# Looking for a breeder in CT area



## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

My girls come from Broadwaygoldens. Small hobby breeders near Waterbury. They do all the clearances, temperament test, compete with their dogs, and are really nice to deal with. Very involved. Both my girls are super. They both are therapy dogs, got their certificate when they were 1 1/2. Highly trainable and very affectionate.


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

Having the registered name of both the sire and the dam can help members evaluate your options better, but I would rather wait until July for a litter that I was 100% comfortable with than go with one that's available now that I was unsure about. You often have to wait a bit for a pup from a good breeder but it's worth it.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Try emailing Kathi (Foxrun). I know I have been having all kinds of issues with my phone here in CT - plus I believe she might be busy showing & handling.

Barb from Sunfire might have pups available in the spring. Her current pups are all competition and spoken for. The Sunfire (and other breeders) girls are beginning to come into season again (I am hoping my Towhee holds off until March LOL) so it may just require patience.

Also please be clear on your training and exercise plans since the breeders mentioned above all breed with slightly different goals - they all breed for health but Kathi is more conformation oriented, Barb is more all around obedience oriented etc

Good luck


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Here is a thread where some breeders in CT. were referred by one of the Breeders here on the forum:

*It's post #4*

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...8-new-member-looking-adopt-puppy-ct-area.html


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

i am looking for a 'golden' golden retriever. and i am looking for a male. We do not do field training,but i like running, playing . so i guess i am looking for a little athletic healthy boy...


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Ahh - the wording you might like to use would be

'Active companion'


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

so guys, i called her up and the breeder ( debbie mason) said she has a younger litter and a elder litter. the younger litters are from her sisters dogs , sire is 4 yrs and dam is 3 years..litter is seven weeks. she said they have akc registration,she didnt give me akc registration numbers.
she said if we buy the puppy from her,she will give us all the parents clearances and will sent the papers after a week when we make sure that we take the puppy to vet and confirm about health and all. 
we are going tomorrow to see the puppies and hopefully all the clearances certificates of the parents.


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

She'll send you clearances _after_ you buy a puppy? I just want to make sure I am understanding that right?


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

she said she will release the forms once we check with the vet and satisfied...else we can give the puppy back in 7 days


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## Cookie's Mom (Oct 14, 2013)

All the breeders that I talked to that were reputable sent me links to the clearances and made sure to say that they had eye cerfs for that year in paper. I would probably just pass on this litter and wait for someone who you felt comfortable with. Also, why is she selling puppies from her sister's dogs and also still have older puppies? Did she give you a good reasons for that? Plus I feel like most reputable breeders will give you the registration papers at the time of pickup and if they don't, they list the litter registration number on the contract.


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## 1stGold13 (Dec 1, 2013)

Sounds pretty shady to me, anyone else?


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## 1stGold13 (Dec 1, 2013)

Most likely will be waiting for a good breeder, if you can't wait then are rolling the dice.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Actually, many of the breeders that I know do NOT give the registration papers at the same time as the puppy goes home, The papers follow after a few weeks after vet checks and the new owners feel confident they will be keeping the puppy. It can get complicated if the new owners sent in the paperwork to the AKC and then give the dog back to the breeder. Case in point is my Brady - returned at 10 weeks old due to not being housebroken - it could have been complicated if they had sent in the papers and then decided a 10 week old should be fully house trained in a busy household with youngsters heading out to school.

I do not think I personally have ever gotten the AKC paperwork at the time I brought the dog home.

Clearances should be readily verifiable on OFFA with the possible exception of eyes which many breeders keep hard copies of but do not send in to OFFA. This would be for both dam & sire so you can research their pedigrees as well.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Regarding registration papers.. I would have no problem waiting for papers if I trusted the breeder 100%, and you should if you are buying a puppy from them. However, there is a thread on this forum about a seemingly reputable breeder whose puppy buyers claimed to have never received their registration papers and communication with the breeder regarding the papers was ignored. 


