# Trails Edge Golden Retrievers in Holliston, MA



## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

I would not use this site. Many of those breeders are puppy mills and you would be supporting BYB- IMO. 

Try contacting you local GRCA- http://yankeegrc.org/- Massachusetts 

General GRCA puppy referral- GRCA Puppy Referral

Golden retriever rescues- grca-nrc.org There are 3 for Massachusetts.

That should be a start. 

If you post what type of golden you want that will help others in recommending breeders to you.

I know you said not show (pet quality) but they could be from various line. High energy active field/competition type to low energy home body type. 

I have a high energy rescue, Buddy, he is a lot of dog and keeps me on my toes but he is definitely not for most.

Best of luck to you.


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## Ariele (Apr 28, 2012)

Thanks for advice. Our family of three is looking for a medium level energy puppy. We have three indoor cats, of which 2 are rescue. As I noticed on your post that you have 2 cats and 4 dogs, how do they all get along with each other? How is best to introduce a puppy to them? Would meeting wth a breeder be a problem knowing that we have cats?


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## Riley's Mom (Jul 6, 2008)

I would look elsewhere. It is either a puppy mill or puppy broker. Those prices are absolutely ridiculous!!!

There are plenty of reputable breeders in New England. Take your time and do your research and you can find a puppy much cheaper than advertised on that site.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Ariele said:


> Thanks for advice. Our family of three is looking for a medium level energy puppy. We have three indoor cats, of which 2 are rescue. As I noticed on your post that you have 2 cats and 4 dogs, how do they all get along with each other? How is best to introduce a puppy to them? Would meeting wth a breeder be a problem knowing that we have cats?


My senior cat, Mika, still rules with an iron paw. Most days they get along great however the terrier in the Yorkies does come out sometime but the cats can handle themselves. Buddy is a soft who lets the cats wash his face.

I would make sure to give the cats a safe puppy/dog free area with food, water, bed, and litterbox. That way if they want to be near the puppy they can be or they can stay away. I use a baby gate in the door way of the laundry room for the cats. The laundry room is the dog safe place at my house. When the crew goes to my parents' the cat get the entire basement and second floor. The dogs only get their family room, kitchen, and laundry room. The cats come and go as they please.

Let the cats set the tone. Make sure puppy know you don't chase kitty and if you do you will be confined.

Having cats should not be a problem with breeders and if it is I would look someplace else.


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## Ariele (Apr 28, 2012)

Thanks again, We are planning to use gates to create a seperate space for puppy and cats. Is it ok to have puppy on the 1st floor initially? We read that puppies should avoid using stairs until they are 4 months old to avoid hip injuries. I will be contacting the yankeegrc.org to select a breeder. I was interested in this website as it was close to where I live. 
Trails Edge Golden Retrievers Holliston MAhttp://www.biblio-globus.us/ordersArchive.aspx


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I was going to say no, but I found the links to their dogs and they do have clearances in k9data.

If you can find out who the parents are, the forum can see if the proper clearances are there. I would not cross them off your list yet.


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

Goldens do very well with cats. Our many goldens live with our cat, Spencer so our puppies are already acclimated to what a cat is all about.

The cats will usually go into hiding when you first bring a puppy home. They will then start checking out the puppy when it is sleeping or in its crate. They will eventually start to interact. The puppy will take the lead from the cats and allow as little or as much contact as the cats are comfortable with. 

Our cat, Spencer is now 13 but he used to play with the puppies when he was younger. Now, he more likes to tease and bait them. 

Good luck in your search. There are many wonderful breeders in the NE area and Yankee is a good place to start.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Ariele said:


> Thanks again, We are planning to use gates to create a seperate space for puppy and cats. Is it ok to have puppy on the 1st floor initially? We read that puppies should avoid using stairs until they are 4 months old to avoid hip injuries. I will be contacting the yankeegrc.org to select a breeder. I was interested in this website as it was close to where I live.
> Trails Edge Golden Retrievers Holliston MAhttp://www.biblio-globus.us/ordersArchive.aspx


My pups always sleep on the same room as me but I know as adults they are going to sleep in my room.

You can still carry most 4 month old Goldens. Lucky got to heavy to carry around frequently at 6 months.

