Do you have the registered names of the sire/dam of the litter you're considering? Have you actually verified clearances exist vis offa.org?

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...-retriever-breeder-puppy/383378-has-anyone-ever-heard-crane-hollow-goldens.html

 

I looked these folks up a while back, and unless they have made it more transparent, I would suggest skipping their breeding program. It is too difficult for even someone very good at research to figure out who they are breeding and if they have clearances or not and these folks seem to know what they should be doing and are not doing it. Plus they have a tremendous number of litters per year, and are doing nothing with their dogs to indicate they have any breed knowledge at all.

 

Couldn't help myself.... so I went and looked at who they have puppies coming from- the AKC# on their site is not right for Tara (lacking a digit) but I did find some clearances on her on OFA- her page is a good way to see what we mean when we point out problems in a pedigree. If you look at her siblings, you will see there are 2 with failing hips. So even though she herself has passing hips, it would be a rare bitch worth taking that sort of risk with. Orthopedic Foundation for Animals When you add to that that her dam has failed elbows, and her half sibs on the sire's side have also failed elbows (as well as a half sib on dam side) it is just not worth taking a chance.

 

Thank you so much! I see what you are talking about. I looked at the website to check their health myself. I just don't know what to do at this point. I really want a healthy golden retriever but I feel like every breeder has a problem or isn't acting correctly. Are there any genuinely good breeders in the New England or New York area?

 

WOW - they breed a LOT. Per their website they had 3 litters all born in April (the 3rd, 7th and 10th). One litter is a TON of work for a breeder. 3 sounds impossible to me in terms of adequate socialization, attention, etc. 1 of those who whelped a litter in April now has another litter (Emily Elizabeth). They also use the term "english cream" which is always a red flag for me.

 

Jill will probably be able to give you names from breeders in that area. And yes, there are good breeders everywhere, but there are also bad ones- so it takes a little work to find the cream of the crop. Don't give up!
If you scroll down this section you will see a post called looking for a breeder in New England. Jill listed some there you can count on.

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