# Breeders in CA and AZ



## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

I would add Star Crowned in CA to your list.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

I would not choose Nicholberry. I came across them 2 years ago while looking for a golden. I emailed them but luckily, never got a response. They aren't breeding to better the breed, they're breeding for profit. And they're riding the "English Creme" marketing fad, which is a big red flag. There have been threads about them here before. You can use the search function to find them. Here's one: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...-puppy/101670-nicholberry-goldens-anyone.html


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## bioteach (Nov 13, 2010)

Jovi's Goldens outside of Phoenix is wonderful. The owner/breeder is extremely knowledgeable and really cares about each puppy. Before we bought Nugget from her he had been cleared by a canine cardiologist, opthomologist, his hips were examined, and he had his first shots. Also, his dewclaws were removed and the breeder had taught him that having his nails filed down was OK. Before a puppy goes to a family a behaviorist also evaluates each pup. Check out her website: Jovisgoldens.com.


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## Jenstace (Feb 19, 2015)

I went to *Star Crowned Golden* just this last fall of 2014 to get a puppy and was horrified by what I saw. I had talked to Karen Webb on the phone several times before I made the drive out there and ignored some red flags because I wanted a puppy so bad. The second she opened the front door the intense smell of urine hit our faces. Soon as we stepped in her home we couldn't believe what we saw. The drywall in her living room was eaten off the walls by her dogs. There were baby gates attached to the studs of the walls I guess to keep the dogs from doing further damage. The draperies and furniture had tears and rips all over them. Worst of all was the sad condition of the puppies. As Karen stepped into the puppy pen the puppies were not even excited to see her, a couple even ran away and crawled under a cot. When we held the puppy we planned on getting it did not even care about us and did not even look at us. I had previously asked her on the phone if she did socialization techniques with the puppies and she said that she had done it with past litters but didn't know if it really made any difference. That was just one of many red flags I should not have ignored! She had about 15 dogs on her property plus the current litter of puppies. Many dogs with hot spots all over their legs and also the place was so dirty! I left that day and did not take a puppy because I just could not support the conditions that I witnessed there. It just goes to show that a dogs clearances can look great on a website but you really have no idea how they are being raised. I currently have a 22 month old golden and I was so hoping to add to our family that day. What I saw still haunts me especially because when I spoke to Karen Webb on the phone I could tell that she really did love her dogs - I guess somehow she has just let things get out of control or has lost touch with reality - very sad.


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## ChristineR (Jan 21, 2015)

I'm really disappointed to hear this. Does anyone else know Karen at Star Crowned? She has a litter right now that I'm interested in.


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## mb27 (Sep 15, 2015)

Can I ask if you decided to go with classic heritage or not. Also why or why not. We put a deposit in with them after doing extensive research and have been getting the run around. We no longer trust them. I am curious how your experience was. If not classic heritage, who did you choose? We live in nor cal and are looking for a reputable breeder for an English golden. Any info and advice is appreciated


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## CRW (Jan 31, 2016)

We bought a puppy from Classic Heritage. The puppy is great, although communication with the breeders was terrible. I feel they are so busy breeding puppies they don't have time to follow up with customers. I chose them due to the fact that they seemed to do the most genetic testing and had the healthiest dogs. Our previous golden was American and was very ill for quite some time before he passed away, so we wanted to make sure we had a healthy puppy. We still have not received any paperwork, and it's been almost a year. Trying to contact them is difficult. They have a separate area where puppies are raised in their home, and keep them in pens. Different age puppies in different pens. I didn't like it. Anyway, our boy is great..beautiful and healthy. Don't think we'd go back though.


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## ATrav (Aug 1, 2016)

*California English Cream Golden Retriever breeder*

I would not recommend Classic Heritage Golden Retrievers They are definitely for profit and not the care of the puppies. We purchased our pup and she was to have her current on vaccinations and deworming. When we picked her up at 14 weeks she said she was only 12 weeks old and she had missed her last vaccine (by 3 weeks!). So we took her to the vet to have her vaccines caught up. The vet thought her demeanor was "too calm" for a puppy so he gave me a deworming and behold she had lots of worms and needed to rounds to clear her. She didn;t ask us a single question about our lifestyle, fenced yard or anything at all to determine if we were a good fit. She was slow on text and voice mail to respond and when I alerted her to the worming problem she never responded. The pup is now healthy and happy.


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## lovemydog! (Aug 3, 2016)

*Classic Heritage GR in CA*

Hello- 
We got our pup from Heather at CH and I was very frustrated with the lack of communication and lack of responses to calls and texts. She said we had a choice of several dogs but when we came back after paying deposit she changed the story and said that she could not "hold" two dogs for us. So she pretty much chose for us.. I was frustrated because I wanted my spouse to drive back over and look to help with the decision. 
At one point my husband was ready to drive over there. The dog trainer we are working with met another pup from same litter and said both ours and that pup were a bit fearful and submissive. Ours has really grown out of that but still was a concern as a younger pup. Hopefully--unrelated to any lack of socialization or handling but I thought I would mention it so that future prospective buyers can really evaluate the dog socially. We do LOVE our dog of course and our pup is healthy and happy.


