# Fort Knox Goldens - Ontario



## Dan2743 (Jul 17, 2019)

We've been looking into a lot of Golden breeders in Ontario and Fort Knox Goldens (https://www.canadiangoldens.com/fortknox/) is one that's at the top of our list so far. I've read all the existing threads I could find on here about them (mostly from about 8 years ago, 1 from last year), but thought I'd post a new one.

Does anyone have experience with this breeder?

If you do have a dog from them or know someone who does, what's the age of this dog, and how has everything been?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Their website is pretty out of date. Their current litter was set to go home in 2008 - unless I'm on the wrong site. Do you have updated info? Who are the prospective parents of the pups? Why are they top of your list?


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## Dan2743 (Jul 17, 2019)

Their website is out of date, so the info there isn't current day. Our neighbour has a 1 1/2 year old Golden from there, which is how we first heard about them. As I started looking into other breeders, I found them mentioned online, and there's also good things to say about them on this forum (although the info is pretty old). So maybe I shouldn't say TOP of our list yet, I should just say they're on our list currently, as we're still looking at breeders and researching to narrow it down.

I have contacted them by email and they've provided me with a lot of info on a new litter that will be happening, costs, etc. I also asked if they've got info they can can give me on clearances as well, and for their original parents. We won't be going on site to meet and see their facilities until mid August, so I can get this info at that time as well.

Just thought I'd ask if anyone's got a pup from there and how things went.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

There are a lot of very good Golden breeders in Ontario. I would check the pedigree and clearances on the prospective parents of the breeding before you go and meet them.


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## cmh (Oct 2, 2019)

*bad luck?*

We have had 2 Goldens from Fort Knox, seven and five years ago. They were both wonderful in disposition, although the female has a bit of anxiousness. She has also had both knees and an elbow replaced in five years!! Also had to have baby teeth removed because they were growing into her opposite gums, causing bleeding. Our seven year old beautiful boy just passed away from cancer at 7 years. Devastated to have gone through all of this with beautiful pups.


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## Hayley Rebecca (Oct 16, 2019)

Thanks for sharing. Curious if you remember the names of the parents of your pups?


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## HB1 (Apr 5, 2020)

I realize this post is somewhat old but thought I would offer my experience with Fort Knox. I got a female from a litter in 2007 (Sailor and Crystal litter). I had to go ‘interview’ with the owners before being added to the list for the litter. I appreciated how thorough they were in ensuring their pups were going to a safe, loving and capable home.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our sweet girl at Christmas this year. She was 12.5 years old. She was the best dog anyone could ask for. Everyone around her loved her, in fact we even had a young girl pull her car over and ask to pet her while out for a walk. She had the sweetest disposition and was a total beauty. She adapted from life with just her and I, to meeting my husband, to having two young boys without effort.

We have been entertaining getting another pup now that we’re home for the next two months (at least) and have reached out to her for more info. In short, I highly recommend them!


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

The “Fort Knox Goldens” that I could find on K9Data have absolutely no health clearances. The ones I could find on the OFA database were Tested 10+ years ago. The Golden Retriever Club of America has a Code of Ethics that breeders must adhere to in order to be considered ethical. The Golden Retriever Club of Canada also has a Code of Ethics that is essentially the same. Here is a link:









Code of Ethics


This Code of Ethics is presented for members of the Golden Retriever Club of Canada. who are breeders and/or owners of Golden Retrievers. This code embodies two of the foremost aims of the G.R.C.C.…




grcc.net





Fort Knox Goldens does not appear to abide by these code of ethics and therefore cannot be considered ethical. They are on the breeder list on the GRCC website (if it is the same breeder)....but they have no website of their own and there is no way to verify clearances or any health information. I would be very wary.


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## Mistygold5 (Jun 6, 2020)

Emmdenn said:


> The “Fort Knox Goldens” that I could find on K9Data have absolutely no health clearances. The ones I could find on the OFA database were Tested 10+ years ago. The Golden Retriever Club of America has a Code of Ethics that breeders must adhere to in order to be considered ethical. The Golden Retriever Club of Canada also has a Code of Ethics that is essentially the same. Here is a link:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Um... Fort Knox Breeding IS listed on grcc.net/index You must have missed that?? 🤷


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

Mistygold5 said:


> Um... Fort Knox Breeding IS listed on grcc.net/index You must have missed that?? 🤷


she mentioned that it was listed on the GRCC site, just that they have no website of their own to verify clearances.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

Mistygold5 said:


> Um... Fort Knox Breeding IS listed on grcc.net/index You must have missed that?? 🤷


This is what I said:

“They are on the breeder list on the GRCC website (if it is the same breeder)....but they have no website of their own and there is no way to verify clearances or any health information.”

