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Golden Creek Kennels - NC

51K views 59 replies 38 participants last post by  bevrogers 
#1 ·
Hi,

I'm new to this forum..this is my first posting, so please bear with me.

My fiance and I are looking to get a golden retriever puppy this summer and I was wondering if anyone had any information on the Golden Creek Kennels in North Carolina?

I noticed that they're not really mentioned in the forums (good or bad). My fiance and I were out biking last week and ran into a couple who had bought from them, and their dog was nice and calm.

I contacted the local clubs here who gave me lists of local breeders, however they did not comment either way on them.

I checked out their website, but could not find health information about the sire/dam (i haven't emailed them to ask either, to be fair).

If anyone has information it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
#8 ·
GAAACCCKKKK! I loathe "foster" programs like this - HVB/puppy millers who simply want more reproductive organs available to them without having to care for the dogs (hence larger profits) really make my skin crawl. It's also used as a tactic by some so that they are not in violation of the number of dogs that they are allowed to have.
 
#11 ·
It was discussed on this forum about a year ago that "Golden Creek Kennel's" lost their accreditation with the AKC due to their "less than acceptable" breeding records. Something about breeding bitches too young and breeding them too often.

I've been to the kennels and found their grounds and kennels (including breeding area) to be clean and well maintained. Their GRs are beautiful and they pride themselves on having their customers return for visits. They have an 'open house' once a month and they are really a lot of fun.

You might want to contact the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue Club in Raleigh if you are interested in adopting a Golden puppy. Just a thought...
 
#16 ·
Hip Dyslpasia with one Golden Creek kennel Golden

I just stumbled upon this forum. Wanted people to know that we got a dog from goldencreek kennels 3 years ago. He has bilateral hip dysplasia. We have already had one total hip replacement, and are attempting rehab to prevent him from having to endure another surgery for the other hip!

Best dog I have ever had -- great temperment, beautiful coloring, smart, sweet -- just really bad hips.

We contacted the breeder while he was still under "warranty" (not that we would have ever dream of sending him back!), and nothing was offered to us.

I say stay away from this place.
 
#17 ·
I keep saying again and again-a breeder who offers you a contract requiring you to give up the dog in order for the warranty/guarantee to be in effect, does not have the best interest of either the puppy or you in mind. This type of contract is offered for one reason, and one reason only-the breeder KNOWS that most people will become attached and will not want to return the puppy. Run from any "breeder" who offers this type of contract.

OTOH, a breeder who offers to take back a puppy if YOU decide you can no longer keep him or her, is very often a good breeder.
 
#18 ·
I would look somewhere else, they over breed the dogs! I have a personal experience with Golden Creek and I am not pleased with them at all! They breed the bitches before they turn 2 and breed EVERYTIME they go in to heat until they can't reproduce anymore or they die during labor (which is my experience)!! So sad and the puppies are bound to have problems in the future! Look for a breeder that LOVES their dogs and is not only in it for the money like Golden Creek!
 
#24 ·
Hi Renee,

I really can't recommend Golden Creek, it's too much of an operation and business for making money, not breeding for the breed. We visited them twice, as well as some other breeders, some of which were down right nasty. One tip I can offer is to visit, their website can be done great, and they say this and that, but when you visit them that will tell the real story.

We did find one breeder, just one out of the 8-9 we visited and interviewed that we just LOVED. They are Zest Goldens (http://www.zestgoldens.com) in Cary. Debra is just fantastic and she questioned us just as much as we questioned her. I like a breeder that is going to be picky. Their goldens (just 2 females last we talked to her) are amazing and beautiful.

We ended up not getting a puppy from them, I'll try to make the story short :) We put down a deposit and knew it could be several months before her Golden, Kizmet, would be bred. In the meantime we started volunteering for the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue and fostering dogs. My wife and I figured this would be a good way to get in the swing of having goldens in the house and help dogs in need. The first dog we fostered we adopted, he is just awesome. On the day we picked him up to foster him is the day we found out that the breeding of Kizmet was not successful. We took it as it was meant to be. Since then we've been fostering and the great thing about fostering, is that you may get a dog already trained, and you also get first dibs on the dog to adopt if it works for your family. It's been a great experience for a great rescue. We're now not sure if we're going to go the puppy route, we're still thinking about it.

Hope it helps,
Eric
 
#21 ·
Golden Creek Retriever

We got our dog from Golden Creek Kennels in 2/03. He was absolutely beautiful and one of the best dogs a family could possibly have. He had a great personality and we loved him very much. He died in 1/10 after battling lymphoma for 6 months and we are devastated. Not that it mattered because we would not have traded our time with him for another dog who lived to be 20 but I wanted to let the breeder know about it and ask if any other dogs have been diagnosed. As lymphoma is often a genetic disease, I thought she would want the information for her records. She indicated that only one other dog in her kennel has ever had lymphoma. For other families who adopt a golden from this kennel. I hope that is true so that they will be spared our heartbreak.
 