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## Cookie's Mom (Oct 14, 2013)

Sunrise said:


> Actually, many of the breeders that I know do NOT give the registration papers at the same time as the puppy goes home, The papers follow after a few weeks after vet checks and the new owners feel confident they will be keeping the puppy. It can get complicated if the new owners sent in the paperwork to the AKC and then give the dog back to the breeder. Case in point is my Brady - returned at 10 weeks old due to not being housebroken - it could have been complicated if they had sent in the papers and then decided a 10 week old should be fully house trained in a busy household with youngsters heading out to school.
> 
> I do not think I personally have ever gotten the AKC paperwork at the time I brought the dog home.
> 
> Clearances should be readily verifiable on OFFA with the possible exception of eyes which many breeders keep hard copies of but do not send in to OFFA. This would be for both dam & sire so you can research their pedigrees as well.


I guess what I mean really is the application for the registration papers. For Cookie, I got the application for the papers when I picked her up. For the puppy I'm waiting for right now, I have to give her a check so she can register the dog for us. But I'm sure all breeders are different!


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

So guys, I went to the breeder and got to see the parents hip, heart, elbow and eye clearances and saw a paper showing family hereditary up to great grandparent.. Saw the puppy ..they were brought to the office..and saw their mother also..she is selling her sisters litter as sister is out of town...her sister is Diana mason.she said she will give the parents clearances when we take the puppy and sign a form so that if our vet sees any problems, she will take them back...what do you all think ?


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

If you give us the full names of the parent dogs, we can help you verify clearances and check the ancestry. That's fairly basic research to do before investing your money and your heart in a new family member. Having an AKC registration doesn't guarantee much, since plenty of backyard breeders and puppy mills can provide that. Personally, I want to see the clearances before I will consider taking a puppy, so she has things backwards in my book.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

laks1988 said:


> she said she will release the forms once we check with the vet and satisfied...else we can give the puppy back in 7 days


It sounds like she showed you the clearances and is offering to give you your own copies in a puppy packet when you pick up a puppy. That's pretty normal. It doesn't sound like she's hiding the clearance information until after purchase, which would be weird. And she's holding onto the _registration_ paperwork for an extra week, not the clearances. Is that right?

It seems like a lot of breeders these days are holding onto registration papers for at least a few weeks. Some even hold them until proof of neutering or spaying, though the limited registration system sort of makes that redundant. I can understand waiting a few weeks before sending registration, for precisely the reasons Sunrise outlined.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Sunrise said:


> Actually, many of the breeders that I know do NOT give the registration papers at the same time as the puppy goes home, The papers follow after a few weeks after vet checks and the new owners feel confident they will be keeping the puppy. It can get complicated if the new owners sent in the paperwork to the AKC and then give the dog back to the breeder. Case in point is my Brady - returned at 10 weeks old due to not being housebroken - it could have been complicated if they had sent in the papers and then decided a 10 week old should be fully house trained in a busy household with youngsters heading out to school.
> 
> I do not think I personally have ever gotten the AKC paperwork at the time I brought the dog home.


Very interesting.... makes sense when put that way...

Bertie was the only puppy I didn't have registration paperwork handed over at the point of sale. And that was only because the breeding happened in Canada and the AKC required DNA or something like that before they sent the paperwork to the breeders. 

Everyone else, the registration paperwork was all in a packet that was handed over after I signed the puppy contract. 

Debbie Mason - looking at her website - it does look like she has beautiful dogs and they are (apparently) active as far as showing the dogs. But verify the clearances before you purchase any puppy. The breeder may be "old school" as far as only handing over paperwork and maintaining "privacy" with the clearances. But basically, if these dogs have final clearances - they should be up on OFFA.org. You can look up the dogs with their registered names. 

I would be very concerned about any breeder not handing over clearance information until after the sale.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

The breeder at minimum should be willing to share the registered names or registration numbers of the sire/dam. Clearances are easy enough to verify online. Debbie Mason had an under-aged brother/sitter litter listed on the AKC classifieds of which a forum member purchased from her. Based on that member's communication with her, the breeder insisted clearances were complete and she would show them to the member when picking out the pup. Personally, I don't see the value in visiting a breeder without knowing the bare minimum clearances are in place.