You should always independently be able to verify health clearances for reputable breeders, even if they are on a list as stated above.


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## Calvins mom (Oct 22, 2020)

Dan2743 said:


> We've been looking into a lot of Golden breeders in Ontario and Fort Knox Goldens (https://www.canadiangoldens.com/fortknox/) is one that's at the top of our list so far. I've read all the existing threads I could find on here about them (mostly from about 8 years ago, 1 from last year), but thought I'd post a new one.
> 
> I have
> 
> ...


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## Calvins mom (Oct 22, 2020)

I got a golden thru fort knox. Their website is old and so I just called. She sent me photos of the dogs parents. They are all registered and have papers. Health Guaranteed. My Calvin is beautifl and healthy and has the best temperment. I actually want another one. I am going to email them and see if they are having any more litters.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Calvins mom said:


> I got a golden thru fort knox. Their website is old and so I just called. She sent me photos of the dogs parents. They are all registered and have papers. Health Guaranteed. My Calvin is beautifl and healthy and has the best temperment. I actually want another one. I am going to email them and see if they are having any more litters.


Unfortunately, registered and health guaranteed does not mean they have any health clearances. Ethical breeders do clearances on hips, elbows, heart and eyes. They should be on OFA and publicly available.


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## Michelle C (Nov 30, 2020)

Dan2743 said:


> We've been looking into a lot of Golden breeders in Ontario and Fort Knox Goldens (https://www.canadiangoldens.com/fortknox/) is one that's at the top of our list so far. I've read all the existing threads I could find on here about them (mostly from about 8 years ago, 1 from last year), but thought I'd post a new one.
> 
> Does anyone have experience with this breeder?
> 
> ...


Did you get a puppy from Fort Knox Goldens? We are registered with them to get a puppy, but I'm still wanting to better verify them as excellent breeders, etc.


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## Michelle C (Nov 30, 2020)

Calvins mom said:


> I got a golden thru fort knox. Their website is old and so I just called. She sent me photos of the dogs parents. They are all registered and have papers. Health Guaranteed. My Calvin is beautifl and healthy and has the best temperment. I actually want another one. I am going to email them and see if they are having any more litters.


We are registered with Fort Knox Goldens to get a puppy. May I ask who Calvin's parents are? Just curious...


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## Calvins mom (Oct 22, 2020)

Michelle C said:


> We are registered with Fort Knox Goldens to get a puppy. May I ask who Calvin's parents are? Just curious...


Faith and Lennon


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## hollyann712 (Oct 20, 2020)

Emmdenn said:


> The “Fort Knox Goldens” that I could find on K9Data have absolutely no health clearances. The ones I could find on the OFA database were Tested 10+ years ago. The Golden Retriever Club of America has a Code of Ethics that breeders must adhere to in order to be considered ethical. The Golden Retriever Club of Canada also has a Code of Ethics that is essentially the same. Here is a link:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Their dogs are registered with "FortKnox" - the breeder sent me the names and they are on K9Data AND OFA. Heart and eye clearances aren't on the OFA site, but they did provide paper copies and contact information for their ophthalmologist and cardiologist. That should be enough, no?


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

It is- but if it were me, I would call those practitioners and be sure A. the cardio was done by a cardiologist and B the eyes were normal.


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## mack.chuck (Dec 31, 2020)

Calvins mom said:


> Faith and Lennon


No way! My girl is a faith Lennon baby. What year? Shes Dec 2016.  

I also just wanted to add in their defence- Fort Knox's owners are very not tech savvy. Lovely people and they do have all the official health clearances included in your puppy package- she also sends you copies of before committing too, if requested. She doesn't even have a website now because she didn't have time to maintain it. 
I worked in the dog care industry, I went with Fort Knox as I knew 3 dogs from there, all of them lovely in temperment with humans. 2 ended up with some dog aggression, but frankly that was definitely a socialization issue. They also seem to have the mild allergies very common in goldens and labs. My girl gets some but never anything to the point we've medicated, just a bit itchy during grass season.