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## GoldenFocus (Feb 28, 2016)

I have actually visited Classic Heritage and found the facility to be pretty clean and a nice place to raise and breed dogs. The dogs also looked very healthy and I was able to spend time with the dogs and pups. The breeding females were very affectionate with me and followed me around once we were introduced. Same for the male.

Communication could have been better in terms of timing.

To be honest I contacted about 10 plus breeders in my last search for pups and my conclusion is that there are several process improvements and best practice observance opportunities for all of them.....We can all make improvements, so I recognize that fact. Only found one that made me run out of there with a really bad feeling for the dogs. I wanted to buy them just to get them out of there.


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## Cenglish (Aug 18, 2016)

*Prospective Buyer*

Yes, I would NOT recommend Classic Heritage Golden Retrievers! They have a wonderful web site, but the lack of communication is embarrassing to say the least. We have been on a wait list for a puppy for almost a year now, watching litter after litter go to other homes! Finally, after so much disappointment to me and my children, asked for our deposit back, again NO SUCH LUCK! Heather said it was "in the mail" but that was over 3 weeks ago! Still no response or resolution! BUYER BEWARE! She is WAY too busy with all the litters she's producing to keep track of who's who or respond for that matter! No videos were sent to us and the pictures were of males, when we requested a female! Very frustrating!


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## ATrav (Aug 1, 2016)

lovemydog! said:


> Hello-
> We got our pup from Heather at CH and I was very frustrated with the lack of communication and lack of responses to calls and texts. She said we had a choice of several dogs but when we came back after paying deposit she changed the story and said that she could not "hold" two dogs for us. So she pretty much chose for us.. I was frustrated because I wanted my spouse to drive back over and look to help with the decision.
> At one point my husband was ready to drive over there. The dog trainer we are working with met another pup from same litter and said both ours and that pup were a bit fearful and submissive. Ours has really grown out of that but still was a concern as a younger pup. Hopefully--unrelated to any lack of socialization or handling but I thought I would mention it so that future prospective buyers can really evaluate the dog socially. We do LOVE our dog of course and our pup is healthy and happy.


I just ran into another gal at the vet with a pup from the Sept 2016 litter from Heather at Classic Heritage Cream Golden Retrievers in Loomis/Auburn California. Her pup has been very ill with a UTI that was so bad when she brought her home it turned into staff infection and she is still fighting it. She told be she had spoken to another owner from the same litter and her dog also had a bad UTI infection. They both reached out to Heather and she didn't bother responding. And both of them had bad worms like mine did. So Heather telling people they have been dewormed is either not factual or she is reinfecting them before they leave. Grateful my 8 month old pup is now doing very well but I feel like we were the lucky ones.


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## ATrav (Aug 1, 2016)

You are not alone. Heather at Classic Heritage Golden Retrievers in Loomis /Auburn California hasn't sent the paperwork to anyone I have spoken with. She is not a trustworthy breeder. Not breeding for healthy puppies. 
Too many sick puppies with UTIs and severe worm issues.


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## DGoble (Feb 23, 2017)

*Concern about Classic Heritage Golden Retrievers*

Hello, I know this is way past your first request, but thought I'd answer for future buyers. I bought a female puppy from Classic Heritage in July of 2016. We love our puppy to pieces, but I have serious concerns about Heather and Classic Heritage similar to those expressed by the previous respondent. Several warning signs...we were told we would be able to choose a puppy upon our visit (from the litter we had chosen online), but upon arrival, were told which puppy we could have. Although completely happy with our puppy (now almost 11 months old), I'm not sure she would have been our first choice. She also came home with a skin bacteria that had to be treated, and has had very dry flaky skin ever since. I know that goldens are famous for skin issues, but have never had this in former puppies. She was also extremely insecure for the first several months...and our early experiences with bringing her home were nothing like what Classic Heritage said to expect. She cried for hours every night for the first several weeks. Lastly, Classic Heritage doesn't provide AKC papers for their female dogs to buyers until after proof of two heats. This wasn't made clear when we put down a deposit and isn't really an issue for someone not planning to breed anyhow, but when you pay $3500 for a puppy, you expect official documents. I have been trying to reach Heather for almost a month now with some concerns, with no response at all. As others have said, it seems that once she has her payment and the puppy is gone, you are no longer important, nor is any information about her puppies. That's a concern for the future of the breed as far as I'm concerned. Love our puppy....Classic Heritage truly does have beautiful sweet dogs, but so do a lot of other breeders out there. Good luck!


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## DGoble (Feb 23, 2017)

PS.....an addition to my previous note. Our previous Golden was from Golden Meadows Retrievers just south of Santa Barbara. They couldn't have been better to work with and always quick to respond. We lost our dog from them quite suddenly, wanted a new puppy soon, and unfortunately the timing with them just didn't work. That is why we ended up going with Classic Heritage. I do highly recommend Golden Meadows Retrievers.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

I can't help but mention, Classic Heritage doesn't appear to be following the GRCA code of ethics. None of the dogs on their website have complete clearances. For $3,500 you should be getting every health clearance under the sun from parents with lots of titles. And I'm not 100% sure about their AKC registration. The k9data pages mostly list FCI registration. Hopefully they're actually getting their dogs AKC registered as well.


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