# Heard anything about Four Willows Kennel?



## rfallon

I am thinking of purchase a pup from Four Willows Kennel in Cream Ridge NJ. Has anyone hear anything regarding their reputation>


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## BeauShel

bumping up


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## SunGold

I've never heard of them - do they have a website?


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## Bender

They have two dogs listed in K9data but without any sort of info other than the name and sex... what information do you have on them?

Lana


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## Lucky's mom

What information do you have on them? That might be helpful to others here.


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## AmbikaGR

I do not know Robin (Four Willows) well but what I do know of, she is ok. She at one time worked with Ann Johnson I beleive. She has belonged to the Garden State GRC for a couple of years and has helped at numerous club functions in that time. I believe she has recently adopted the "Four Willows" kennel name. She has in the past also used "Willow" and "Meirs" as her kennel name. She also used "Willow Gold Rush" and you will find numerous dogs in OFA database under tha kennel. I am not aware of any thing negative but with any breeder you want to be sure they are doing all their clearances.
Sorry I can not be of more insight. Good luck in your search.


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## historicprim

Ahhh..I just noticed this post! Did you get your pup? I know Robin very well and have in the past cared for her dogs. Hank is correct when he states she worked for Ann Johnson. (15 yrs as office manager)


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## rfallon

I am going to meet with Robin tomorrow night - (historicprim) any words of wisdom? You should obviously know something about her dogs if you cared for them. I always try to find out as much info on a breeder as possible. Number one rule - do your homework.


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## Ljilly28

Good luck finding the puppy of your dreams. I guess you'll know more tomorrow night. It's exciting.


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## hansej

rfallon said:


> I am thinking of purchase a pup from Four Willows Kennel in Cream Ridge NJ. Has anyone hear anything regarding their reputation>


have you had any responses to your quest about four willow. iam contemplating purchasing a puppy from this breeder


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## landp3m

*Four Willows*

Also looking at this kennels pups any more news? Are all dogs goldrush background? We foolishly didn't look at pedigrees from parents , no clearance on moms hips but eyes, elbows , heart. Dad has none yet. Dogs look amazing. but now nervous. Please respong:uhoh:


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## Pointgold

landp3m said:


> Also looking at this kennels pups any more news? Are all dogs goldrush background? We foolishly didn't look at pedigrees from parents , no clearance on moms hips but eyes, elbows , heart. Dad has none yet. Dogs look amazing. but now nervous. Please respong:uhoh:


 
I would not recommend purchasing a puppy out of parents that do not have ALL clearances - hips/elbows, CERF eyes, and cardiac - _preferably _done by a board certified cardiologist rather than a practitioner.

Mom having everything but hips would cause me to wonder if her hips were done but did not clear (since elbows are done, and rads are usually taken at the same time). Dad not having any breaks the deal completely for me.


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## AmbikaGR

landp3m said:


> Also looking at this kennels pups any more news? Are all dogs goldrush background? We foolishly didn't look at pedigrees from parents , no clearance on moms hips but eyes, elbows , heart. Dad has none yet. Dogs look amazing. but now nervous. Please respong:uhoh:


 
If you are saying you are considering getting a pup out of a litter where the dam has elbow, heart and eye clearances but no hip clearance and the the sire has no clearances I would be VERY nervous. I would not consider a pup of this breeding for ANY reason.
JMHO


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## Pointgold

AmbikaGR said:


> If you are saying you are considering getting a pup out of a litter where the dam has elbow, heart and eye clearances but no hip clearance and the the sire has no clearances I would be VERY nervous. I would not consider a pup of this breeding for ANY reason.
> JMHO


 
I wouldn't be nervous, because I wouldn't be purchasing...

I'd only be nervous if I'd put down a non-refundable deposit.


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## Tahnee GR

I agree-I would not purchase a puppy from such a breeding. I don't understand elbows but not hips done, since they are generally done at the same time. Dad not having any clearances done is enough to be a deal-killer for me. Even if it were an accidental breeding and Dad too young for clearances, no hips on Mom would still be a deal breaker for me.


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## landp3m

*Four Willows*

My husband received a nicely written email from breeder today, lots of information. Says that both sire and dam have heart, eyes certs, will be having hip and elbow certs on Tuesday. She understands our hesitancy and we can back out of course. She also has alot of gold rush in her line, and about 10 yrs ago we lost a gold rush pup to cancer at 6. My hubby is concerned about this too. I frankly don't feel any one line of goldens is solely responsible for cancer in the breed. I feel much is environmental, vaccines etc. With our current golden we titer for shots, use no lawn products with pesticides, etc. We are sooo in love with the pups, I'd be happy to forward her email to someone privately to get an unbiased opinion. I do not want to cause any trouble for the breeder, she is wonderful, and had been totally wonderful to us. Honest from the get go, its just alot of information to obsorb. We went with our little list, all of our questions and then picked from a litter we didn't know existed, and of course have arrived at this situation . Thanks for all of your opinions. I know I need to listen to my head instead of my heart, but what if she show proof of all the other clearances and then offers, to forward the hips and elbow copies to us? Thanks again.


