# Does anyone have experiences with Denali Kennels in Dallas, TX?



## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

Hopefully others will chime in.
By their website, I wouldn't automatically rule them out but I would want more details. I just clicked on a few of the dogs K9data links. Not all had a full set of clearances, so verify that all of the 4 basic clearances are in place. Do you know which dogs are producing the litter?
The nuvet thing has always felt like a scam to me. If there is any sort of canceling of guarantee for not using nuvet I would look elsewhere.

I would really not visit any puppies until you are fully satisfied with the breeder. I don't think there are many people that could say no to a puppy when holding it!


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I agree that I would ask to the pedigree and clearances of both parents before visiting. No sense visiting if clearances aren't in order.

And I agree with the Nuvet thing. Really puts me off but that is just me.


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

They're a member of the GRCA and DFW Golden Retriever groups so I assume they've got clearances that just may not have been submitted online-but be sure you check. They should be able to show you at a minimum heart, eyes, hips, elbow. They're listed as in good standing and I personally really like several of the breeders on here: DFW Golden Retriever Breeders - Dallas Fort Worth Texas. I would find out who she bred specifically and then check out the parents on k9data as well. I'd agree that if she pushes the NuVet and tells you it will void the warranty if you don't use it then run.


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## razor488 (Feb 5, 2017)

Hello, 

Can I ask if you ended up buying from Denali and if you had a good experience? I spoke with her this morning and she seems experienced and knowledable... 

A few things she said that I wanted to research further... 

She said that the sire is European and that European Goldens tend to live longer and have less cancer than American. She also said she doesn't recommend neutering the dog until 2 years of age, if at all. Lastly she doesn't vaccinate her dogs after 5-7 years of age, and prefers as minimally invasive care as possible... IE natural remedies when possible and only vaccinating for essential things. I was planning to go visit a new litter and see them in person. She said she would provide generational hip, elbow, eye and heart certifications.


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## greg_leigh (Apr 14, 2017)

razor488 said:


> Hello,
> 
> Can I ask if you ended up buying from Denali and if you had a good experience? I spoke with her this morning and she seems experienced and knowledable...
> 
> ...


I'm curious after talking to her on the phone did she tell you the estimated price? I couldn't find one on the website.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Expect to pay at least $2,000. maybe more. It doesn't appear that clearances are being kept up like they used to but if you get the names of the parents there are people here that will help you check. There are quite a few good breeders in this area with quality puppies. If you are focused on color beware of many, many scammers in this area as well. A pup without proper clearances should be priced below $1,000. in the DFW area.


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## tikiandme (May 16, 2010)

I don't buy the "less cancer than American" claim. That alone would keep me away.


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## razor488 (Feb 5, 2017)

I was told that all of the clearances were in order, but I wasn't able to verify that online. I decided to go in a different direction.


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## Bfamily (Aug 25, 2017)

I would avoid his breeder. She may have once been reputable, but I don't believe she is a responsible breeder at this point. We had a very bad experience.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

razor488 said:


> I was told that all of the clearances were in order, but I wasn't able to verify that online. I decided to go in a different direction.



It is always important to verify on OFA all 4 core clearances.


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## sayoung (Dec 3, 2018)

Bfamily said:


> I would avoid his breeder. She may have once been reputable, but I don't believe she is a responsible breeder at this point. We had a very bad experience.


Would like to get more details based on your experience. Thanks.


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## Samuell (Dec 8, 2019)

*Jonathan777*

So what was your bad experience? I need to know before giving her 1800 dollars


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Perhaps post sire X dam info, and someone can look the clearances up for you. I find the site difficult to navigate so cannot discern who the $1800 pup may have been coming out of but if you know sire and dam it's a quick check for anyone proficient in dog clearances to check for you and we'd be happy to do so.


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## Samuell (Dec 8, 2019)

I would avoid this breeder. She may have once been reputable, but I don't believe she is a responsible breeder at this point. We had a very bad experience. 

When you walk into the house the stench and filth from the floor to the ceiling is almost unbearable. When I got home I through all my cloths in the washer took a shower and could still smell the stench in my nostrils.

She has 3 litters at the same time. I saw puppies walk in dog poop. No big deal right? Shortly after witnessing this, she fed the puppies on a flat steel plate and watch them walk all over the puppy food as they ate. Pretty sure this how Parvo is ingested after eating freesias. 

When she says and this is a quote from her web page. “Through our contacts in the DFWMGRC, we have been fortunate enough to introduce excellent bloodlines into the
Denali line and feel as though we improve the breed with each generation. We have also formed relationships with
kennels in other states. This has increased our choices in suitable stud.” Don't believe it because...she dose not have full clearances. Hips, elbows, heart, eyes. She is not breeding to increase the health of the breed and bloodlines. Don't believe it.

