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Breeder recommendations in the midwest

16K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  yogagirl 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

My name is Amanda and this is my first post after reading many posts over the past couple months. We lost our beloved 12 1/2 year old golden retriever, Bentley, this past October. I think about him every day and my heart still aches from missing him as he was my first golden as an adult and such a special boy. I grew up with goldens and absolutely love the breed.

I live in Chicago and have been searching for a breeder of a companion golden puppy located in the midwest for the past month. We do not have any children. My main focus is on health and temperament. That said, I am partial to the lighter to medium colored coat.

I've contacted many of the breeders that members on this forum have recommended and they are either unresponsive, all puppies have been spoken for, or they don't have any upcoming litters planned. I acknowledge that the process should take a little time and I am trying to remain patient; however, I am beginning to feel a bit discouraged and wondering what else I can do to find the right breeder.

My question is does anyone have recommendations of breeders (perhaps ones that don't have a website and I would otherwise miss through a regular search) who either currently have a litter or have a breeding planned this spring or summer? I am hopeful that the right breeder and pup is out there for us and perhaps it's just a matter of time but would love any additional guidance and/or referrals.

Thanks in advance.

Amanda
 
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#2 ·
Hi! My girl, April, in my signature pic came from Seraphim Goldens in Centralia, IL. They do a very limited number of breedings and I don't think they are planning any litters for this year (as of my latest e-mail update), but anyway, they don't have a website. I can private message you an e-mail address if you want. Also, sometimes breeders are VERY slow to respond to emails because they are busy showing dogs, whelping and raising a litter, etc. When I was initially looking for April, I emailed several breeders and never got responses until months later. Trust me, a well-bred dog is worth the wait! I have a list of breeders that were recommended to me 6 years ago when I started looking for April. It may or may not be up-to-date, so always ask to see the 4 core OFA clearances goldens should have. (That would be hips & elbows when the dogs are 24 months or older, heart by certified cardiologist-not practitioner, and eyes annually.) So these are some breeders that to my knowledge do all clearances and prove their dogs in some venue (conformation, field, obedience, etc.).

Shor'line Goldens
Eclipse Goldens
Dichi Goldens
Forever Goldens
Sundance Goldens
Argo Goldens
Seraphim Goldens

There are probably more that I missed and maybe some of these aren't breeding anymore, but like I said, its been 6 years since I was looking. Hope this is helpful and maybe somebody with more knowledge will have better info for you! Good luck in your search! :)
 
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#3 ·
I'm sorry for your heartache over Bentley's absence. It's never long enough and the misery of having no dog in the house at all seems to make it even worse when I'm going through it. I hope that having a puppy search on track will help you feel a little more purpose. We will see if we can't get you some more ideas. Can you tell us how you found the breeders that you've contacted? Did you go through the Golden Retriever clubs in your region? How far afield did you search? If you're willing to fly to pick up a puppy, it can help your search sometimes. A direct flight with a puppy under the seat in front of you is actually very easy to do and a fun adventure.

Here is my first suggestion, I bookmark some of my favorites and will go look for more ideas. Have you used facebook for your search? Many times a breeder won't have a website but will use Facebook since it's so much easier to update.

MVP Most Valuable Pet - Golden Retrievers - Home Page
 
#5 ·
#6 · (Edited)
Thanks for the quick responses, I appreciate it. Yes, that would be great if you could PM the email address of the breeder and I'll reach out to them.

To answer the questions, I started my search by looking on this forum for recommendations and then visited the websites before contacting some of the breeders. I've also found some of the breeders while looking at the lineage on k9 data. I haven't searched on FB but that's a good suggestion, I'll try that. I've been looking at breeders in IL, IN, WI, OH, MI and MO. I would be open to flying; I wasn't sure what the logistics would be for being able to fly with the pup in the cabin but I thought I had read how others have flown with their puppy. I haven't gone through my local/regional Golden Retriever club but can do that as well.

Since the house is so empty and quiet, waiting to hear back from a breeder seems like an eternity. I would just love to find a breeder and even if I had to wait months for the puppy, I would feel some comfort in knowing we were getting our new little family member.
 
#8 ·
Here are some links: Contact the puppy referral people for the clubs in your area. Ask for leads even if someone says they don't have a litter planned. Just like Kelli who just posted here, even though she doesn't have a litter planned, she knows a breeder because they chose a stud dog she bred. That's the way to find a litter through word of mouth even when someone's website hasn't been updated since last year ;)

https://www.grca.org/find-a-golden/where-to-find-a-golden/grca-puppy-referral/

Also, look through the upcoming events and see if you can figure out a way to make it to somethings, make a weekend of it, you'd enjoy seeing the dogs and making connections with Golden people. Performance events are even more fun (to me) than conformation events, try to go see one of everything :) https://www.grca.org/events/event-calendar/
 
#9 ·
Mac MacCrea, Doolin Kennels Doolin Acres Kennel - Home , just over the state line, is planning a breeding this spring/summer. It is his first litter in several years. He is breeding his personal hunting girl, Cali. This litter will be very European though, so you would have to like that type.

The boys he has been looking at are European in pedigree with at least a JH to their name.

This is Cali's pedigree.

Pedigree: Samben Can't Wine About the Pairing

Mac is very reputable and is wonderful to work with. I have two girls from him, and have been very happy with both of them, and other GRF members also have puppies from him.
 
#10 ·
Amanda, you need to go out and buy a lottery ticket TODAY - you've just received two absolutely AMAZING leads from two people who are super solid. Tahnee has been a golden lady for a very long time and a suggestion from her is about as good as it gets :) Please, please let us know how things progress. Of course you want to ask questions about clearances and how the puppies will be raised but you can't get much more "reputable" than these two litters. (I'd get a puppy for a family member from either of these breeders in a heartbeat) Call and/or email them both today!!!!!
 
#11 ·
Another breeder

KMullen is referencing my boy who comes from her breeding. His first litter will be confirmed this Friday (we hope!) via ultrasound. We live in the western Chicago area and the bitch lives in Crystal Lake and is a very sweet girl. Her owner is Jennifer Rudolph at jenrudolph1@gmail.com

He is also being bred to a bitch from MVP Goldens in WI - hopefully in the next week.

All parents have full clearances. All of them are active in many dog sports and are also good pets. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have any.

Good Luck!
 
#13 · (Edited)
KMullen is referencing my boy who comes from her breeding. His first litter will be confirmed this Friday (we hope!) via ultrasound. We live in the western Chicago area and the bitch lives in Crystal Lake and is a very sweet girl. Her owner is Jennifer Rudolph at jenrudolph1@gmail.com

He is also being bred to a bitch from MVP Goldens in WI - hopefully in the next week.

All parents have full clearances. All of them are active in many dog sports and are also good pets. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have any.

Good Luck!
Hi everyone,

i wanted to provide an update. I followed up on all the recommendations and decided to move forward with MVP Goldens. I found out last week that the litter of nine pups were born from Reba of MVP and Parker, Donna's boy. We pick up our baby boy 6/18. This has been quite a journey and I am so excited.

I had visited MVP's website when I was researching on my own; however, the website didn't list the planned breeding. Therefore, I would have never known about it had it not been for this community. I just wanted to thank everyone here. I am so grateful for your recommendations and support.

@Beanie/Donna, I looked at Parker's information and photos on k9data.com and he is beautiful. I would love to hear more about him - what he enjoys doing, his personality, etc. and of course, see any current photos.

Thanks again everyone.

Sincerely,

Amanda
 
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