#22 ·
Still for a dog to live only 7 years theres a problem!!!! I mean sure you might get a great dog but apparently health wise you dont. I came so close to purchasing a dog there about 2 years ago until I did some investigating and asking her questions. When I did not get the answers I wanted I pulled out. I had a deposit on a puppy and all and she returned my deposit. I'm so glad I did. I now have a healthy puppy english golden retriever from a local breeder who will turn 2 in april. I also just got a 9 week old silky terrier puppy from a breeder in ny. I always investigate a breeder, ask lots of questions and ask for referrals. 7 years is just too young for a dog to die unless its a great dane.

Kim
NJ
 
#23 ·
Golden Creek Retriever

I completely agree with you. We loved that dog and we are heartbroken as we would have been if he died after a good long life but we should have had him in our lives for so much longer. I posted the comment to alert anybody who is looking at the kennel,or any other one, to ask lots and lots of questions and ask for proof regarding health histories of the dogs that come from that kennel, although I know we were never asked to provide follow up information regarding our dog. The only time I ever spoke to the breeder after we brought him home was when he was diagnosed with lymphoma to ask if she was aware of any other dogs from her kennel being diagnosed so young. I thought she would want that information to consider in future breeding but it was clear that she did not want to discuss it nor was she aware of any other golden from her kennel who was ever diagnosed with lymphoma except for one who was diagnosed at age 2 and has been in remission for the past 6 years. We were not so lucky.

We would not have traded our short time with our dog for anything because he was the best dog and our lives were enriched for having him in them but there are many wonderful dogs from lots of kennels and if our experience could help somebody stop to ask the hard questions of a breeder and push for proof before they buy their dog, it may save them the pain we are feeling now.
 
#25 ·
experience with Golden Creek Kennels

Regrettably, although they have a nice website, my advice is to steer clear of Golden Creek Kennels. We excitedly purchased an English Cream Golden puppy. The owner was careful not to disclose the age along the way of the puppies, but sold them at one day less than 7 weeks old. That was, from what I've learned, a bit on the young side. She hurried us to choose and get out the door. Although she said if there were any problems to let her know and that they had a warranty... her concern was not genuine nor sincere.

Within several weeks of having our puppy home it became evident that she had some serious issues (beyond normal puppy) with biting, aggression, and jumping. We engaged a professional trainer who confidently believed he could get her under control. After a 2 hour session. he threw up his arms and said he had never seen such a dominant puppy - only this kind of behavior in adult dobermans and german shepherds and recommended that we contact the breeder about taking her back. This was heartbreaking to hear. But we were thoroughly at our wits end - with bites and scratches all over our family's bodies.

The owner - Susan - was completely unhelpful and unsympathetic. We called, and she did not call back. We called again and somehow caught her. Her response to our situation was to say "Well - you chose the dog". She was not willing to let us exchange the puppy for another, nor give us any of our money back. We followed up with additional emails and phone calls to discuss our issues further and she would not even respond at all. We have been unable to reach her at all after that one phone call.

A good breeder would want their dog to be with the appropriate family and in the appropriate environment. This is not a good breeder, nor a good business person. I fear what other things I have subsequently read are true - this is a puppy mill...they don't seem to care about the health, behavior or placements of their puppies. They just care about collecting your check.

Avoid this business and select another breeder.
 
#26 ·
Golden creek

Stay away from that breeder!!!!!!!I've had 2 littermate from her and one died at 6 and 12 but have had $$$$$$& medical issues from mass cell cancer to allergies to thyroid to arthritis etc....she is known in the Raleigh area as the fancy local puppy mill. People have been trying to hut her down for years. She has this new ranch built on the backs of her abused dogs!!!!I have adored these dogs but it makes me sick all the suffering they have endured. She needs to be shut down! I was so upset to hear all this behind the scene information after the death of my golden and was looking for a new one. Info from vet techs to other breeders to other owners all with similar stories.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Love our Dobby