Looking at the site next.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

I went to the OFFA's website. The clearances for the 4 listed in the current litters page look to be in order and the eyes were just done on them either in Feb. or March. I would still ask to see the paperwork in person.

Which pups are you looking into?


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## Ariele (Apr 28, 2012)

Those puppies listed all have been spoken for and have been taken home. Owners of these puppies keep in contact via facebook regulary with this breeder.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Welcome to the forum! Good luck on your search!


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## Ariele (Apr 28, 2012)

What is appropiate to ask a breeder when contacting them the first time? Will they tell what the price of their puppies? or do I have to ask them? Could I arrange a visit with the breeder to see the living conditions before puppies are born?


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

One of the big turn offs for me is "How much do you get for your dogs?". Depending on what part of the country you live in you can expect any where from $1200 to $1800 from a breeder doing their homework.


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## TrailsEdge (Sep 2, 2012)

Hi There,
You have probably already found your new Golden family member but I did want to let you know that TrailsEdge Goldens is a small, family centered breeder. WE are VERY careful about who we breed and where we place our puppies. We stay in contact with our families and really enjoy hearing about how our golden pups are doing in their new homes. Our puppies are raised in our home and get a huge amount of attention in their first 8 weeks. Hope you found the perfect companion for your family.


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## TrailsEdge (Sep 2, 2012)

Dear MikaTalluah and Riley's Mom

Neither of you have done your research before posting. TrailsEdge is a member of the YGRC. Please do more research before posting on about breeder you do not know. We are small family centered breeder, far from a puppy mill or puppy broker. Our puppies are raised in our home and our girls are family members. WE work very hard to make sure our pups come from healthy lines with excellent confirmation. Please consider doing more research before making such public assumptions about breeders you do not know. feel free to visit our site, you would find that our puppies become an extended family and we keep in touch with many of our puppy families. Trails Edge Golden Retrievers Holliston MA


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I went to the Trails Edge site and looked at the "current litter." The dam has full clearances, but I can't find Dylan (the sire) on OFA's site. On k9data, it says that heart is "OFA clear" and eyes are "CERF clear," but if the heart clearance isn't registered with OFA, it's not really accurate to say it's "OFA clear," just as it's not accurate to use the term "CERF" if you haven't mailed the form in to register the clearance. I'm giving the benefit of the doubt here and assuming the clearances were done and not registered.

If I were a puppy buyer, I'd really want to see all the clearance paperwork since it's not registered online, and I'd also want to see the OVC forms for Dylan's hips and elbows. It looks like he's a Canadian import, so it's not necessarily bad that the joints were done by OVC instead of OFA, but OVC doesn't have a public database, so you have to check the records directly.

The GRCA CoE does strongly encourage that all clearances be registered in their appropriate databases.

Also, I don't see where on the Trails Edge site that they discuss any kind of competition they might do with their dogs. I also don't see any titled dogs on k9data with the prefix "TrailsEdge." Without comparing dogs to other other Goldens and the standard, it's difficult for a breeder to maintain and improve the breed legacy in their dogs.

Personally, I'd take a pass here, unless I found out a bit more about why they breed Goldens and what they do with their dogs. It's possible that they're pursuing titles in some venue or that they simply haven't updated the information on k9data. They also may have purchased and titled some dogs that don't have the Trails Edge prefix.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

TrailsEdge said:


> Dear MikaTalluah and Riley's Mom
> 
> Neither of you have done your research before posting. TrailsEdge is a member of the YGRC. Please do more research before posting on about breeder you do not know. We are small family centered breeder, far from a puppy mill or puppy broker. Our puppies are raised in our home and our girls are family members. WE work very hard to make sure our pups come from healthy lines with excellent confirmation. Please consider doing more research before making such public assumptions about breeders you do not know. feel free to visit our site, you would find that our puppies become an extended family and we keep in touch with many of our puppy families. Trails Edge Golden Retrievers Holliston MA


I think there's some confusion in the first post. The poster asked about a puppy broker site for puppies for sale in Mass and provided the link. That's clearly a puppy broker website.

The OP _also_ asked about Trails Edge in the same post. I think people are looking at the broker site and calling it a mill/broker, not Trails Edge.


