# How did you find the breeder / where did you get your furbaby from?



## momtwobys (Nov 8, 2014)

We are searching for our next furbaby, and I am just curious how you found the breeder or where you got your dog from. 

There has been ALOT of negativity off of finding a breeder from puppyfind.com. But, can I ask, did anyone here actually find their breeder that way?

Did you just find the breeder through word of mouth, etc?

Or did you rescue him/her?

Or maybe a pet shop?

Thanks for your help.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

Mine are rescues and having been in rescue for many years now, I am at the point that I would like to have my next one come from a reputable breeder. I know I would never purchase from a pet store. My girl was rescued from a puppy mill--I could never support an operation that condones the horrible conditions that the moms & dads of those pups live in. I also know that my girl has an incorrect temperament, bi-lateral hip dysplasia, is hypothyroid and was bred multiple times to her own father who was diagnosed w/ SAS--obviously the puppy mill didn't do clearances but had no issues selling those cute puppies--I wonder what kind of health issues those pups ended up having.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

First 2 goldens were many years ago and I found them through the newspaper. I did contact the local GR club, but none of the breeders in my state had litters at the time. Next golden was a rescue. Next 2 were referrals by GR club. Prefer the GR club referral route. References are nice, but OFA, puppy upbringing and pedigree mean the most. I don't care if the breeder is really nice and gets a great review from buyers. I'm not buying the marketing plan, I'm buying a great puppy. Prefer a breeder I can have a long term relationship with, meaning I can have a conversation about training, events, etc. years after my purchase with the breeder.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Go through the breed club in your area. They may have a very basic requirement for litters to be listed with them, and that will weed out some of the more fishy types out there (the ones that sell puppies on marketplace websites). 

There are a lot of really GOOD breeders in your area. They won't be cheap. I think you can probably bet on paying over $1200 for a puppy for certain. Probably more than that.

**** Should have said. 

I found Bertie's breeder through the local breed referral. The story goes that I'd been casually looking and talking to a lot of people between 2009 and 2012... About October 2012, I basically realized that my job was changing and decided to really get serious while I had the time and money to raise a puppy. Talked with breed referral, was referred to a show litter that was 9 weeks old and REALLY ready to go home. Four breeders involved with the litter and I interviewed two of them over the phone and set up a time/date to go see the puppies. And the rest was just me driving out on a wintry Black Friday to meet the breeders, interview them, pick out my puppy and write out that check. 

Not all breeders will be that straight and easy to deal with... You might have to jump hoops and fill out applications and all kinds of stuff - but end result is having a nice puppy with a great breeder is worth it.


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

We found our latest breeder by searching the Internet. At that time we didn't know about the Forum, but we couldn't have found a better puppy anyway, as it turned out


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

momtwobys said:


> We are searching for our next furbaby, and I am just curious how you found the breeder or where you got your dog from.
> 
> There has been ALOT of negativity off of finding a breeder from puppyfind.com. But, can I ask, did anyone here actually find their breeder that way?
> 
> ...


I believe that the answers from forum members will be all of the above and others. The dogs of forum members come from all different beginnings and regardless of any origins are loved and cherished. I would hazard to say that we all think we have the very best dog and that is as it should be.

As far as asking the forum to help you find a puppy, in general you will find that the forum will point you to reputable breeders who do all health testing, usually compete and are working to improve the bred OR to breed rescue. 

Each person needs to make their very best decision on brining home a new puppy. If after you have educated yourself about this breeds health problems, the costs both medically and emotionally, and the health testing that responsible breeders are doing and you decided that is not your priority, that is your decision. You need to decide what is most important to you. If it is health testing and supporting a breeder that is doing everything they can to produce a healthy puppy, go with a responsible breeder. If that important thing is a puppy right now, regardless of the breeding practices and health testing then that is were your puppyfind will come in.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Childhood dogs- Tigathoe Goldens
1st dog all mine- Sundial Goldens- Quar grandson lived until almost 16 hips good very healthy no probs
2nd rescue came home with parvo -passed away 48 hours later
3rd BYB in Indiana but parents all clearances passed away from cancer at almost 12 no probs
4th Twin Beau D Goldens- passed away from cancer at almost 10 all prelims no probs
5th-Sand Dancer Goldens- still going strong at 12- delightful, all clearances, epilepsy
6th Goldiva Goldens Delightful going strong at 7 all prelim clearances no probs
7th Topbrass Goldens placed with dear friend severe ED with bilateral surgery at 7 months
7.5 Topbrass Goldens Wedding Gift for dear friend wonderful dog healthy no probs
8th Ripley Goldens return to breeder in 48 hours severe heart murmur 
9th Chantilly Goldens Beautiful dog but PU in eyes and ED- adore dog wouldn't change it
10th Harborview Goldens Splendid dog all clearances wonderful temperament no probs
10.5 Harborview Goldens Birthday gift for best friend( she flew down was interviewed & chose the pup) wonderful temperament no health probs
11Th Tamarack Goldens Splendid puppy best temperament all prelims no probs

Some huge disasters in there, and some truly great dogs in there- live and learn!