Legal definition of A Puppy Mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. Unlike responsible breeders, who place the utmost importance on producing the healthiest puppies possible, breeding at puppy mills is performed without consideration of genetic quality. This results in generations of dogs with unchecked hereditary defects. Hips, elbows, heart, eyes.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I dk her personally, but I know I would not consider covering a bitch who has not got all her clearances, adequately, on OFA (so in other words, no coverage if you can't spend the bucks to list heart and eyes). Stud choices are endless, no matter what club you belong to or don't... I don't think that has a thing to do with it. That very availability is why I do not understand people who own their own stud dog and use him on all their bitches. I've never had 3 litters at a time but I have had several times two litters born within a week and I have done it (obviously) on purpose. It's not that much extra work (assuming you do any work at all which if your report is accurate is not the case here) and it sometimes makes it easier on mamas to share the load . I cannot imagine letting puppies eat in an unsanitary way, they stop stepping in their food after maybe first two days. And I stand over them those two days to be sure I don't see little feet about to enter the food dish because if I do, I am going to have to wash the feet. And dry them. And clean the floor where he stepped. And probably wash sibs who he got food on. You get it. It's just easier to put in the work on the front end and watch them grow without having to constantly be bathing feet.


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## sayoung (Dec 3, 2018)

Samuell said:


> I would avoid this breeder. She may have once been reputable, but I don't believe she is a responsible breeder at this point. We had a very bad experience.
> 
> When you walk into the house the stench and filth from the floor to the ceiling is almost unbearable. When I got home I through all my cloths in the washer took a shower and could still smell the stench in my nostrils.
> 
> ...


I had a very similar experience when visiting her home to meet the sire/dam. Living conditions were questionable, crates on top of crates in the living room. The dam was extremely skiddish and slunk down to the floor and crawled towards us to greet. This was also the third litter for this particular dam, yet she was not even 3 years old which also raised a red flag. I also requested all of her OFAC clearances and never received a single follow up. She had plenty of pictures of champion goldens throughout the home so I have no doubt that she was a reputable breeder at one point, but can't see any way to support that claim now.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Never assume anything. Always verify current clearances on OFA.com. There are several DFW golden club members that USED to be very reputable breeders. Many have out of date websites and haven't actually been a member in years. There is one that boast being a member of a group that ceased to exist over a decade ago. Unless you have a current member roster I would take this point with a grain of salt.
Verify or ask here and someone will look up clearances for you, just need sire/dam reg name and/or number.


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

How do I get OFA results? Is there someone who can get them for me?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

SingleMom56 said:


> How do I get OFA results? Is there someone who can get them for me?


If you post the registered name or # of the Sire and Dam of a litter you're interested in, members can look up the information for you on OFA.org.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

SingleMom56 said:


> How do I get OFA results? Is there someone who can get them for me?


OFA is a public database. Orthopedic Foundation for Animals - Companion Animal Research Center If you know a dog’s registered name (not the name they’re called around the house… you need the name on their registration papers) you can look them up in the database. That said, OFA can be confusing if you don’t know what you are looking at. I’ll give you some helpful links below, but as Carolina Mom said, Forum members are always happy to help you check clearances (we just need that registered name).









Posts - The Canine Chasm


Posts - The Canine Chasm - Crossing the Chasm between the Pet World and the Dog World




thecaninechasm.com












A Newb's Guide: Using OFA's Website to...


If you were looking for information on how to use the OFA website to find a GRCA-compliant breeder, that thread has been reposted here. Many folks come to this forum asking for help with research on OFA. While I am no expert, I hope the following information may help others to do some basic...




www.goldenretrieverforum.com


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

*


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

Thank you for the link. I was able to fine the sire information, but not the dam's. What do we do now?


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Dam- DOB 8-23-21017

Pedigree: Denali's Late Layla is her pedigree.
She has no OFA page, sire has only hips/elbows listed.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

This is the K9Data page for Denali’s Fritz of the Forested Hills. Pedigree: Denali's Fritz Of The Forested Hills
Based on that link and his OFA pages he has his hip and elbow clearances but there is nothing in the public database that would indicate that he has a cardiac clearance, a recent eye clearance, or any DNA tests for things like PRA, Ichthyosis, or NCL. These last things MAY have been done and the breeder just hasn’t sent them to OFA or put them into K9Data. Based on our experience though, I’d say it’s more likely they haven’t been done. But… you could always ask the breeder about them.

As Prism said, the dam, Denali’s Late Layla, has no clearances at all listed on her K9Data page or on OFA.


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

yes I already stated that above.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

SingleMom56 said:


> yes I already stated that above.


So two people more accustomed.skilled at vetting dogs health & pedigree have agreed w you- now you need to decide if such lacks matter.


