# Liberty Run - MD



## Christemo (Feb 16, 2012)

I know they're a bad breeder (searching for them lead me to this site!), but what were the big flashing neon signs to you to why they're bad?
It's just getting frustrating having to read through an entire breeder's website to realize that they're a borderline mill, when the experts  are able to spot it 1,000 miles away. 
Here's the link:
Breeders of Golden Retriever Puppies at Liberty Run, 410-549-2911

Also, any good breeders in MD that you would recommend? I already emailed all the clubs for referrals, just wanted your input on it.


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## VickiR (Jun 16, 2011)

Cindy Williamson is in Jarrettsville.
She's a good breeder.


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

Delmarva is in Md. Biggest red flag on Liberty Run... Dogs with prelim clearances are being bred when they are old enough to have final clearances. Also missing elbow clearances..


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Lycinian is also in MD. If you expand your search into VA and PA, you can find a bunch more breeders. Also use the search feature on the forum to find a bunch of great threads on breeders in your area.


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

Rainheart said:


> Lycinian is also in MD. If you expand your search into VA and PA, you can find a bunch more breeders. Also use the search feature on the forum to find a bunch of great threads on breeders in your area.


Cindy Williamson is Lycinan Goldens  I agree that she is a great choice. You could also contact Cathy Story of Sunkota Goldens as she is in that area as well.


To the OP as to the website:
There are quite a few things that jump out at you when you are on the home page. 

Here is an excerpt from their home page:
To accomplish this, we breed only healthy and obedient adult Golden Retrievers, like Vana above, who earn obedience titles, not beauty pageant or hunting titles. Our moms and dads have their OFA, CERF, and SAS clearances. Original documents are here for you to view, and we provide copies of these to you when you purchase a puppy from Liberty Run.

The golden retriever standard says the golden is primarily a hunting dog but yet they state this is of no importance. Breeders show their dogs in "beauty pageants" which I am assuming they are calling AKC shows to prove that their breeding stock does meet the GRCA's standard for goldens and that they have the input from peers that are also involved in goldens. Again, in the above paragraph, they state this is not important.

Another clue: on their breedings.....their male dogs are bred to their female dogs. This can happen every now and again with a reputable breeder but there are no titles on any of these dogs, even though they state that obedience is important.

The father to the litter is Liberty Run's Moonlit Sampson. Punching that name into the OFA database yields this...... Orthopedic Foundation for Animals a hip clearance.

The mother is Liberty Run's Golden Alexis. Orthopedic Foundation for Animals again, only a hip clearance but yet they state on their website that they are SAS and CERF clear. 

Buttercup who is the dam to their current litter.... Orthopedic Foundation for Animals again only a hip clearance and there is no information on her mother, only the father who is missing his elbow clearance.

Usually when someone states right on their home page that they are against showing, hunting and the accepted breeding standards, it is because they are taking short cuts in their breeding program. If they are going to state that they are clear on their website and state that they do the clearances, if they aren't going to send them in the the OFA, the least they can do is link the copies on their page so people can see if they are indeed clear of these issues and if the CERF's are up to date.

When all this information is missing, it is a neon sign that things are not as they should be and if you dig deeper, you will find more. This was all on the home page of their site.


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## Perrieraddict (Jun 10, 2013)

I was just out at Liberty Run. The biggest red flag for me was that when I called, the owner did not ask for any information about me. Normally, when you call a reputable breeder, the breeder asks for references before they talk about anything else. I still visited, just to keep an open mind. All of the dogs are in cement kennels. I asked her if they ever get to run outside. She said they are released three times a day. I thought to myself that my rescue mongrel I found in the freeway several years ago (now sleeps on my bed) has a much better life than any of her dogs in their kennels. Also, normally a reputable breeder has names for the puppies immediately. These puppies (two litters, still too early to be released) were just laying on a blanket on concrete and had no identifiers (ribbons tied on them). Everything about this place screams puppy mill. I stayed for about 15 minutes and left. I want no business with a breeder who first doesn't ask who referred me and why do I want one of her dogs, and better yet, why should she trust me with one of her dogs. Extreme? Maybe. But having had very expensive dogs from reputable breeders that is just the way I have found it to be. At Liberty Run the dogs do appear to be in good health overall. The kennels did smell like urine but I did not see feces. Fly activity was minimal, but I would not call it clean. I just don't understand how a breeder can make all these claims about temperament etc. when the breeding dogs appear to never leave their cement kennels except just a few times a day. These are not PETS. They are PUPPY-MAKING MACHINES. Otherwise, there would have been some dogs outside on the farm. No, instead, they were all locked in cement kennels. This place just doesn't add up so I'm continuing my search for my next puppy. Anyway, I don't know anything about health clearances, etc. But I do know how dogs should be treated and I'm trusting my instincts on this. Oh, I forgot to add.... the entrance to their kennel area has mastercard and visa stickers. Who does that other than a pet mill operation?


