Hi, all. Sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but my wife and I are researching breeders in CT for what will be our first golden. Not surprisingly, this breeder tops all of the search results; she advertises heavily.
From her information packet:
Prices for individual puppies can range from $ 1,200.00 through $ 3,300.00 - depending upon the individual puppy & from which litter the puppy is from. My Full "American Standard" Goldens average pricing is $ 1,500.00 + CT State Sales Tax - My "Half Nordic" Goldens average pricing is $ 2,200.00 + CT State Sales Tax & My Full or 3/4 "Nordic" Goldens average pricing is $ 2,700.00 + CT State Sales Tax.
Anyway, I'm very happy that my wife found this forum thread because I'll admit that, as a golden newbie, I was buying the hype.
Soooo... we're hoping someone from this forum can help steer us in the right direction?
Background: We had a yellow lab, Chloe, that we had to put down last summer at age 11. :-( She was a wonderful dog; I've yet to meet a retriever as affectionate as she was. Anyway, we come from a lab-only family. My mother-in-law works with Labs for Rescue, and she and my father-in-law have 2 rescued labs. My grandparents in-law also have a rescued lab, and everyone in the family has owned labs at one time or another.
Well, my wife and I are planning the break tradition by adopting a golden. Our kids, ages 9, 7, and 5, are thrilled.
What we need help with: finding an honest breeder with a *HEALTHY* line. (We bought our lab from a hobby breeder, and she had terrible lifelong health issues - allergies and colitis - that required daily Temaril-P and monthly antibiotics. She suffered endlessly, and the steroids in the Temaril-P contributed to her ultimate demise. These problems also cost us a small fortune!)
Can anyone recommend a starting point for us? What are "clearances"? How do we vet a potential breeder?
We've no plans to show our new dog. We just want a healthy, happy, family dog.
Thanks!