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

yes...she's holding onto the registration paperwork for an extra week, not the clearances.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

laks1988 said:


> So guys, I went to the breeder and got to see the parents hip, heart, elbow and eye clearances and saw a paper showing family hereditary up to great grandparent.. Saw the puppy ..they were brought to the office..and saw their mother also..she is selling her sisters litter as sister is out of town...her sister is Diana mason.she said she will give the parents clearances when we take the puppy and sign a form so that if our vet sees any problems, she will take them back...what do you all think ?


I just wanted to quote this post because it appears to have been lost in the shuffle. The OP _was_ shown a three-generation pedigree, which would include the registered names of the parents, as well as the four major clearances on both parents, which also have registered names on them.

I am certainly not defending this breeder, as I don't know her or her sister at all. It may turn out there are problems with their programs. But I get concerned when people make assumptions in these threads and those assumptions aren't based on evidence. It can very quickly turn into unfair accusations against the breeders. I just wanted to point out that the OP said he or she _did_ see registered names and clearances.


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

I would expect to receive copies of the clearances, so I can research them and at least have them. That way if a question comes up I should have the information in hand. I don't know enough about clearances to be able to interpret them while just looking at them briefly, I prefer to have them and go to the sticky about interpreting clearance certificates. Especially with eyes, if there are breeders options, I want to know what it all means. That's just me, others may not be so analytic.

As others have said, not getting the registration paperwork isn't too uncommon. Pearl's breeder sent in all of the paperwork for her litter (we didn't go home with it), after we all gave 1-5 choice names. I guess that is to make sure the is done the way they want, with their kennel name and limited (where applicable) registration.


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

Hi,
these are the details i got about their parents. the breeder showed us all the clearances except the mom's eye clearance.

Sire
Registered Name - Broadway's a legend in his own time
Number - SR64671101
Male
DOB - 9/22/2010

Dam
Registerd Name - Braeside Ballingeary kyle of lochalsh
Number - SR63156701
Female
DOB - 6/10/2010


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

So that gives you this:

Orthopedic Foundation for Animals

and this:

Orthopedic Foundation for Animals

Did she happen to mention what happened to the eye clearance on the dam?


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

she said she doesnt have it with her at that time and that she will check with her sister.
And we saw the mom. She was very happy to see us and licked us and all.


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

They dam's cardiac was done by a practitioner, not a cardiologist which is recommended by the GRCA. They say a practitioner won't have the experience to pick up on all heart issues. That makes sense to me.

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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

oh...is that a problem ?


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

Personally it would concern me, but I'd at least ask the breeder about it.


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## NewfieMom (Sep 8, 2013)

I haven't bought a Golden Retriever since the late 1970's, and my Lab, in the 1990's, was a rescue. But my Newfoundland was a purebred and I got him in 2011. When I did, I found the breeder by going to the breeders who had been recommended by the Newfoundland Club of America. They actually have a hotline to help people find breeders. I vetted her very carefully, checking her out with people who knew Newfs in New England. I think it is wiser to travel beyond Connecticut and/or to wait than to wonder why the breeder is breeding and why he chose the sire and the dam that he did. Mere proximity (the sister's dog being available since it was the sister's) would not, in itself, be a good reason to choose it to sire a litter. I hope that you look into this more and I wish you wonderful luck in finding your perfect little boy!

NewfieMom


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

the sister's dog is the mother of the litter and the dad is from brodway goldens. according to the papers.thats a champion dog.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

OK.... *Scratches head* I thought I read something about the breeder providing *clearances* only in person and not giving the buyer the *clearances* (or numbers/registered names) to take home to look up and verify until *after* purchase. <- That set off alarms in my brain. Because honestly speaking, registered names and links to clearances should all be available to check out and verify before any exchange of money. 

If the buyer has the registered names and has looked the dogs up already - that's absolutely fine. And you can (as shown already by another member) look the dogs up on offa.org to verify clearances. 

Pedigree: Braeside Frontier's Prophet 

^ This is a littermate of the mom.

Pedigree: CH Broadway's A Legend In His Own Time Multi BISS

^ This is the dad. 

If everything is up-and-up and you like the breeder, I wouldn't worry.


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

However the cerf for the dam is not available online, best as I can tell (may be confused too) so that would have to come from the breeder since it is not on offa.org. Correct?

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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

but the dam's details are there in offa.org.