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## TrailsEdge (Sep 2, 2012)

Hi Tippykayak
I'm glad you took time to investigate the site. We have not broken into showing, as you know it isn't an easy arena to enter (any advice on how to enter the competing arena is really appreciated), however we have champion dogs in our lines and work closely with breeders who do show. Our focus is on breeding great family dogs. We really enjoy the breeding process and working with families to find them a puppy they are happy with. Our biggest focus is on healthy dogs with great personalities and good conforomation. Dylan, whom you refereed to as only having "clear" on the K-9 data and not listed in OFA has all of his clearances. As you pointed out he is a Canadian Import and we do have records of all his clearances. 

Thank you for the clarification on the puppy mill site, I was really taken a back that anyone would look at our website and think we were a puppy mill/broker.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Actually you can get into showing thru obedience, agility, hunt tests... That is how I got into Goldens. There are also CCA's.... Just sayin' not all people who breed Goldens show in conformation... If you are not in public with them how do you know you are breeding to type?


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

Sally's Mom said:


> Actually you can get into showing thru obedience, agility, hunt tests... That is how I got into Goldens. There are also CCA's.... Just sayin' not all people who breed Goldens show in conformation... If you are not in public with them how do you know you are breeding to type?


This.. Exactly.. I'm doing a CCA in October, I've done a few dog shows and starting to get into the obedience thing..and I'm a newbie! Even if Lilly doesn't ever get CH in front of her name I hope to have titles at the end of her name to ensure I have a golden that is true to form in most aspects .


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

TrailsEdge said:


> Hi Tippykayak
> I'm glad you took time to investigate the site. We have not broken into showing, as you know it isn't an easy arena to enter (any advice on how to enter the competing arena is really appreciated), however we have champion dogs in our lines and work closely with breeders who do show. Our focus is on breeding great family dogs. We really enjoy the breeding process and working with families to find them a puppy they are happy with. Our biggest focus is on healthy dogs with great personalities and good conforomation. Dylan, whom you refereed to as only having "clear" on the K-9 data and not listed in OFA has all of his clearances. As you pointed out he is a Canadian Import and we do have records of all his clearances.
> 
> Thank you for the clarification on the puppy mill site, I was really taken a back that anyone would look at our website and think we were a puppy mill/broker.


I second Sally's Mom's suggestion to get into obedience or something similar. I really think some kind of competition is important when it comes to demonstrating a dog's personality and temperament, and something like the CCA would be a great place to start with conformation so you have unbiased, experienced eyes evaluating your dogs.

I honestly don't know how you get into showing in the US with English style dogs. We have a couple of members who do, though, so hopefully they can point you in the right direction.

I would also make a plea that you register your AVCO exams with CERF. It's not really a CERF without the registered part. It's also part of the GRCA CoE to register and/or do clearances in your country if a dog comes with foreign clearances. Currently, buyers have no way of verifying any of Dylan's clearances. I understand maybe not wanting to redo hips and elbows, but it would look a lot better to register that heart clearance, and mailing in the CERFs every year helps keep track of eye data that may help us breed healthier dogs someday. 

Have you joined your local GR club? That's an awesome place to start.


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## TrailsEdge (Sep 2, 2012)

I am a member of YGRC. I work really closely with some very experienced breeders, one of which has judged conformation in the past. Dylan is a lovely dog, but he isn't mine, thus I only have so much control over having his clearances posted. I have copies of the clearance tests and provide those to our families. In terms of "proving" dogs showing the English Creams in the US is really tough. I really want to stress that health of the pups and dogs in the pedigree is really critical. I think it would be nice to have a lot more transparency regarding the health of dogs. (more than the set of certifications we have already been talking about)


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

Hello Trails Edge. :wavey:I am also new to showing in conformation. Have you looked in to starting out in UKC? 
These are smaller shows and handlers are only allowed to show dogs they own, so usually no handlers! I also know several of the English type breeders here have had success finishing dogs in UKC. It is also a great place to make connections and learn from others. 
Check out there site. I see a show coming up on 9/29 in Westfield. Looks to be about an hour away! Make sure you get registered or get a temporary listing number soon if you want to go.
I have loved these shows and they can be a warm up to the AKC.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I go to those shows in Westfield and I am four hours away!!


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