# Any info on Goldrush in NJ?



## musicmom425

I am looking for any info I can get on Goldrush in NJ. They came highly recommended by the breeder of my last Golden (who does not have any litters coming up) and are members of the Garden State Golden Club as well as the NJ Pine Barrens Golden Club. I have my name on lists for their litters that are due to be born this week, but I've started to hear some things about them and really want to make the best decision possible. If you have any info (positive or negative) I would really appreciate it.

Also, has anyone heard anything about Goldilocks Goldens in PA?

Thank you for any help.


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## Jellybean's mom

Where are they located? This is what I found from a very quick google search. I'm sure if you searched more in depth you would find info.

Consumer complaints about Gold Rush Kennels, Princeton, NJ

Does she have certifications for hips, elbows, heart and eyes for her parents?


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## puppy_luv_mom

We got our Golden from Goldilocks and we had positive experience with the breeder. She provides all 4 heath certificates. All their Goldens looks happy and healthy. You can take a look at our Griffyn who just turned 6 month.
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-pictures/21892-guess-who-turned-6-months.html

Goodluck


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## PeggyK

I would never buy a puppy that was not guaranteed. Breeders know that we owners would never return our beloved puppies so many of their guarantees are meaningless. You need a breeder that will refund your money-up to the price of the puppy-for Vet bills due to inherited defects. That's the guarantee we have for our two guys and, unfortuatwly, have had to use it twice!!!


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## GoldRocksMom

*Gold-Rush*

Do not have time this second to write much but I have dogs
from Gold-Rush who have been breeding & showing goldens for
more than 40 years.
Also looking up Goldilocks, many (at least 85%) on the OFA
database go back to Gold-Rush at least on one side.


Later I will write regarding breeders and owners and
their goldens.
This will include clearances, how to check and what they mean.
Gotta fly out the door


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## alligeek

I know that Gold Rush has been breeding/showing Goldens for a long time and that they're a big name in the NE. I've never bought a dog from them myself, but my parents' Goldens and my new Golden are descendants of Gold Rush dogs and have been healthy and great dogs overall. 

From what I understand, Gold Rush is a NE Golden powerhouse. Just do your homework, ask for clearances and guarantees (will they take back the dog if things don't work out?).


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## Sivin

Is this the kennel that bred Great Teddy Bear?

Helaine


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo

I believe so. He died way too young. Gold-Rush is in many lines.


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## bizzy

The golden I had growing up was a gold rush dog. Very beautiful, great temperment and no real health problem (other than the random ear infections)


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## AquaClaraCanines

Not my first choice...


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## timm

Jellybean's mom said:


> Where are they located? This is what I found from a very quick google search. I'm sure if you searched more in depth you would find info.
> 
> Consumer complaints about Gold Rush Kennels, Princeton, NJ
> 
> Does she have certifications for hips, elbows, heart and eyes for her parents?


the story on that link is horrible.. forgery and 16k worth of medical bills.. ugh :doh:


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## Griffyn'sMom

I've never heard the forgery bit about them before. I'm not sure that is a legit link - this is NJ Consumer Affairs here: New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs 

I have heard about cancer but hey - this is NJ - the cancer state. It's all in the cards. Hips? two "good" hip rated parents CAN throw puppies with Displaysia. As far as cancer and longevity - my Jake had a heavy background of Gold-Rush on his mother's side. While she died at 8 of cancer, Jake lived to be 17. We were lucky. I hope we are as lucky this time around with Griff.

Do your best to feed them right and avoid putting chemicals on your lawn.

Can you find a breeder that can guaranty that your dog won't have cancer? I don't think you can.


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## Sunny Delight

I had looked into Goldrush when I first started my search for a golden pup, not knowing anything about them. Since I live in NJ, I was able to visit. They actually have two locations and one is only 20 min. from me. This one had a few sires and moms, and lots of pups. There were at least four litters there and I did not like how they were kept. At night they slept in these huge wire bottomed cages. In one litter, all the pups were about 16 weeks already, and apparently unspoken for. Since all the pups there were weaned, the moms weren't with them, but were in seperate crates in the garage. Two litters were in those huge crates in the garage also. Honestly, I hated the place, and this was before I'd heard anything about cancer in their lines. A female pup was $2,000 and $1800 for a male. 

I know two people who have/had Goldrush dogs and one has hip dysplasia (since she was quite young) and the other died of brain cancer at 3 years. I just don't have very good vibes about them. 

I had also briefly looked into Goldilocks, whose prices were still a bit higher than I wanted to spend, 1200 for a non-champion sire and $1600 for a champion sired pup. When I asked another NJ breeder about them, she wouldn't give me any details, but wasn't very positive. I honestly can't remember what the issue was, though. 

