I want to start this review by stating how much I love my 16 month old Golden Retriever, and how I am forever grateful to have her. I post this review to state that I will never return to Oceans Breeze Golden Retrievers for another dog, nor would I ever recommend them to anyone in search of a Golden Retriever.
I picked up my dog in August of 2018. I was told that she came from parents, grandparents, and great- grandparents with great lines, and OFA ratings of good to excellent hips. For anyone new to Golden Retrievers, a very common, inheritable disease in pure bred large dogs is hip dysplasia. This disease is cripping and life-long. It has major implications on a dog's quality of life. I was so happy to hear that my dog was coming from such great lines of breeding. I was naive and trusted that this information was true.
Sharon and Pat, the breeders, created an amazing Facebook group, called Oceans Breeze Family (OBF). Every family who purchased a dog from them was invited. The group seemed like a wonderful, supportive community of people who shared stories and pictures of their dogs. All was great, until another dog owner posted a concerning question about her dog's hips. This is when Sharon and Pat began lying, hiding information, placing blame on the innocent, and deceiving members.
Long story short, the father of 8-9 litters of puppies (Independence Day, "Indy") has MODERATE HIP DYSPLASIA. Sharon and Pat lied to every Oceans Breeze puppy owner. Clearly, Indy had hip dysplasia, which again is a GENETIC, INHERITABLE LIFE-LONG DISEASE, when they bred him. When the owner of the puppy who had concerns about her dogs hips (he was stiff and limped after running, was wincing in pain, and was very lethargic), Sharon and Pat told her "it's just growing pains, your dog's parents both have god hips"). When I posted that Indy was diagnosed with MODERATE HIP DYSPLASIA in August of 2019, Sharon and Pat denied this. Indy's hip x-ray ratings is listed in a public database, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).
Several MAJOR issues: Indy's hips were not x-rayed until AGE 6, after he fathered 8-9 litters. First, how could Sharon and Pat confidently say that he had a rating of "GOOD" hips? Second, when Indy's MODERATE HIP DYSPLASIA was revealed (when they finally got his hips x-rayed in August of 2019), why did Sharon and Pat FAIL TO DISCLOSE this GENETIC, INHERITABLE LIFE-LING DISEASE to every single one of the Oceans Breeze dog owners? Indy fathered or is some way directly related to every single Oceans Breeze puppy. When confronted on this information, how could Sharon and Pat DENY that Indy's hips are in fact, not only NOT "good", but MODERATELY DYSPLASTIC.
The last issue is how disgustingly RUDE, DISMISSIVE, and DISRESPECTFUL Sharon and Pat were to the owner of the puppy whose hips, at only 16 months old are already MILDLY DYSPLASTIC. Sharon and Pat's only solution to this injustice of deceit was to take her dog back, and give her one from a new litter of dogs whose parents will be screened for hip dysplasia. Why would any dog owner want to give their dog back? When I suggested that this dog owner should receive a refund of her $1,500 to put toward medical bills (the $500 that she spent to get her dogs hips x-rays), and the ongoing, life-long medical treatments that her dog will need to address his dysplastic hips, I was told to mind my own business, and "stop stirring up trouble."
I'd finally like to address the disgusting living conditions that Sharon and Pat reside in. They have probably 20+ dogs in their house. These dogs are kept in crates all day, every day, with the exception of 30 minutes that they are let out to play. These dogs are not given the proper life, nor attention. When I picked my dog up, she was covered in feces. When a friend of mine picked her dog up, she later learned that he came home with fleas. Another member of Oceans Breeze shared me with privately, that his dog came home with a rash all over his face. Sharon and Pat make their living off of breeding dogs. They are irresponsible breeders who breed too many dogs at once. The end result is an overabundance of dogs that do not have homes. Sharon and Pat have been suspended from Facebook on a continual basis for trying to sell the overflow of puppies on Facebook.
When looking for a Golden Retriever, you should be able to trust that the breeders are responsible, knowledgeable, and truthful. Sharon and Pat are none of these. It took me almost a year and a half to see the truth. Other members will probably post reviews that they are always responsive to questions, always supportive, and always here to help. Yes, Sharon and Pat were responsive to questions; however, were their responses correct? No. Were their responses based in any sort of research or evidence-based recommendations? No. When this dog owner asked about her dog's stiffness, limping, and pain, Sharon and Pat said it's "growing pains." If this dog owner had listened to Sharon and Pat, she would have never known that her dog has hip dysplasia, and she would have never gotten him the early treatment to make his life the best it can be given his diagnosis. What dog at 16 months (this is considered an adult dog), is stiff and limps as a result of growing pains? They are done growing. For anyone with any degree of common sense (let alone dog breeders!), this makes absolutely no sense. Shouldn't a responsible breeder recommend that she take her dog to the vet to make sure nothing is wrong? I'd like to think so.
I am disgusted, disappointed, and truly sickened not only by the horrific living conditions, but by the complete ignorance, deceit, and disregard when their members confront them on such an important issue. The end result of hiding, and then denying the issue of hidden hip dysplasia from families of 8-9 litters of puppies, was being removed from the Oceans Breeze Family group. What type of "family" throws you out when you bring an important issue to the forefront? Think about that when considering Oceans Breeze breeders.
There are so many breeders out there. Waiting for a puppy from a reputable, responsible, and knowledgeable breeder is worth the wait. To be honest, I am not sure how much longer Oceans Breeze will remain in business. Animal control, when (not if) when called, would immediately shut the entire business down, which quite frankly is long overdue.