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## hollyann712 (Oct 20, 2020)

mack.chuck said:


> No way! My girl is a faith Lennon baby. What year? Shes Dec 2016.
> 
> I also just wanted to add in their defence- Fort Knox's owners are very not tech savvy. Lovely people and they do have all the official health clearances included in your puppy package- she also sends you copies of before committing too, if requested. She doesn't even have a website now because she didn't have time to maintain it.
> I worked in the dog care industry, I went with Fort Knox as I knew 3 dogs from there, all of them lovely in temperment with humans. 2 ended up with some dog aggression, but frankly that was definitely a socialization issue. They also seem to have the mild allergies very common in goldens and labs. My girl gets some but never anything to the point we've medicated, just a bit itchy during grass season.


I've been in contact with Kathleen about a potential puppy. How old are the goldens you know from Fort Knox? I want to see the eye/heart reports and/or contact the specialist veterinarians, but I'm pretty impressed with the information I've been given so far.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

hollyann712 said:


> I've been in contact with Kathleen about a potential puppy. How old are the goldens you know from Fort Knox? I want to see the eye/heart reports and/or contact the specialist veterinarians, but I'm pretty impressed with the information I've been given so far.


You should be able to put the parents' registered names into the OFA database and see hip, elbow, eyes and heart clearances. Those are publicly available. They should also be doing DNA testing and make those results readily available to you. If you're not sure how to do this, if you post the names of the sire and dam here, someone can check clearances for you.


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## Hannahf93 (Jan 8, 2021)

I have a fortknox golden, and he’s wonderful. No issues at all. A bit of a picky eater but oh well.

Also, I’m not quite sure why you can’t find the info for their dogs, you must not have looked very hard...

Groot (homebred, stud for recent litter)
K9 data: Pedigree: Fortknoxs Iam Groot
OFA: https://www.ofa.org/advanced-search?f=sr&appnum=2042686

“OhOh” (ambercroft, the stud for my boy Goose)
K9 data: Pedigree: CanCH Dreamworks Whadudo This Time
OFA: https://www.ofa.org/advanced-search?quicksearch=Dreamworks Whadudo This Time

Daisy (mom of our boy Goose)
K9data: Pedigree: Fortknoxs Flower Child
OFA: https://www.ofa.org/advanced-search?quicksearch=Fortknox%92s%20Flower%20Child

Rigby (one of her females)
K9 data: https://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=705792

I think I’ve proved my point...

Kathleen is a wonderful breeder, some of her pups on instagram: @thegoldenspeedster @Jasperthegoldenboy @hudson_goldenboy

I’m happy to answer any questions about the process, or about our experience. We’re actually picking up puppy number two from Kathleen tomorrow morning!


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## Hannahf93 (Jan 8, 2021)

Ps- this list doesn’t include all the dogs that are from external breeders (such as Ambercroft) that Kathleen will use as well.


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## bigblackdog (Jun 14, 2013)

I don't see eyes or heart on the OFA site for Daisy or Groot. I did not bother looking up the other dogs. Those are incomplete health tests. Also missing are the DNA results for other diseases.


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## Hannahf93 (Jan 8, 2021)

The original issue called out is that “none of the dogs have any health clearances on k9data or OFA, or are 10+ years old” which is not the case. The majority of clearances are searchable, and we received a comprehensive copy of all health clearances for both parents when we bought our first pup.


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## bigblackdog (Jun 14, 2013)

This still does not explain the missing heart and eye testing. If it's been done...it should be up on the OFA website. Just having hips and elbows is not complete.


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## hollyann712 (Oct 20, 2020)

Sweet Girl said:


> You should be able to put the parents' registered names into the OFA database and see hip, elbow, eyes and heart clearances. Those are publicly available. They should also be doing DNA testing and make those results readily available to you. If you're not sure how to do this, if you post the names of the sire and dam here, someone can check clearances for you.