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## sweet pup (Jan 30, 2017)

*not a puppy mill*

I have a 6 yr old golden from Liberty Run and she is a wonderful and healthy dog. I think the reviews of LR as a puppy mill are completely unfair. Just b/c they don't live in the primary home doesn't immediately translate to puppy mill. They spend a lot of research and effort in making sure they breed healthy dogs with no family lines crossing...owner has a degree in animal husbandry from University of MD. The relationships they maintain with their families is NOT puppy mill behavior. Highly recommend them and their pups!


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

There really is no true definition of a mill. A lot of it is subjective. What can be said acturatly is the are a large commercial kennel that houses their dogs in a kennel environment. Each puppy buyer has to decide if that arrangement is acceptable.

They have issues with health certifications. A vet certainly can hear a heart and have a finding but it is not truly a certification if it is not on OFA. It is a nominal fee that makes this easily verifiable and gives important additional information like if the dog was identifiable by chip or tattoo at the time of exam. It would also disclose what type of vet did the evaluation. Was it a Cardiologist or just a pet vet? It also elimintes the possibility of altering or forging documents. 

There eye certifications are even more of an issue the CERF registry does not even exist any more. It is now OFA yet they don't seem to know that. Eye should be done annually but since they don't spend the less than $10 to send them in for a true certification, there is no way to tell. Again this small fee would make it easily verifiable to puppy buyers, show if the dog was identified at the time of exam and eliminate the possibility of altered or forged forms. Not to mention the forms are very difficult to read and understand if there is a breeders option finding.

On inbreeding...all Goldens are inbred. That is how you get a breed. Many breeders outcross and there is a great tool to help breeders see their coefficients of inbreeding. It is called K9Data.org and it is free. Interestingly enough this breeder does not use it. It would be interesting to see what the COO on the dogs would be because a 3 or 4 generation pedigree could show no dogs in common but still be a very tight breeding. 

I am glad that you are happy with your dog and had a good experience. 

Based on what I can see though I would not be able to recommend them to someone looking for a puppy from parents with full health certifications. They simply don't have them.


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## Mayla (Jun 16, 2020)

sweet pup said:


> *not a puppy mill*
> 
> I have a 6 yr old golden from Liberty Run and she is a wonderful and healthy dog. I think the reviews of LR as a puppy mill are completely unfair. Just b/c they don't live in the primary home doesn't immediately translate to puppy mill. They spend a lot of research and effort in making sure they breed healthy dogs with no family lines crossing...owner has a degree in animal husbandry from University of MD. The relationships they maintain with their families is NOT puppy mill behavior. Highly recommend them and their pups!


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## Mayla (Jun 16, 2020)

I adopted a 2 year old from
liberty run, a female they said was too blonde to breed. It was very obvious that she had never seen the outside world when we exited the kennel. She didn’t know what grass was, wind, nothing. She didn’t know what a stair was and how to manage it so we had to carry her up the stairs to get her in to the house. It took her 2 months to move to any other area of the house other than the corner in the living room. We’ve put years of work in and hundreds of $ in specialists to managing her anxiety disorder because of her lack of socialization for a full 2 years of her life. We adore her and we don’t regret getting her - god knows the life she would have had. I do not think a reputable breeder would keep a dog in a 4x6 cement kennel for 2 years. They should be shut down and all their dogs placed with rescues.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

Mayla said:


> I adopted a 2 year old from
> liberty run, a female they said was too blonde to breed. It was very obvious that she had never seen the outside world when we exited the kennel. She didn’t know what grass was, wind, nothing. She didn’t know what a stair was and how to manage it so we had to carry her up the stairs to get her in to the house. It took her 2 months to move to any other area of the house other than the corner in the living room. We’ve put years of work in and hundreds of $ in specialists to managing her anxiety disorder because of her lack of socialization for a full 2 years of her life. We adore her and we don’t regret getting her - god knows the life she would have had. I do not think a reputable breeder would keep a dog in a 4x6 cement kennel for 2 years. They should be shut down and all their dogs placed with rescues.


This makes me so sad, but glad you have her now.


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