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

Lots of research, contacting local breed clubs, consulting this forum for expert opinions, making sure the breeder I ultimately chose to work with had clearances on both the sire and the dam that went back generations, making sure that the puppies were being raised properly and that the breeder's dogs were (are) beloved family members and not just used as breeding stock. There was more to it even than that, but it took me a good few months of work to find my puppy. 

Please do not get a puppy from puppyfind.com or from a pet shop. You deserve better and so does the breed.


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## Driggsy (Jun 12, 2014)

I have had several mixed breeds from local shelters but have never gone through a purebred rescue, so can't comment.

Our current Golden puppy came from a breeder I found through this forum. I searched the forum for threads on New England breeders and researched several who were highly recommended. One told me about an upcoming litter of puppies sired by one of her dogs; the breeder of this litter is someone she is mentoring and knows well. So I did research on that breeder, emailed back and forth several times and was very happy with everything she told me.

We are thrilled with our new dog, he is perfect for us. I hope you have as good a result from your search, wherever you go!


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## Driggsy (Jun 12, 2014)

I would like to add: I contacted our regional GR club and got breeder referrals, but found them less useful than other sources, for two reasons:
1. all the breeders listed had puppies on the ground that month, but they were all spoken for (which is what I would expect from reputable breeders).
2. there was at least one breeder I contacted whose program just wasn't what I was looking for. Not that they were terrible - my point is just that getting a list of breeders from your local club is just a starting point, nothing more - you still have to do your due diligence.


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## fourlakes (Feb 16, 2013)

In the beginning: my parents bred hunting dogs (beagles and labs) while I was growing up which was the start of my puppy addiction.
Dog one: mixed breed from the humane society when I was just out of college. He had major health and emotional problems but was basically a big, sweet boy.
Dog two: Golden from a BYB but who actually had a very nice pedigree. I got health clearances for her and had one litter. 
Dogs three & four: I kept one female puppy from that litter - and somehow (??? - not sure how this happened...) my then 12 year old son "kept" the biggest male, so TWO puppies. (Don't do it!) This was when I got the "Golden3" license plate for my car. Long break from breeding and then...
Dog five: I got my beautiful girl Abby from Wendy at Cheerio Golden Retrievers with the intention of doing top of the line breeding. It took me two years of looking to find just the mix of working and conformation pedigrees that I wanted. I actually originally found Cheerio on breeders.net
Dogs six, seven, eight: Abby daughters Breeze, Sofie and Piper! 
No, I will not be keeping a puppy from Abby's last litter! My neighbor who is a clinical psychologist says she will have an "intervention" if I keep any more puppies!


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

I didn't know exactly which breed I wanted when I started looking for a dog. I wanted one I could train in the field, do rally, therapy work and possibly agility, conformation and anything else that caught my fancy. I knew I wanted a gun dog so I started reading about breeds and narrowed it down to a few the Golden being at the top of the list. When I did decide that I wanted a Golden I search GunDog.com for breeders in my area and litters available. I found BaWaaJige through that site.


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

We got our dog "free to a good home". He was three and a half and came from a broken home. He had been raised with a baby/young child. He is as close to perfect as a dog could be and we still cant believe we have him. I wanted to rescue an older goldie but we were rejected as we do not have fences (on two and a half acres). Harley used to live in the back yard in his previous home. He adores being inside and basically just wants to be where we are. We live on the side of a lake and he swims every day. We have no knowledge of his breeding and that may be a can of worms down the track. He appears very healthy and we have him on a raw diet. He is our first dog. For some reason I wasn't interested in a puppy. Maybe having raised four children had something to do with that LOL. Always been interested in the old dogs. With so many unwanted dogs in the world rescue appeals to me very much. If anything should happen to Harley I would want to explore rescuing an older dog again and having had Harley I would be able to make our case much more strongly.


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## Love Our Wyley (Nov 17, 2014)

We just got ours from a breeder I found on AKC's website.

After checking others, they were the right ones.

