# Creekstone Retrievers- ALABAMA



## sickpuppy (Jul 25, 2008)

Has anyone ever heard of them? This is so very important. I got a dog for my mother for her 50th birthday. She will be 18 months in August, we found out today she has HD.


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## PeanutsMom (Oct 14, 2007)

sickpuppy said:


> Has anyone ever heard of them? This is so very important. I got a dog for my mother for her 50th birthday. She will be 18 months in August, we found out today she has HD.


That is awful, I'm so sorry for you and your pup. I'm sure we have breeders and other members here you will be able to get advice from.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

sickpuppy said:


> Has anyone ever heard of them? This is so very important. I got a dog for my mother for her 50th birthday. She will be 18 months in August, we found out today she has HD.


HD is upsetting, but there is life after this diagnosis. My Shadow had an FHO at 7 months of age and a THR when he was 11 months old. It's expensive, it's heartbreaking, and it's frustrating, but Shadow is going to be 6 years old and is doing very well.

Remember, not all dogs diagnosed with HD need surgery....


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Welcome to the forum, sorry your first post had to be so unfortunate.
I know nothing about the kennel mentioned but was wondering what kind of onfo you are looking for? I looked at their website but not a lot of info there and the same for K9Data. Entered their kennel name in OFA's database and saw numerous dogs listed there, so it appears they may do clearances (12 hips and 6 hearts). Can you provide the registered names of the pup's parents? If so you can enter into OFA and see if they have clearances from there.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

bumping up for more opinions


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Do they have a good warrenty? Contact them and see what they can help with. No breeder is immuned from HD...its how they handle the situation that tells you about that breeder.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Aubuilder96 started a different thread about them, (I think). Try the search feature for Creekstone as there was some discussion. So sorry about your pup's HD.


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## 2sickpuppies (Nov 19, 2008)

sickpuppy said:


> Has anyone ever heard of them? This is so very important. I got a dog for my mother for her 50th birthday. She will be 18 months in August, we found out today she has HD.


 
We have two dogs from Creekstone with dysplasia. The first dog we had major surgery on her at 6 months old. One was our "free" dog due to the other one getting dysplasia. We just found out about the second one today. We are heartbroken. Can you send me an e-mail? I just joined and it says that I can't send e-mails directly to you. Thanks.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

2sickpuppies said:


> We have two dogs from Creekstone with dysplasia. The first dog we had major surgery on her at 6 months old. One was our "free" dog due to the other one getting dysplasia. We just found out about the second one today. We are heartbroken. Can you send me an e-mail? I just joined and it says that I can't send e-mails directly to you. Thanks.


 
Although their website touts "Hip,heart and Eyes", checking OFA I see spotty clearances, at best. None of the dogs have complete clearances, many of the hips are "fair", and Josie has poduced at least one puppy with mild unilateral dysplasia, another dog has a full sibling with degenerative joint disease in elbows. Considering the number of litters produced, there are not a lot of dogs entered with clearances for me to consider there to be a solid enough history of good genetics. Following what there is in K9 data as far, a vertical pedigree of clearances cannot be built as too many dogs all throughout the pedigrees have had none done. I found no CERF eyes anywhere, and only a couple of cardiac reports. However, as they do not provide registered names for the dogs on their site, if any of them were purchased and registered under different prefixes, those cannot be checked.

Additionally, this kennel charges more for "English Creams" ($500 to $1500 more!) than for "American Goldens". Their written warranty covers nothing, and is good for 72 hours only and the puppy must be returned.
All in all, if I'd even gotten past the "English Cream" thing and pricing by color, I'd have stopped dead in my tracks on the clearances and "warranty".


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Here is the thread about creekstone retrievers http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=34629&highlight=aubuilder96

I am sorry about your pup having HD. Hope you can get some help for her.


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## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

This whole unfortunate situation really disgusts me.


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## dogluver04 (Jul 5, 2008)

2sickpuppies said:


> We have two dogs from Creekstone with dysplasia. The first dog we had major surgery on her at 6 months old. One was our "free" dog due to the other one getting dysplasia. We just found out about the second one today. We are heartbroken. Can you send me an e-mail? I just joined and it says that I can't send e-mails directly to you. Thanks.


That is horrible! That many dogs should not be having HD... Like it can happen to any breeder that one of their pups get it, but seriously not that many..!