Thank you for the help. I do understand how to look up names on OFA and K9Data. They don't have the heart/eyes posted, but they did provide the specialist's names that cleared the heart or eyes on their dogs. 
To my knowledge, it is additional cost to post heart/eyes on OFA, so I'm not concerned if they are not posted IF I am able to receive copies and call the doctor to confirm authenticity.


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## hollyann712 (Oct 20, 2020)

bigblackdog said:


> This still does not explain the missing heart and eye testing. If it's been done...it should be up on the OFA website. Just having hips and elbows is not complete.





Hannahf93 said:


> The original issue called out is that “none of the dogs have any health clearances on k9data or OFA, or are 10+ years old” which is not the case. The majority of clearances are searchable, and we received a comprehensive copy of all health clearances for both parents when we bought our first pup.


How was your experience? I was in contact with Kathleen but I think I may have asked too many questions in my last email as she has not responded...


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## Hannahf93 (Jan 8, 2021)

We picked up a puppy on the weekend from Kathleen and I received copies of the OFA clearance paperwork for eyes, hips, elbows and heart for both mom and dad. Mom had “excellent” hips (made me chuckle).
No heart abnormalities or murmurs so no ECG was needed for mom or dad.

Puppy is settling in well, happy little guy.


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## bigblackdog (Jun 14, 2013)

hollyann712 said:


> Thank you for the help. I do understand how to look up names on OFA and K9Data. They don't have the heart/eyes posted, but they did provide the specialist's names that cleared the heart or eyes on their dogs.
> To my knowledge, it is additional cost to post heart/eyes on OFA, so I'm not concerned if they are not posted IF I am able to receive copies and call the doctor to confirm authenticity.


There is a small fee to post eyes and heart results on OFA. There is no excuse not to have them posted. They have no website and their FB page has no information about their breeding program...and it also looks like they are breeding Pugs?? They also do not have DNA testing done. You should NOT have to call the vet that did the eyes and heart...the breeder should have the paperwork and be able to at least scan it and send you the paper copies that they NEED to have.
Something 'smells' about this breeder. You may be in luck that they have not been back in touch with you because you asked questions.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Hannah, I realize you are really invested in your breeder's being considered ethical. A best way to do this is to post sire and dam's registered names.


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## Hannahf93 (Jan 8, 2021)

bigblackdog said:


> There is a small fee to post eyes and heart results on OFA. There is no excuse not to have them posted. They have no website and their FB page has no information about their breeding program...and it also looks like they are breeding Pugs?? They also do not have DNA testing done. You should NOT have to call the vet that did the eyes and heart...the breeder should have the paperwork and be able to at least scan it and send you the paper copies that they NEED to have.
> Something 'smells' about this breeder. You may be in luck that they have not been back in touch with you because you asked questions.


wowza, seems like you have a bone to pick... no pun intended

The breeder does provide copies official OFA testing (eyes, heart, hips & elbows). They used to have a website, but it was definitely dated. This is a small family operation, and the owners are (self-admitted) not tech savvy. Kathleen mentioned that she has a hard enough time keeping up with inquiries and their wait list. Just because they may not be the most savvy business people, doesn’t mean they aren’t good breeders.

I’m not sure how fair it is to speculate or judge based on a dated facebook page, that may not even be the right breeder (I’ve never seen pugs from them). 

I would give the same advice that we received... go meet them before you get a puppy, many of the parents are on-site. Meet her dogs, and learn about her operation. When we went to meet them the first time, we were shown all registrations and testing for the prospective parents and were allowed to meet mom (and dad’s brother!).

Also - look for people who will share their experience, if you search #fortknoxgoldens on instagram, you will find many goldies from them. Send a message and I’m sure you’ll get the same story.


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## Hannahf93 (Jan 8, 2021)

Prism Goldens said:


> Hannah, I realize you are really invested in your breeder's being considered ethical. A best way to do this is to post sire and dam's registered names.


I did in a previous post 
Happy to share
1st dog: Fortknox’s Flower Child x Dreamworks Whadudu This Time 

2nd dog: FortKnox’s Flower Child x Fortknox’s I Am Groot


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## bigblackdog (Jun 14, 2013)

Daisy and Groot are both missing having their eye and heart clearances posted on OFA. Just elbows and hips are posted and DNA missing. I'm always suspect when breeders can breed, and sell their puppies...but cannot keep even a simple FB page or website.


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