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

well we already own the dog, and the breeder has been contacted without success regarding the dam. so what do we do now? wait until 2 years and hope for the best seems to be our only option.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Are you planning to breed your dog? 
Then, yes, wait until 12 mo of age and get a cardiologist clearance- preferably an echo- and send that to OFA. Then do eyes, which are done yearly (www.acvo.org for list of eye docs who can do CAER exams) and be sure they verify microchip on both those. And then at 24 + months, do hips/elbows... but I have to say, unless you have some compelling reason to make a litter, this pedigree isn't stellar for puppy buyers to feel confident in. Choose stud dog well.


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

thanks. so what's wrong with the pedigree? it seems most of the lineage has had their test done except for her.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

SingleMom56 said:


> well we already own the dog, and the breeder has been contacted without success regarding the dam. so what do we do now? wait until 2 years and hope for the best seems to be our only option.


Yes, if you already own the dog, then you just have to chock it up to a learning experience. It is absolutely possible (perhaps even likely) that your dog will be just fine. However, when someone has bought a dog whose parents did not have the appropriate clearances, we usually recommend getting health insurance on them and keeping it for a least a few years until you know if any orthopedic issues will come up. Assuming you don't plan to breed, even if your dog has hip or elbow dysplasia, it might not be an issue for you (some dogs with dysplasia either have no symptoms or mild symptoms or symptoms don't show up until they get older and arthritis comes into play). That said, if your dog does end up with a health issue that might be genetic, it would be a nice service to the dog community to at least make him/her a K9Data page where any issues can be documented for future puppy buyers.

If you want to ease your mind, you may want to consider having your dog's heart checked (definitely have your own vet take a close listen... if you can afford it, a cardiologist exam once your dog is a year or so old could give you some peace of mind). And all goldens are at risk of eye issues, and they could pop up at any time in a dog's life (which is why the Code of Ethics stipulates that breeding dogs be examined every year), so whether your dog's parents had eye clearances or not, you may want to get your dog's eyes checked at least every couple of years. The least expensive way to do this is to check https://www.ofa.org/health-clinics to see if a clinic will be held in your area. You don't necessarily need to send the results of the exam to OFA (assuming you aren't breeding your dog), but it's a nice thing to do if just to make for a more robust database.


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

thanks for all of the tips to follow up on. I appreciate it. got the fingers crossed.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

SingleMom56 said:


> so what's wrong with the pedigree? it seems most of the lineage has had their test done except for her.


Because genetics is a funny thing. Although it would be unusual for two dogs with good or excellent hips to produce a puppy with dysplasia, it's not impossible. Same thing goes the other way (it's not impossible for two dogs with dysplasia to produce a puppy with good hips... but chances are much greater of them passing those bad hips along). Getting a puppy whose parents have their clearances greatly increases (but doesn't guarantee) your chances of your puppy not having one of those common issues. If the puppy's grandparents, great grand parents, etc., etc. all had their clearance, your chances get better and better, because those "bad" genes are not added to the gene pool. But for every dog for which testing was not done, you don't know if they contributed "bad" genes to the gene pool. If those genes, through chance, are passed to your puppy, that's when you end up with a puppy with health issues.

Your chances of getting a healthy puppy is just much higher when it is KNOWN what issues existed, or didn't exist, in the gene pool...

That said, you can use K9Data to see how many of the dam's ancestors had hip or elbow clearances. I did that and this is what came up for elbow clearances behind the Dam: Vertical pedigree: Denali's Late Layla
I have to admit, it was better than I was expecting, so if it were my puppy, I wouldn't have hip or elbow dysplasia high on my list of things to worry about (the hip clearances looked pretty good too). However, you still have no guarantees about the dam's personal clearances, and K9Data doesn't show you things like eye clearances, heart clearances, ichthyosis, NCL, PRA, etc., so those are still a gamble...


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

SingleMom56 said:


> thanks. so what's wrong with the pedigree? it seems most of the lineage has had their test done except for her.


Wrong, it's lackluster- the recognizable kennel names there appear to be 'slipped thru the cracks' dogs- One Ash, for instance - it's several generations back before any of the dogs have actual competitive titles. U-CH, IntCH- those really mean nothing. I'd evaluate this as a "pet pedigree for many generations" if someone asked me. SO- if you are planning to breed this dog, you really need to get a title of some sort on her, and get yourself involved in community so you can find a good stud dog for her. Shipping semen is easy enough- just make a good choice. Otherwise, you're adding another generation of "pet puppy who's been bred for no real reason" to the mix.


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

not a her. our dog is a male.


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

That said, you can use K9Data to see how many of the dam's ancestors had hip or elbow clearances. I did that and this is what came up for elbow clearances behind the Dam: Vertical pedigree: Denali's Late Layla

** Thanks for this link. I was able to find Layla's parents on OFA as well, but this is an excellent resource too.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

SingleMom56 said:


> not a her. our dog is a male.


Even more (if possible) reason to be cautious when breeding...


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## SingleMom56 (Nov 13, 2021)

Thank you. We will have to be on top of it. Appreciate the advice.


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