Personally, I like the smaller breeders, not backyard breeders, but hobby breeders. They have all the clearances, can have champion dogs, are involved in the clubs, and take wonderful care of their males and/or females. (this is not to say that a larger breeder doesn't take good care of their dogs, but I just personally didn't like what I saw at Goldrush. Can't speak for Goldilocks)


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## Ardeagold

You want to read about Gold Rush? Got a few hours? Holy cow! I just found this by Googling.............

West Windsor & Plainsboro Today: WWP Chat - Golden Retriever Breeders


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo

Ardeagold said:


> You want to read about Gold Rush? Got a few hours? Holy cow! I just found this by Googling.............
> 
> West Windsor & Plainsboro Today: WWP Chat - Golden Retriever Breeders


Google has everything...

This usually brings out at least one person in defense. I can't remember the username though.


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## Tahnee GR

Remember there is Goldrush and Gold-Rush, two different kennels. Goldrush was Jean Baird Crowley and Gold-Rush is R Ann Johnson

I am not a fan of Gold-Rush but I do find it interesting that the only dogs so far that I have bred and which had cancer prior to age 10, were both on the East Coast.

No breeder is going to be able to tell you that their lines are cancer free, or problem free. Hopefully, cancer will be limited to older dogs (age 10 and up). The older a dog gets, the more likely he or she is to get cancer. Kind of like prostrate cancer in men. My father's physician told us that basically if a man lives long enough, he is likely to get prostrate cancer. Except for the two dogs on the East Coast, I have seen little cancer so far in my dogs (who are primarily in Wisconsin) and it has been in older dogs. We lost 2 girls at 11 and 13 to breast cancer, which is probably more related to their breeding careers. And even the one on the East coast with lymphoma lived to be a little over 11. The one in Florida had a very rare and virulent type of cancer and I still don't know for sure what happened there.

I sincerely believe that much, but not all, cancer is related to chemicals in our daily lives. Especially chemicals used on our lawns and golf courses. Frequently when I would talk to prospective puppy buyers I would find that they lost their previous companion to cancer. Further questioning would often find that they or their neighbors used lawn services to keep their lawns nice, and/or took their dogs to golf courses. I do not allow my puppies to go to homes that use lawn services or walk their dogs on golf courses-too many chemicals.

All that said, I will also agree that some lines seem to have younger cancers, and often the same type of cancer, such as hemangiosarcoma. My lines are in general older lines but I do worry as I incorporate new lines into my breeding program.


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## lovestofly

I bought Putz from Goldiloks in PA (Export) I LOVE HER. Her prices are NOT $1200, we got Putz a year and a half ago and paid either $800 or $850. She does all the health clearances and is a wonderful person and breeder. Putz is HEALTHY and happy. Our Vet was VERY impressed with him and wanted to know who the breeder was, she is considering a Golden and after examining Putz said she WOULD buy from her. I believe there may be ANOTHER Goldiloks with a different spelling - the one I am referring to is: Goldiloks Kennels - Murrysville, Pennsylvania


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo

Linda,

Even humans who live long enough are prone to get cancer. We lost someone at the age of 100. We lost her to, cancer...


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## Seamus' Mom

My cousin's family had a female they got directly from Gold-Rush in Princeton, NJ. For some reason, they decided to breed her at 4 years old (don't ask me why, and in my opinion they were not knowledgeable enough to be doing that...and I don't know who they bred her with or why they didn't have something in their contract from Gold-Rush preventing them from breeding her). In any event, shortly after the puppies were born, she died of cancer at 5 years old. Even more sadly, already two of the puppies have died of cancer before reaching the age of 3 years old. 

They still have one puppy (now 4 or 5 years old) and are living on pins and needles hoping not to lose him, too. They have said they will never have another golden again after what they went through.


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## temper

*Gold-Rush*

We bought Casey from Gold-Rush almost nine years ago. A day or two after we brought her home, we went to our vet, and the first question out of his mouth was whether she was from Gold-Rush. When we said yes, he told us that they saw a lot of retrievers with cancer from them.

Seven years later, Casey was diagnosed with cancer, and given 4 months. She beat the odds, and gave us 21 months of additional joy and love. Two weeks ago, she was diagnosed with two new strains of cancer unrelated to the first instance. This cancer was much more aggressive, and we had to put her down this afternoon.

I've spent a lot of time at the vet with Casey over the past two years, and usually I see at least one or two other goldens there getting treatment for cancer. And usually, they have a good amount of Gold-Rush in them.

In fairness to Gold-Rush, I live only about 30 miles from them (I'm in Monmouth County, NJ), so it is not too surprising that so many Gold-Rush dogs are in this area. And in terms of intelligence, gentleness, and disposition, you can't do better. I've done some research, and I've read that 60% of goldens will die from a cancer-related illness, so I don't know if Gold-Rush is worse than any other breeder. But it would have been nice for them to advise of the health risks before we made such an emotional investment. We probably would have bought Casey anyway, but nine years ago they were primarily interested in just taking our money. Hopefully things are different now.


