After having lost two goldens in two years to cancer - the last one a month ago- longevity is on my mind. I can't see myself with out a golden in my life. They are the BEST dogs. My rescue mutt is totaly lost without hs golden big brother.
The two I lost were from Gold Rush in Princeton, NJ. I know, I know. I found out too late what the Gold Rush legacy is - cancer and death at a early age. They were beautiful, wonderful dogs - but died at 7 and 8 years old.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has experience with any breeders in NJ that breed for health and longevity. I know it is impossible to predict health and long life for every puppy but I was hoping that there was a breeder who was close by who was working on these issues.
Thanks for your always good advice.
-Joanne

I got my newest addition from goldenway goldens in NJ. I dont know if they necessarily breed for longevity but from what I was told average age is 12. My pup came with ALL clearances, even though they might not have been listed online. Feel free to PM me with any questions, and good luck!

Wendy

You can look up longevity from k9data.com. When you research a breeder you need to look at the individual litter parents you are interested in. Every pair would have different history. When looking at Goldenway many of their dogs are from a Gold Rush pedigree. Every breeding and every litter would have to researched since some clearances are not made available online. This applies to all breeders. I do think longevity is very important. I know I want my dogs to live forever.

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www.shoregoldgoldenretrievers.com

MGMF,

My pups mom is Tiki and the dad is Mac of FoxRidge kennels. How do i tell if they are of Gold Rush descent?

Thanks,
Wendy

I think I found the parents.

Mac is from a Goldrush history. This is his genetic info and his pedigree
Top 5 ancestors contributing to COI, in order of influence:
Am. CH. Misty Morn's Sunset CD TD WC OS SDHF1.96%Am CH Asterling's Buster Keaton OS1.43%BISS BIS Am Can CH Amberac's Asterling Aruba OD SDHF0.97%Am./Can./Bda. CH. Cummings' Gold-Rush Charlie OS, Am./Can. SDHF0.92%BISS Am./Can. CH Gold-Rush's Great Teddy Bear OS SDHF0.91%
His pedigree link: Five generation pedigree: Macallan of Fox Ridge
His OFA history: Orthopedic Foundation for Animals

This is the mom's info but I can not find any OFA history.
Pedigree: Five generation pedigree: Am. CH Goldenbear's Cancun Swoon
Top 5 ancestors contributing to COI, in order of influence:
Am. CH. Misty Morn's Sunset CD TD WC OS SDHF1.80%BISS BIS Am Can CH Amberac's Asterling Aruba OD SDHF1.11%Am. CH Goldenbear's Cancun Swoon0.93%Am. CH. Autumn Lodge's Mister Zap CD ** OS0.66%Am. CH. Sunset's Happy Duke OS0.66%

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www.shoregoldgoldenretrievers.com

Five generation pedigree: Goldenways Go Big Blue

Sorry this is the link for the mom's pedigree.

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www.shoregoldgoldenretrievers.com

Thank you so much! 2 Goldrush's on the dad's side. I hope I am not doomed!

I don't know much about who's who in the dog world, but I do know that I've seen these Kennel names in my Golden Retreiver book, circa 1994. At that time they were all well thought of Kennels.

I think Gold Rush gets a bad rep sometimes. Whether or not it's deserved, I dont' know.

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Miss You Sam...
Aug 1, '94 ~ Jan 8, '07
http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/vw_f...px?sbid=483622

It's easy to blame a popular sire for problems, since he'll crop up a lot in many pedigrees.

If you're interested in longevity (as we pretty much all are), why not ask your breeder what they're doing about it? A great breeder has longevity in his or her mind as one of the top concerns, so there should be a good answer to any question about it.

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I am so sorry to hear about your experience. I have been without my Golden for 16 years. Lost my Newfoundland of 11 1/2 years in 1987 and my Golden from Goldrush, in 1994. He was 6 years and 5 months and died of liver cancer. I took him to the cancer vet on the east side of Manhattan and they said there was nothing to do. 13 days later, be was gone. Goldrush, can't remember the woman's name, said, "sorry."
I was devastated. I could never get another dog after seeing two of my best friends die within six years. Newfoundlands only supposed to get to 6 or so but he lived almost twice as long as my Golden. I agree that Goldens are the best. I can not imagine how you have survived that many losses. Have thought about another, but they all seem to have Goldrush blood in them. This may be an irrational fear, but I can't help it.
I live a in a wealthy area (though I am not one of that group, just a regular guy) and my clients get Goldens from the UK to avoid the cancer issue. Apparently, they are very strict on inbreeding there, which is probably the root of our discussion. Unfortunatey, they are white instead of golden, wary of strangers, aloof, barky not as gentle, friendly or happy right up until the end as ours. Nice dogs, just different from most Goldens in the USA.
Well, anyway, good luck if you get another one. Pass along any info if you find another breeder. In the meantime, I will just keep imagining what my Golden would be doing if he was still with me right now...