Dam
Registerd Name - Braeside Ballingeary kyle of lochalsh
Number - SR63156701
Female
DOB - 6/10/2010


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

Often the eye clearance is listed on offa.org as well though, and in this case it is not. So I think the question was whether the breeder provided you with the eye clearance in person?


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

no she didnt..but we asked her and told her that we want to see eye clearance next time we come...
is it a big problem because we saw the mom in person..she was very friendly...jumping up and licking us...and checked her eyes..they seemed fine also...
but i dont know...


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

laks1988 said:


> no she didnt..but we asked her and told her that we want to see eye clearance next time we come...
> is it a big problem because we saw the mom in person..she was very friendly...jumping up and licking us...and checked her eyes..they seemed fine also...
> but i dont know...


Yeah - eye clearances are a really big deal. There are a couple of hereditary eye conditions in Goldens that can lead to corneal ulcers, blindness, and even the loss of one or both eyes. Some of those conditions don't show up until later in life, so responsible breeders get AVCO exams every year on their breeding dogs and sometimes on other dogs to, just to check if the issue is popping up in non-breeding siblings.

So if that girl has never had an AVCO exam (the form you will see is called "CERF"), that would be a deal breaker for me. You'd have no way of knowing if she showed early symptoms of one of the devastating eye diseases. If her CERF form was a little out of date (like 18 months old instead of less than a year), I might still consider the litter, but with no CERF at all, I'd walk away. Too many people have dogs who are losing eyes to pigmentary uveitis these days. Here's a page on PU if you're curious as to why people are so serious about AVCO/CERF. PU is not the only eye problem that an AVCO exam can catch, but it's one of the most devastating and hard to detect.

Clearances are all about finding issues that are difficult to detect with the naked eye in a young dog. If a dog has serious eye problems by 4, it's easy to see you shouldn't breed him. But many younger dogs carrying serious hereditary problems look fine in person, so you need clearances to look for the most common, most debilitating issues, like hip and elbow dysplasia, heart defects, and eye diseases. It's not a perfect guarantee, but it does cut the risks down dramatically for your prospective puppy, and it also reduces the incidence of disease across the breed over time.


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

so we called her up and she said her sister ( diana mason, the original owner of the litter ) is back and she has the eye clearance and she will mail it to us soon... 
is there anything else preventing from buying the pup ? 
is it safe to proceed if we can see the eye clearance also ?


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## Goldenhopeful (Dec 21, 2013)

I am going to say this... and I'm just going by my gut feeling after reading this post... I think you can do better... and I know it's hard to wait but it's totally worth it to get a puppy from a fabulous breeder who does everything great and then some... I feel like the breeder should know about and promote all of her dogs clearances (Even if it's her sisters litter) She should have all the clearances ready to give to anyone who inquires about her litter (Or her sisters litter). Its just something a good breeder knows and promotes when someone is talking to them about their dogs. Also why was the sister out of town when she had a litter on the ground? It just seemed odd- and the issue about having a brother sister breeding when they were too young. Also did you see how she was keeping the puppies? Were they socialized? Did they have a nice big pen with toys to play with? Were they kept in the house? All these things are important too not just clearances... I don't know something just feels off about this and I think that maybe you just want to get a puppy so bad that you are willing to sacrifice waiting for the BEST breeder you can find... I'm sorry I don't mean any offense I just wanted to give you my two cents...


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## NewfieMom (Sep 8, 2013)

Did you ever ask this woman why she and her sister are breeding Golden Retrievers? What their aim is?

NewfieMom


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

laks1988 said:


> so we called her up and she said her sister ( diana mason, the original owner of the litter ) is back and she has the eye clearance and she will mail it to us soon...
> is there anything else preventing from buying the pup ?
> is it safe to proceed if we can see the eye clearance also ?


Wait until you see the eye clearance in your hand, and try to get it sent in to the database per the GRCA code of ethics too. 

My young dog has PU with Uveal Cysts and cataracts, and my goodness it is heartbreaking. 

There are sooooo many great litters coming right now, with all four clearances. Many are even forum member's litters that are just super. 

Saying that, I absolutely think the dad on the litter above is beautiful, and I saw him in Maine this summer. 

