Originally Posted by SheetsSM

I didn't check, but if these dogs are of recent European lineage, make sure they have been cleared for Ichthyosis and all PRA--extra clearances above & beyond OFA hips/elbows, heart & annual eyes.

Originally Posted by Billabong

I see I am alone in this though, I'm a visitor to what seems to be largely an American forum.

I shall refrain.


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Originally Posted by Billabong

My apologies


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Originally Posted by GoldensGirl

I don't know if the current litter is pale enough to suit you, but Lycinan (just north of Baltimore) has a litter that was born around Christmas. I believe the sire is light and has the blocky head often described as "English." Both parents have clearances and numerous titles, if memory serves.

Originally Posted by LJack

To be very honest, this website is frightening to me.
The shots of the kennel and the number of dogs is not something I would be comfortable with.
They are big on touting Champions and Champion pedigrees but I don't see them doing anything with these dogs. The rely on championships earned abroad or back in the pedigree as a main selling point.
I always get a little put off by PayPal.
A limited warranty that requires the return of the puppy. Also, an 8 year health gaurentee that is contingent on the food and supplements they require.
They do not coherently speak about clearances at all. It seems that they imply clearances with really odd abbreviations. I found very limited clearance information across the board. She has a link directly to the GRCA on her site, so she should know that all breeding dogs should have the core four (eyes-OFA or CERF annually, heart-by a cardiologist after 12 months, hips and elbows done after 24 months). Here is what I found out on these dogs:

Golden Romance Star Blaze (Caesear) JR703857zr HD-E, Elbo-E eyes-clear
No verifiable Clearances. Her abbreviations suggest OFA excellent hips and excellent elbows. If he had OFA clearances they would be online they are not and "excellent" rating does not apply to elbows at all. The eyes I could not verify, but she could have the hard copy form. No mention of heart clearence.
Strong Stale Andrew Jacob (Ranger) RFK 2058341 SR450008203 HD-G
Her abbreviations suggest OFA good hips and he does. He does not have an elbow clearance which means he was either never tested or tested and failed. If he had OFA clearances for elbows they would be online they are not. No mention of heart or eye clearances.
Pink Panter (Hemmi) JR 701413 ZR H-F
Her abbreviations suggest OFA fair hips and they are. He does not have an elbow clearance which means he was either never tested or tested and failed. If he had OFA elbow clearances they would be online they are not. No mention of heart or eye clearances.


Irish Magic Diana (Dancy) JR77926Zr HD-A, ED-O
No verifiable clearances. I honestly don't know what her abbreviations mean. They might be for clearances that where done abroad. If they are and the bitch is producing in the US I would expect to see her retested to obtain the clearances used by the GRCA code of ethics. If she had OFA clearances they would be online they are not. No mention of heart or eye clearances.
New Moon Dreamer (Dreamer) SR59303802 OFA-E
No verifiable clearances. Her abbreviations suggest OFA excellent hips. If she had OFA clearances they would be online they are not. No mention of heart or eye clearances.
May Sunflower Sunny (Siera) JR702002Zr SR62537602 HDP-G
Her abbreviation suggests OFA good hips. In reality this girl does have OFA normal elbows and OFA fair hips. So, the information is at best unclear. No verifiable eye or heart info. If the breeder has those in hard copy form and she was bread to a boy with full clearances then maybe this bitch would be a good choice for the dam of a litter.
Indiana Dancing Lady (Keita) RFK2058355 SR45016103 OFA-G
The abbreviation suggests OFA good hips and she does. She does not have an elbow clearance which means she was either never tested or tested and failed. Again no mention of heart or eye clearances.
Ivory
No mention of clearances and I could not find any. I can not even tell how old this girl is. It seems her mother was born 10/16/2009. Assuming that she was not breed until two (which is the commonly accepted age of maturity in the US and when hip and elbow clearances can be achieved) Ivory would be about a year old now and is having puppies at the end of the month.
Silvermines Sweet Mia (Mia) SR65704306 HD-Good Elbows-Excellent
The abbreviation suggests OFA good hips and excellent elbows which is not an elbow grade. She just turned 2 on Christmas and is due to have puppies on February 4th. So, she was bred before she turned two and could get her clearances. I would guess that the information listed is likely from prelims which are not clearances and should not be represented as such. If she had OFA clearances they would be online or showing online shortly but, they are not there now. Again no mention of heart or eye clearances.
Silvermines Mercedes (Mercedes) SR65704208 HD-Fair Elbows-excellent
The abbreviation suggests OFA fair hips and excellent elbows which is not an elbow grade. She just turned 2 on Christmas. So, I would guess that the information listed is likely from prelims which are not clearances and should not be represented as such. If she had OFA clearances they would be online or showing online shortly but, they are not there now. Again no mention of heart or eye clearances.
Un-named bitch
The last pictures are of a girl with no name listed. So, she is completely unverifiable.

Based on the lack of clearances and my above mentioned concerns, this is a situation I would walk away from. Based on the prices they display on the available page, you can do much, much better with a reputable breeder.

Are you specifically looking for a very light golden?
Specifically what parts of the Northeast are you willing to go to?
Is Canada an option?

Please read the stickies in the choosing a breeder/puppy section. I would also recommended app getting familiar with the following research sites
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
CERF Registry/Breeder Options Lookup
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Evaluation | Ontario Veterinary College | University of Guelph. (Program discontinued but valuable for historical data of Canadian dogs)
K9DATA.COM Home Page (Pedigree research tool. Like wiki so the users enter the info. You need to verify clearance info listed with a trusted source)

When you find a potential breeder or puppy parents, post them in the forum and we can help double check your research.

Originally Posted by Yeti

Hi,

Thank you LJack for your diligence & researching the Snow Water Retrievers dams and sires. We just received our new puppy (Yeti, 10 weeks-old) from their Ceasar/Ivory litter, and I found this website to try to organize a puppy play date in our area (Portland, Oregon). Although their website makes some dramatic, non-scientific claims on the home page, I thought the "excellent" clearances were honest. I'd like to do some research on Ceasar and Ivory so we have an idea of what to anticipate for Yeti's health. This is our first golden, and our first experience buying a dog through a breeder. After reading this post, I feel awful for not doing my own due diligence. I don't see an SR# or CERF# for either Ivory or Ceasar to search any of the websites you listed for clearances. I would like to find out as much as I can ion my own before I contact the breeder. So far, Yeti has been to the vet 2 times, and seems healthy, minus some dry skin and dandruff, which the vet said is common at 10 weeks. It would break my heart if he has health issues that arose from ill breeding practices Any advice on how to dig for more info would be much appreciated. Yeti is such a sweet boy, and is filling our home with endless joy.

Originally Posted by Billabong

British! Lol - 'English type' is a misnomer there's no such thing in the breed type.


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