Casey
1999 - 2008


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## Jake'sDad

Temper, I am sorry for your loss. I've been there and I know how bad it hurts.


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## KiwiD

Temper - so sorry to hear about you losing your girl Casey.


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## cham

Hailey has Gold - Rush in her background but it 5 generations back. 
Would I buy a dog from Ann Johnson, not in a million years. Her reputation has been shot for a long time. Very sad from a kennel that had bred the great Teddy Bear and others.


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## cham

Temper,

I am so sorry to hear about Casey. No matter how old they are or how long we have had them, we still miss them, and always will.


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## MaddieMagoo

So...what Gold Rush is bad? LOL...I can't decifer which one. And why is this R. Anne Johnson so bad? 

I am not familiar with breeders...but I'd like to learn more.


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## cham

Ardeagold said:


> You want to read about Gold Rush? Got a few hours? Holy cow! I just found this by Googling.............
> 
> West Windsor & Plainsboro Today: WWP Chat - Golden Retriever Breeders


This link is no longer working... what was the jist of it?


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## videochicke

timm said:


> the story on that link is horrible.. forgery and 16k worth of medical bills.. ugh :doh:


The story said the mom's hips were a fair. That is an acceptable rating to breed a dog. Also, there are many articles out there on hip dysplasia that link it highly to environment. Articles I have read say most dogs are born with normal hips. Genetics account for about 25%-50%of hip dysplasia. 50-75% are environmental factors that cause the hip to loosen in the socket. An overweight pup is one. Diet is another. The wrong food makes the pup grow too fast, stressing joints. Jumping and playing tug of war with toys is also bad for growing hips. We were given handouts about preventing hip dyplasia when we got Amber from the breeder as well as verbal instructions. We were very careful playing with her. Her hips were fine. A friend had 2 goldens and both were roly-poly overweight little butterball puppies. And both ended up with hip issues. 

The consumer affairs site seems to list all complaints received over time. Jackson-Hewitt, as just one example, has complaint after complaint after complaint. Gold-rush just has one and it dates back to 2001. In all honesty, one complaint since 2001 is not a bad record. Especially for a kennel that size.


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## historicprim

Seamus' Mom said:


> My cousin's family had a female they got directly from Gold-Rush in Princeton, NJ. For some reason, they decided to breed her at 4 years old (don't ask me why, and in my opinion they were not knowledgeable enough to be doing that...and I don't know who they bred her with or why they didn't have something in their contract from Gold-Rush preventing them from breeding her). In any event, shortly after the puppies were born, she died of cancer at 5 years old. Even more sadly, already two of the puppies have died of cancer before reaching the age of 3 years old.
> 
> They still have one puppy (now 4 or 5 years old) and are living on pins and needles hoping not to lose him, too. They have said they will never have another golden again after what they went through.


I'm interested in knowing the names of their females sire and dam. Since I raise most of Ann's females I have knowledge of them. Also I would like to note that they do limit the registrations. Did they register this litter?
In all fairness to Ann, I do get the first phone call from people looking for puppies, I talk with these people because most of them are grieving the lose of their loving pets. I do know where they purchased their pups and I can assure you that many goldens are dying of cancer at a young age from some very reputable kennels.


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## historicprim

cham said:


> This link is no longer working... what was the jist of it?


The jist of it was a thread where you didnt have to sign in, and could right what ever you wanted aka. I actually contacted the owner of the site and had him take it down.


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## videochicke

Have to say I have dealt with 3 different people at Gold-rush since Amber died and all have been more than kind and sympathetic. My first contact was Peg aka Historicprim who is on this board. She has been absolutely wonderful! Her love for dogs and their care is so apparent when you talk to her. I have also spoken to Robyn and to Ann herself. Amber came from Gold-rush and when I found Amber's brother on the Gold-rush site, I knew one of his pups one day was meant to be with me. I was informed that he was bred, received an excited call when it looked like Annie was pregnant, and all were great about my loss of Amber. I also got to meet first hand some of the Gold-rush dogs at my first dog show recently. Nate (aka National Treasure) was probably the sweetest dog I have ever met and so handsome! And he was handled with love. Trust me, I was watching. He appeared a few days after that show in the Westminster show. And he just became a father again for anyone looking for pups! Cancer is a big problem in all Goldens. The number of Gold-rush dogs with cancer will seem high because there are so many Gold-rush dogs. And the high cancer rate across the board in dogs over the last few years in general is being linked more and more to diet at this point and chemicals all over our lawns. To sum it up, my experiences with Gold-rush and the people that are Gold-rush have all been good ones--from our first contact about 6 years ago to my most recent contact this week.