Do homework on eye clearances, hip, elbows and heart before choosing any litter, look at grandparents too.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Here are a few other breeders in Westchester, MA, and NY. It is a process to find the perfect litter, but you want to feel truly good.


Indya Sheehan has a beautiful litter in Rowley MA. She is Rainyday Goldens lhttp://www.rainydaygoldens.com/Litters.html

Goodtime Golden Retrievers
Lisa Smith
Bedford, NY USA 10506 
[email protected]

Chestnut Goldens
Mary Beth & Katie Konesky
Grand Island, NY USA 14072 
[email protected]
www.chestnutgoldens.net 

Gaylan's Golden Retrievers
Gayle Watkins
Cold Spring, NY USA 
[email protected]
www.gaylans.com 

Claddagh Golden Retrievers
Debra Mattle
Nunda, NY USA 14517 
[email protected]

Nitro Golden Retrievers
Mary MacQueen
Frewsburg, NY USA 14738 
[email protected]
www.nitrogoldens.com 
(716) 354-9235

Painting Goldens
Lee & Elizabeth Painting
Walworth, NY USA 14568 
[email protected]
www.paintinggoldens.com

Starhill Golden Retrievers
Gregg & Margaret von Sternberg
North Andover, MA USA 01845 
[email protected]
www.StarhillGoldens.com 

Daybreak Golden Retrievers
Susan Foster
North Andover, MA USA 01845 
[email protected]
978-683-0356

Beau Geste
Jan Bramhall
Acton, MA USA 01720 
[email protected]
www.beaugeste.com 
617-283-7763

Brookshire Golden Retrievers
Julie M Guay
Northborough, MA USA 01532 
[email protected]
brookshiregoldens.com 
508 341-3237

Hunting Lane Goldens
Joan & Lisa Dunn
Sherborn, MA USA 
[email protected]
508-655-6041


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

YES. we will not confirm till we see the eye clearance as well . The owner of the litter (sister of debbie mason) is Diana mason, Professional handler for dogs. Thats why she was not there when we went to the greengate kennel. The pups were brought down from home.
They were kept at home with their mom.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Murphy is a Beau Geste dog. He's beautfiul, sweet and the healthiest do I've ever owned!


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

guys...i got the eye clearance of the mom of the litter..it is normal...the breeder actually sent it to us by mail...i think that makes all the clearance of the litter's parents... everything seems fine..


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Check with experts about the uveal cysts, maybe give a call to your vet. I am genuinely not sure.


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## nizza322 (Nov 11, 2013)

Did you end up getting one of these pups? I saw this listing on the AKC site and was interested as well. I spoke to the breeder referral person for Yankee GR Club, and she is familiar with the Masons @ Greengate Farm. She suggested I give them a call.


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## nizza322 (Nov 11, 2013)

We picked up our pup from this litter today. He is AWESOME! Day one has been a success. Great temperament and very cuddly. We are very happy with him. Debbie Mason at Greengate was fantastic! I'm looking forward to seeking advice and sharing experiences on this forum!


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

we got the pup from debbie only..i ended up picking him after seeing all the clearances.. he is great


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

laks1988 said:


> we got the pup from debbie only..i ended up picking him after seeing all the clearances.. he is great


But you also posted in another thread that your little pup is fearful of people and doesn't appear to be socialized which demonstrates that there is far more to breeding than just the 4 core clearances.


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## laks1988 (Jan 19, 2014)

yeah..he seems scared..if people has other dogs with them..he is fine...others he seems scared...my friends are yet to come and see him...when he sees them and recieves treats..i hope he will be ok


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## Rileysmomma (Feb 6, 2014)

inge said:


> My girls come from Broadwaygoldens. Small hobby breeders near Waterbury. They do all the clearances, temperament test, compete with their dogs, and are really nice to deal with. Very involved. Both my girls are super. They both are therapy dogs, got their certificate when they were 1 1/2. Highly trainable and very affectionate.


My Riley is a Broadway Golden!!! Only 3 in his litter. Nice to see someone else with a Broadway golden! Rose and Kathy were/are great to work with! Still there if I need them for questions. Riley came to us very well socialized as well. All clearances were there.


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