Our Family was fortunate to find Golden Creek. We adopted Dobby who was born on 7/4/2005. As a nurse I was impressed by Susan's attention to health. She certifies her breeding stock each year in Heart, Eyes, and Ortho. Most breeders do not get certs except once in the animal’s life time. This attention to health showed me that she was most concerned about breeding happy and HEALTHY boys and girls.
I personally found that Golden Creek was very interested in where there boys and girls went. The puppy contract clearly states that if for any reason you are unable to keep your animal you must contact golden creek. This too me was impressive.
Dobby our lovely boy has been with us for five years. He is the perfect member of our family. He is very gentle and kind to all people and animals. He is curious and very smart.
If I were to consider adding another golden to our family this is the first and only place I would consider going. I have been very pleased with Dobby's health and disposition.
Dobby is a little taller than the standard AKC allows so we would not have been able to show him in a Ring but he gets all kinds of attention anywhere we go. People are all the time commenting on how gorgeous he is. He by the way is always the perfect gentle man.
I noticed that there we some comments about fostering programs from Golden Creek. This didn't concern me too much and we actually considered it for a time before Dobby came to live with us. However, my opinion is that the offer may have been extended so that the Kennel could maintain the genes from a great pool and extend the gene stock so that in breeding and larger genetic pools were available in the future for other owners. There is always a reason that someone may extend the offer for fostering and not all of the reasons are for profit.
With all that being said I realize that it is now 2011 and things may be different but our family has not experienced any health concerns or problems from making this breeder our choice for Dobby.
 
#30 ·
Our Family was fortunate to find Golden Creek. We adopted Dobby who was born on 7/4/2005. As a nurse I was impressed by Susan's attention to health. She certifies her breeding stock each year in Heart, Eyes, and Ortho. Most breeders do not get certs except once in the animal’s life time. This attention to health showed me that she was most concerned about breeding happy and HEALTHY boys and girls.
I personally found that Golden Creek was very interested in where there boys and girls went. The puppy contract clearly states that if for any reason you are unable to keep your animal you must contact golden creek. This too me was impressive.
Dobby our lovely boy has been with us for five years. He is the perfect member of our family. He is very gentle and kind to all people and animals. He is curious and very smart.
If I were to consider adding another golden to our family this is the first and only place I would consider going. I have been very pleased with Dobby's health and disposition.
Dobby is a little taller than the standard AKC allows so we would not have been able to show him in a Ring but he gets all kinds of attention anywhere we go. People are all the time commenting on how gorgeous he is. He by the way is always the perfect gentle man.
I noticed that there we some comments about fostering programs from Golden Creek. This didn't concern me too much and we actually considered it for a time before Dobby came to live with us. However, my opinion is that the offer may have been extended so that the Kennel could maintain the genes from a great pool and extend the gene stock so that in breeding and larger genetic pools were available in the future for other owners. There is always a reason that someone may extend the offer for fostering and not all of the reasons are for profit.
With all that being said I realize that it is now 2011 and things may be different but our family has not experienced any health concerns or problems from making this breeder our choice for Dobby.

The AKC doesn't suspend someone without good reason. And there are more than just a few "red flags" about this one, the entire place is draped in red.
I sure hope that your dog continues to be healthy. Out of the ridiculously high number of dogs (from this fancy puppy mill) it's certain that at least some will be.
 
#28 ·
Here are a few NC breeders who might be good people with whom to network even if they do not have pups available.





Crescent Golden Retrievers

Yvonne Sargent


Fuquay Varina, NC USA
mausi3030@aol.com
www.crescentgoldens.com


Honor Golden Retrievers

Paige McBride
Mineral Springs, NC USA 28108
HonorGR@aol.com
www.HonorGR.com
704-764-8455

K-Jen Goldens

Jennifer & Ken Workman
Etowah, NC USA 28729
jzyjen@bellsouth.net
www.kjengoldens.com
828-891-2648




Zionts Goldens


Peggy & Keith Zionts
Apex, NC USA 27502
goldngal5@aol.com
www.chantinfo.com
919-363-3890
 
#29 ·
To the above poster - you may want to introduce yourself and get use to and read up on how most of the posters here act. Posting your responce as your first and only post seems sketchy.
99% of us on this board see our goldens as family - not a way to make money. You wouldn't send your family member off to be raised by someone else until it's ready to make you money. You take care of it yourself and make sure it's raised correctly and loved. You're there for every step of the labor of birth. And you sure as crap don't tell people sorry about your luck when something goes wrong.
 
#31 ·
Here in Maine, we have similar breeding operations that farm out dogs. They coyly call it "boarding families" or "guardian homes". Seriously when you have 25 bitches on a website how can it be anything but a mill? I always tell clients of mine to ask breeders why they breed. I agree with most of the posters on this forum that if you breed, you should be competing with your dogs somewhere. That has always been my philosophy....after all, I was a competitor long before I bred a litter of pups.
 
#32 ·
Pointgold: Breeders' Code?

Pointgold, you know so much about this subject and you are so very passionate about it. Is there some kind of guideline to good breeders' practices that novices can read and learn what the hallmarks of an excellent breeder are? Or what to be leery of?

Thanks!
Lucy
 
#33 ·
Pointgold, you know so much about this subject and you are so very passionate about it. Is there some kind of guideline to good breeders' practices that novices can read and learn what the hallmarks of an excellent breeder are? Or what to be leery of?

Thanks!
Lucy

There are several stickies right here on GRF that are excellent guidelines for what a potential puppy buyer should look for.
 
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