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## gte025u (Sep 19, 2009)

I have a dog from Creekstone Retrievers. He is a great dog and I love him tremendously. However, he has severe bilateral elbow dysplasia which required major surgery when he was 8 months old. Before the surgery he could barely put any weight on his left front leg after playing, going for a walk, etc. After the surgery he basically couldn't walk for a few days, but he steadily got better and now you wouldn't even know anything was wrong with him.
We notified the breeder (Creekstone Retrievers - Cindy Stubbs) about him having elbow dysplasia, and I was shocked at her response. Instead of saying "thank you for bringing that to my attention, I'll see if there were any other issues in this litter of puppies," she got really defensive. She said she does everything "by the book" (breeds her bitches every time they go into heat) and was completely unwilling to any of his corrective surgery. I don't like slinging mud, but in this case Cindy Stubbs has asked for it. I really hope she develops some consciousness and feels the hurt that so many of her customers and puppies have endured.


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

Lucky's mom said:


> Do they have a good warrenty? Contact them and see what they can help with. No breeder is immuned from HD...its how they handle the situation that tells you about that breeder.


I have seen a lot of breeders warranties and they all say pretty much the same thing. If the dog has a health issue within 72 hours, full refund. If a hereditary problem is found within the first 2 years (some are a little shorter time period and some are a little longer) they will replace the pup. But you have to give your dog back to them. This may be O.K. for a breeder, who got the pup to breed, but for a pet owner that is not an option. I don't know any pet owner who wants to give up her pup after 3 months much less 24. I am just curious, how should a breeder handle this? Every contract I have ever seen has stated that they are not responsible for the vet bills of the pups. If you choose to keep them, you are responsible for its care and costs incurred. Has anyone seen anything different from this. If so, I am signing the wrong contracts or buying from the wrong breeders. Please advise.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

goldhaven said:


> I have seen a lot of breeders warranties and they all say pretty much the same thing. If the dog has a health issue within 72 hours, full refund. If a hereditary problem is found within the first 2 years (some are a little shorter time period and some are a little longer) they will replace the pup. But you have to give your dog back to them. This may be O.K. for a breeder, who got the pup to breed, but for a pet owner that is not an option. I don't know any pet owner who wants to give up her pup after 3 months much less 24. I am just curious, how should a breeder handle this? Every contract I have ever seen has stated that they are not responsible for the vet bills of the pups. If you choose to keep them, you are responsible for its care and costs incurred. Has anyone seen anything different from this. If so, I am signing the wrong contracts or buying from the wrong breeders. Please advise.


We have a lovely little girl who sadly has bilateral elbow dysplasia and required expensive surgery. Her breeder returned her entire purchase price with a thank you note that we were still willing to keep & love her. I've raised 7 goldens- 6 healthy- but the one that did need breeder responsibility made all the research worth it. Recently we chose a beautiful cheerful puppy, but he turned out to have an unusual& rare heart defect- grade 4 or 5. With open arms and shared sorrow, the breeders took him home to give him the best cardiologist's care and returned his full purchase price immediately. In both cases, breeders stood behind their pups the way you hope every breeder will. It is never easy to confront a hopeful young baby with a serious health problem- but it is much less of a nightmare with a wise and caring breeder.


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

Max's breeders contract was that I had 2 weeks to get him to the doctor to have him checked out. If Max has any serious health problems for 2+ years with genetic causes, they'd give me a second puppy - I'm sure I wouldn't have to give Max back but as he didn't cost an arm and a leg, I doubt they would help with his medical bills. You paid a lot more for your golden, one would think your "warranty" would be a lot better than mine.

You didn't say if it was mild or severe HD? The surgeries are expensive, yes, but they are very successful. Your doggy can live a normal painfree life. If it's mild HD, the dog may not need surgery ever or perhaps until later in life.


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## gte025u (Sep 19, 2009)

*Nice Story*



Ljilly28 said:


> We have a lovely little girl who sadly has bilateral elbow dysplasia and required expensive surgery. Her breeder returned her entire purchase price with a thank you note that we were still willing to keep & love her. I've raised 7 goldens- 6 healthy- but the one that did need breeder responsibility made all the research worth it. Recently we chose a beautiful cheerful puppy, but he turned out to have an unusual& rare heart defect- grade 4 or 5. With open arms and shared sorrow, the breeders took him home to give him the best cardiologist's care and returned his full purchase price immediately. In both cases, breeders stood behind their pups the way you hope every breeder will. It is never easy to confront a hopeful young baby with a serious health problem- but it is much less of a nightmare with a wise and caring breeder.


That's a nice response from your breeder - totally opposite from the response I received from Cindy Stubbs / Creekstone Retrievers about my puppy (see earlier post 9/18/09).

How old is she now and how is she doing? My puppy is 1.5 yrs old now. It has been about 10 months from his surgery, and he is doing really well - no limping at all.


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

gte025u said:


> That's a nice response from your breeder - totally opposite from the response I received from Cindy Stubbs / Creekstone Retrievers about my puppy (see earlier post 9/18/09).
> 
> How old is she now and how is she doing? My puppy is 1.5 yrs old now. It has been about 10 months from his surgery, and he is doing really well - no limping at all.