My first Golden passed at age 12 back in 1998 and it took this long to muster up the courage to get another. The loss was absolutely deadening. 
They are so darn loveable and can become closer than humans!


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## mikeytheguy (Dec 1, 2014)

We recently adopted lil Tuck Tuck (aka - Tucker) at 6.5 months of age from Petfinder.com. Though my significant other and I knew the risks involved with such a transaction (not knowing history, upbringing, potential medical problems, etc.) we decided to take a chance given we don't have children, plans to have children, and make good money and have another very healthy and social senior golden to keep the little one company. the family giving him up claimed they didn't have enough time for the guy, but during our initial meeting we both came to realize that they probably didn't spend enough time training and exercising the rambunctious puppy and had made some training mistakes that lead to his habit of nipping when getting overly excited. We anticipated they feared for the safety of their three year old girl whom we had the pleasure of meeting during a test run with our old man buddy at the dog park.

almost 6 months later and Tuck (though very small by male breed standards at 50lbs and 21 inches) is a picture of perfect health according to the vet, nipping very infrequently when extremely excited and getting better with time, and wonderful with other dogs. He did pick up a habit with his former family of parading socks about the house but his extreme pleasure with himself while showing off has made that behavior one to be endured. He gets along well with the older man of the house (and quite frankly) we credit Buddy for most of the good behavior that tucker has learned during his time with us.


I would say, if circumstances are right and you are willing to chance fate, it is of great pleasure to foster a "reject."


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## pb2b (Nov 8, 2013)

I found my breeder on this forum actually. My breeder isn't on the forum but several of his dog owners are. 

I also contacted the local GR Club. There were some folks on here who were very helpful with recommendations as well.

Just say no to pet shops and anything like puppyfinder.com. I did use a website called breeders.net, but then did my research on the ones I was interested in to see if they were reputable. There were more than a few backyard breeders and generally unethical folks. However, I did also find several decent ones.


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## rob1 (Sep 21, 2009)

Ha- like Driggsy and pb2b, I found my breeder (and Lucky's litter) on this forum- this thread to be exact.

I had been doing my research, went to a big AKC show, met some breeders there and talked to them. But I saw that post, liked the replies, liked the breeding and gave the breeder a call to discuss what I was looking for. After that, it was a done deal.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

Both my oldest (11-1/2 yrs old) and youngest (17 months) were puppy mill dogs that made their way to puppy stores and each were adopted. The oldest was adopted from an older couple that should never have adopted her. They kept her crated all the time and her only time outside was on their terrace to do her business. I got her when she was about 10 months of age, and I've got to say, she's been the absolute most perfect dog in temperament, brains and health. Loves to learn, do tricks, and does tireless pet therapy visits.

The youngest was also a puppy mill pup who was sent to a puppy store where she was adopted along with her littermate brother by a very well-to-do family that had no business owning a dog, let alone two dogs. When she was 5-1/2 months old, they called me and said "get her out of here today". Lucky for us. She's been with us for 11 months and although a wild child, she's a sweet, sweet, great tempered girl who will eventually do pet therapy work as well as agility.

My middle dog, 7-1/2 yrs was obtained by a very reputable breeder. She's perfect and luckily, very healthy. She competes in obedience and is also a tireless therapy dog.

As mentioned above, if you're willing to take a risk, you may come upon a gem, which is what I've been blessed with.


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## GoldenGirl28 (Sep 8, 2014)

I'm just starting my search, but I've found my veterinarian to be a great resource! Also this forum and all the helpful members have been invaluable!


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## goodog (May 6, 2013)

*GRCA Clubs and Rescues*

I understand your problem but there are good options
The net hasn't had a positive impact on finding good breeders. In turn, breeders are having a harder time finding trustworthy families.

Pet shops are a no-go. Puppy.com? A chance but depends on the group. 

The below r clubs of the* Golden Retriever Club of America*
All of the clubs will have puppy referral people. Check their websites
Safe way to find a golden pup

Another? Golden rescues. 

They are dogs who only need a second chance at finding home. Too many folks buy goldens hastily because they are popular. The day-to -day never crosses their minds. If you can provide that home, you will have the love of a friend forever.' It takes time and research but when your new pup (of any size) comes home--your hard effort---will be proven worth it. 
Good luck *:wavey:



TEXAS* 
*Austin Golden Retriever Club*
Puppy Referral

*Dallas-Ft Worth Metro Golden Retriever Club* 
Updated 9/14/2007 

*Greater Houston GRC*
Puppy Referrals

Welcome | Gold Ribbon Rescue !

The Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas north Tx G R Rescue
The Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas


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