions and even told us to call them anytime we had a question!

Lincoln has already filled that hole in our hearts. (Although he will never replace our sweet Milo!) We feel so blessed to have him join our family and we are looking forward to many happy years together!

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12 comments

Julie Tucker-WolekAugust 4, 2014 at 8:08 AM
Lincoln is adorable!!!
Ruth GAugust 4, 2014 at 9:56 AM
He is the sweetest! I wish you many years of play and love with Lincoln! (And I can't lie that I am looking forward to layouts featuring him!) Thanks so much for sharing your story and all the great advice about finding a breeder!
MichelleAugust 4, 2014 at 10:05 AM
Awww, I am so sorry to hear about Milo. Lincoln is so darn cute. I love Golden's too. I keep asking my hubby for a blonde one. Hasn't happened.
ScrapaDiddleAugust 4, 2014 at 6:37 PM
Lucky you to have Lincoln! So sad to here about Milo but good for you for adopting him and loving him. We had a golden for 17 years. Mousse was her name and she was part of our heart. Have fun with your puppy!
Debbie PAugust 4, 2014 at 10:04 PM
Such wonderful advice. A friend of ours just got a white lab pup that ended up getting sick right off the bat. They took her back & she and all of the puppies died. They had parvo. They only had the puppy for two days, but as you know, you fall in love from the first second. I will pass your blog info along to her. Milo is smiling down from doggy heaven. Lincoln is precious!
dstandardAugust 5, 2014 at 6:57 PM
Thanks! He's adorable! I want one but want to wait until we get moved and settled again. Going to be hard enough to move our outside cats to inside while we are in transition!