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## Pointgold

landp3m said:


> My husband received a nicely written email from breeder today, lots of information. Says that both sire and dam have heart, eyes certs, will be having hip and elbow certs on Tuesday. She understands our hesitancy and we can back out of course. She also has alot of gold rush in her line, and about 10 yrs ago we lost a gold rush pup to cancer at 6. My hubby is concerned about this too. I frankly don't feel any one line of goldens is solely responsible for cancer in the breed. I feel much is environmental, vaccines etc. With our current golden we titer for shots, use no lawn products with pesticides, etc. We are sooo in love with the pups, I'd be happy to forward her email to someone privately to get an unbiased opinion. I do not want to cause any trouble for the breeder, she is wonderful, and had been totally wonderful to us. Honest from the get go, its just alot of information to obsorb. We went with our little list, all of our questions and then picked from a litter we didn't know existed, and of course have arrived at this situation . Thanks for all of your opinions. I know I need to listen to my head instead of my heart, but what if she show proof of all the other clearances and then offers, to forward the hips and elbow copies to us? Thanks again.


The breeding was made before hips and elbows were done - what if they don't clear? Why was the breeding made prior to having done the clearances in the first place? If the others were already done, why were they not listed on the databases?


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## Popebendgoldens

landp3m said:


> She also has alot of gold rush in her line, and about 10 yrs ago we lost a gold rush pup to cancer at 6. My hubby is concerned about this too. I frankly don't feel any one line of goldens is solely responsible for cancer in the breed. I feel much is environmental, vaccines etc. With our current golden we titer for shots, use no lawn products with pesticides, etc.


If you do get this puppy then besides giving little to no shots, and visiting the vets very seldom, you might think of feeding a raw diet. Raw diets are great at keeping dogs healthy, with few health problems.


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## jpp867

*Four Willows Kennel*

We had a negative experience with Four Willows Kennel. The setting and the owner seemed nice. We put down a deposit on a pup, but within hours went home and did some research on k-9 data to discover that the owner's dogs are Gold Rush dogs, which we've heard by numerous sources have a number of health issues. We called back within a few hours, and when we mentioned that we didn't realize the pup had Gold Rush lineage, the owner turned from very friendly to very unfriendly. I recognize that we had no leverage regarding the deposit and no legal leg to stand on in terms of getting it back, but with breeders who really love the dogs and breed because they love it, I think they would be happy to refund a deposit for these reasons. We certainly didn't keep anyone else from buying the pup within a few hours. It's not even about the money; it's the attitude and the approach to dog breeding and selling. I've about had it with people who turn breeding goldens into a business. To be honest, this has become such a big business, I'm not even sure this post will remain up due to some legal wranglings over reputations and lawsuits and the like. It feels terrible dealing with folks like that, and in the end it's all about the money and moving dogs, not the dogs themselves or the people you're selling them to. Luckily we've met a very nice woman who is still breeding because she loves dogs, and only breeds once or twice a year--Four Willows had three litters available yesterday. Good luck; we're just lucky we only lost $200 rather than being worrying for the next however many years that we doubled or tripled the dog's likelihood of passing away young.


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## CarolinaCasey

I'm sorry that you had a bad experience. Finding a puppy is the easy part, you could go to the classified and find one tonight. But- that isn't what we're looking for, is it? We all want a breeder that cares about their dogs health first and foremost. It is a tough journey to find the right breeder and puppy, but it will be very worth it! 

Try contacting your local GR club or visit: http://www.goldenbreedersresource.org/kennel_search_results.php

Make sure to ask all questions regarding clearances and ask for help along the way. Start a new thread and ask for recommendations. We have a few members from NJ area. Good luck in your search! Your puppy is out there!!


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## Pointgold

Popebendgoldens said:


> If you do get this puppy then besides giving little to no shots, and visiting the vets very seldom, you might think of feeding a raw diet. Raw diets are great at keeping dogs healthy, with few health problems.


 

??????? Little to _no _shots??????? Seldom visit the vet? New vaccine protocols certainly advocate fewer vaccinations than we've done in the past, but to advocate NO shots is dangerous and irresponsible. 

Raw diets might be just fine for some, but it is also a dangerous generalization to say that the "keep dogs healthy" with "few health problems". If a dog is not genetically sound, nothing that you can feed them is going to change that.