 
Lucky doggy to have your as his family!!


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

Ljilly28 said:


> We have a lovely little girl who sadly has bilateral elbow dysplasia and required expensive surgery. Her breeder returned her entire purchase price with a thank you note that we were still willing to keep & love her. I've raised 7 goldens- 6 healthy- but the one that did need breeder responsibility made all the research worth it. Recently we chose a beautiful cheerful puppy, but he turned out to have an unusual& rare heart defect- grade 4 or 5. With open arms and shared sorrow, the breeders took him home to give him the best cardiologist's care and returned his full purchase price immediately. In both cases, breeders stood behind their pups the way you hope every breeder will. It is never easy to confront a hopeful young baby with a serious health problem- but it is much less of a nightmare with a wise and caring breeder.


Was this stated in a contract when you purchased your pup? I would like to think that the breeder where I got my pups would do the same thing, but sadly, I have to say that I don't think so. You definitely picked the right breeder. I wish they were all like this. Thanks for sharing. Your breeder definitely set the standard for me to look for in the purchase of my next golden pup.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I have said it over and over again-a "breeder" who requires the return of the puppy for the warranty to be in effect, is not a good breeder. The only reason to have this clause in a contract is because the "breeder" knows that people get attached to their puppy and in all likelihood, are not going to return it if problems develop. 

Not all breeders offer warranties, but if they do, it should never require the return of the puppy.


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## glddog04 (Sep 19, 2009)

Hey this is for the original poster. We are in Birmingham, you are aware at this point,I'm sure, that these folks are bad news. Once apon a time thier web site featured a barn with rows of whelping boxs , very cute with little picket fences. But just think *ROWS* of whelping boxs *UGH* They do not show or exibit in any way or shape. They charge more for clearances,(of which there seem to be about 3 dogs they own listed on OFA) no eye ,heart or elbows. More for "English Creme" on and on !I am so sorry this has happened to you.. but there are plenty of others. Nothing good comes from that place. I wish word would get out. It is my understanding they also advertize in the Atlanta papers. If your Mom is in the Birmingham area I would suggest she contact a Dr Milton. He is an othepedic specialist. If you need any help feel free to contact me via this forum and I will respond privately.

glddog04


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## Mad's Mom (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm sorry about your pup and experience with this breeder.

When my girl Mad was diagnosed with probable renal dysplasia at 16-months I e-mailed her breeder to let her know. She called me that night, was very saddened by the news, and after a long talk about how Mad was doing, she made it clear she wanted me to know that she wanted to honor her contract whether via refund or a *second* puppy, whether or not this was genetic.


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## glddog04 (Sep 19, 2009)

Mad's Mom said:


> I'm sorry about your pup and experience with this breeder.
> 
> When my girl Mad was diagnosed with probable renal dysplasia at 16-months I e-mailed her breeder to let her know. She called me that night, was very saddened by the news, and after a long talk about how Mad was doing, she made it clear she wanted me to know that she wanted to honor her contract whether via refund or a *second* puppy, whether or not this was genetic.


The people at Creekstone arent in the same class, not even close. They are a high volume breeder. I *HATE* that they are virtually in my back yard...So many people have been devistated because their pup has a health or behavioral problem. It is so sad . 
glddog04


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

just a random question. 

If several people on the board have pups with health issues from the same/a place is it possible a place is selling sick puppies knowingly and you have legal recourse based on that? you have an established pattern. Especially if you can show the same parents etc?


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## glddog04 (Sep 19, 2009)

I don't think Alabama has a lemon law. *IF* a group of people could find each other and "band together" and were really commited, personally and financially you could /sue or go to claims court. The other options would be to get AKC or Animal welfare involved. AKC would only care if they falsified records. There would have to be proof that animals arent properly cared for to get animal welfare involved. Around here all you need is shelter food and water and you are concidered OK. 

As always the best thing in my opinion is EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION!! 

I get a lot of calls for puppies here in Birmingham. I always try to steer them the right direction, and to arm themselves with an understanding of what to look for in a good breeder. I rarely hear how things end up though *SIGH* I can only hope for the best....

glddog04


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## Mermaid62 (Jun 16, 2020)

[QUOTE="glddog04, post: 930374, member: 10888"
I’m so glad I saw this! I almost contacted them I had heard of a great English cream breeder in Tenn that my neighbor got her beauty from but I thought crekstkne looked good , I noticed the site was not as well done etc but they were starting at 2000 $ ( vs 1800 for the TN people who are a family with the dog’s in their home /farm!
I am in Birmingham and don’t want to get a sick dog or support bad breeders ! Any recommendations?


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## Mermaid62 (Jun 16, 2020)

Sorry for the top of my post I just joined and am not used to this yet ! I almost contacted this creekstone place but thank God I saw this forum!


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