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## historicprim

jpp867 said:


> We had a negative experience with Four Willows Kennel. The setting and the owner seemed nice. We put down a deposit on a pup, but within hours went home and did some research on k-9 data to discover that the owner's dogs are Gold Rush dogs, which we've heard by numerous sources have a number of health issues. We called back within a few hours, and when we mentioned that we didn't realize the pup had Gold Rush lineage, the owner turned from very friendly to very unfriendly. I recognize that we had no leverage regarding the deposit and no legal leg to stand on in terms of getting it back, but with breeders who really love the dogs and breed because they love it, I think they would be happy to refund a deposit for these reasons. We certainly didn't keep anyone else from buying the pup within a few hours. It's not even about the money; it's the attitude and the approach to dog breeding and selling. I've about had it with people who turn breeding goldens into a business. To be honest, this has become such a big business, I'm not even sure this post will remain up due to some legal wranglings over reputations and lawsuits and the like. It feels terrible dealing with folks like that, and in the end it's all about the money and moving dogs, not the dogs themselves or the people you're selling them to. Luckily we've met a very nice woman who is still breeding because she loves dogs, and only breeds once or twice a year--Four Willows had three litters available yesterday. Good luck; we're just lucky we only lost $200 rather than being worrying for the next however many years that we doubled or tripled the dog's likelihood of passing away young.


I'm going to stick out my neck here and say "This does not sound anything like the person who owns Four Willows at all" I happen to know her personally! And I would also like to add, she is very much so involved with Goldens. geesh.....nuff said...before I get banned


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## boromir1

*Four Willows Interest*

I am also considering Four Willows. How did your meeting go? Did you get a puppy? Any feedback you can provide would be appreciated.


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## jpp867

*Negative Experience with Four Willows Kennel*

From personal experience, I highly recommend looking elsewhere for your golden pup. Robin, the owner, was hostile and single-mindedly focused on keeping our deposit when we asked if her dogs were Gold Rush dogs. We are so happy with our pup now, and she can keep the $200 if it's so important to her. What's important to us is getting a pup we feel good about, not being pressured by someone who I suspect doesn't really like dogs or people.


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## michael-golden

*Following up...*

I noticed this thread was started roughly three years ago and then ended abruptly. Does anyone have updated information on this breeder, their experience, or on their clearances? I am seriously considering purchasing a puppy from Robin soon. Thanks in advance!


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## landp3m

*Four Willows Kennel*

HI Yes we do indeed have a puppy from four willows, her name is Daisy and she is wonderful, smart, beautiful and please god, healthy..... the only problem healthwise was waxy, not infected ears, and we feed her grain free now, so thats not a issue.....We do follow the Jean Dodds vaccine protocol, limited vaccines, and titers to see which vaccines are not needed. I have a fantastic vet that is open to all of this of course. I have not had any contact with the breeder, Robin Meirs, but I will say that we recently lost our 11 yr old golden to cancer in October, and did consider another pup from Four Willows, but found a breeder with our first dogs linage.....

Good luck, Daisy also has a great temperament, and loves all people and animals....there is no dog in the world like a GOLDEN RETRIEVER!!!:wave:


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## Morgan0751

Does anyone have any updated information about Four Willow? I am considering a puppy from them over the next few weeks. I saw their as not been much activity on this in awhile. If she has all the proper test should I make a purchase?


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## MaddieMagoo

Where are you located Morgan0751?? Instead of finding a dog from this Four Willows, I'd recommend checking out your local Golden Retriever club for a breeder near you.


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## AmbikaGR

MaddieMagoo said:


> Where are you located Morgan0751?? Instead of finding a dog from this Four Willows, I'd recommend checking out your local Golden Retriever club for a breeder near you.



What makes you think this breeder is not local to the poster?
And why not a dog from Four Willows?


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## jpp867

*Problems with four willows*

We had a bad experience. I would recommend Penny Lane Kennels in Princeton, which is not far away.


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## tippykayak

Check very carefully into the clearance history of each breeding dog, and ask to see all clearances yourself before giving a deposit.


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## MaddieMagoo

AmbikaGR said:


> What makes you think this breeder is not local to the poster?
> And why not a dog from Four Willows?


I'm not sure what you're trying to get at here, Hank??  I looked up on OFA for Four Willow's and found all of the dogs had a practioner heart clearance. With the given amount of heart problems we have in Goldens, I'd look elsewhere. Plus, I haven't heard of these people, so I can't give them a 5-star rating. I'd give them someone else's name who has heart clearances by a cardiologist. JMO.

EDIT: Plus one of the dogs had an eye clearance done in 2005 and had a litter in 2007 and 2008, by that time the clearance was outdated.


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## dianeski

*Four Willows*

I know this post is old but I am curious (rfallon) if you decided to purchase a pup from Robin at Four Willows. I will be looking for a Golden Retriever breeder soon and just starting researching. I would appreciate any information you could give me from your research efforts. Thank you


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## ArchersMom

I'd be cautious with this breeder. They have an ad listed for a litter born in June. The dam does not have an elbow certification. I'm sure the breeder knows they should be done and OFA is the only database for elbows in North America so it's likely she failed.


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## Bigblue

Bumping this old thread as this breeder has puppies available and wondering if anyone else has any experiences with this person?


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## jackpa

SunGold said:


> I've never heard of them - do they have a website?


Yes, my family got a golden retriever from them.


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