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## Mountaingirl

After years of owning GRs from breeders including Goldrush I recently adopted a rescue dog. i dont think i will go to another breeder again. sonny is 2 1/2 and his former owners thought he needed too much attention! (he's a GR not a cat!) He is a fabulous dog smart sweet and now best buds with our lab. People get dogs and have no idea of what to expect. There is nothing wrong with most of these dogs except the humans that own them! Think rescue!


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## Debles

Mountaingirl said:


> After years of owning GRs from breeders including Goldrush I recently adopted a rescue dog. i dont think i will go to another breeder again. sonny is 2 1/2 and his former owners thought he needed too much attention! (he's a GR not a cat!) He is a fabulous dog smart sweet and now best buds with our lab. People get dogs and have no idea of what to expect. There is nothing wrong with most of these dogs except the humans that own them! Think rescue!


Glad you are here and so great for rescuing! I am leaning that way myself when you see on all the beautiful goldens listed on Petfinder that so desparetely need loving homes. My concern is my dog aggressive golden... I think he may accept a pup easier than an older dog.


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## OceanTheGolden

Debles said:


> Glad you are here and so great for rescuing! I am leaning that way myself when you see on all the beautiful goldens listed on Petfinder that so desparetely need loving homes. My concern is my dog aggressive golden... I think he may accept a pup easier than an older dog.


My Golden is dog aggressive too. He hates other males. 

On the other hand, he is a direct descendent of Gold Rush Goldens. Both his parents were imported from Gold Rush kennel in the states. He is 6 years old and generally healthy, although he is really skinny because the vet said he had either a thyroid problem/low red blood count.

I like the looks of Gold Rush goldens, and my next puppy would most definitely have gold rush bloodline. Ocean has gotten many compliments, even from professional breeders.


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## dssxxxx

Thought I would post a few pictures of Murphy from Gold-Rush.

Also, my English white on the right (Murphy on the left) has nasal cancer which extends into his brain. He is from England.

Apache had liver cancer and we had to put him down at 13.5 years and he was a golden from OK.

You will find cancer in a lot of goldens. Thankfully we have only had it in 2 of our 7.


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## goldens2show

I guess it depends on who you ask. I think if you search hard enough any breeder that has bred more then a few litters will have a few dogs out there with bad hips or early cancer (if they are honest with you). We can only do our best to make the decisions based on the science we know now. 

The funny part about this thread is that I just bred to a dog owned by Gold-Rush but is not from Gold-Rush lines. I have gotten calls almost everyday from people wanting another Gold-Rush dog because theirs lived to an old age with no health problems. I of course have to explain that they are not all the same lines and like most breeders, dogs from different lines are brought in all the time so the buyer needs to do individual research on each and all pedigrees of any puppy they are considering. 

Christina
www.Heritagegoldens.com


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## tahusmom

*We are looking for a puppy...*



historicprim said:


> I'm interested in knowing the names of their females sire and dam. Since I raise most of Ann's females I have knowledge of them. Also I would like to note that they do limit the registrations. Did they register this litter?
> In all fairness to Ann, I do get the first phone call from people looking for puppies, I talk with these people because most of them are grieving the lose of their loving pets. I do know where they purchased their pups and I can assure you that many goldens are dying of cancer at a young age from some very reputable kennels.


Good morning. I just read your post and see you are located in Chesterfield, NJ. We are also in Chesterfield -- in the Toll Brothers "development". We just lost our sweet baby, Tahu, to GME. We purchased him from Ann at Gold Rush (his birthday is 11/25/04). Since we just lost him 2 days ago we are still grieving his loss, but, we would like to get another Golden -- perhaps during the summer months. Are you still raising the females for Ann? If so, perhaps we can come meet with you and them so that we can possibly plan when to get our new puppy. My email address is: [email protected] -- It's easier if you can just send me an email with any info you might have.

Thanks so much for your help. Linda Soper


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## DNL2448

This thread originated in September of 2007. I don't know if historicprim will see your request. You may get a couple more posts under your belt and try to PM them.


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## paula bedard

I don't think Historicprim is with Gold-Rush any longer either. 
I was just thinking of her the other day. I miss her posts, she was always funny.


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## tahusmom

Thanks ladies. I guess I will need to do some legwork to find what I need to know.


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## paula bedard

tahusmom said:


> Thanks ladies. I guess I will need to do some legwork to find what I need to know.


You're Welcome.


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## historicprim

paula bedard said:


> I don't think Historicprim is with Gold-Rush any longer either.
> I was just thinking of her the other day. I miss her posts, she was always funny.


Thanks Paula for your kind words! I am here...lol


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## tahusmom

Good afternoon, Peg. Thank you very much for your reply. I am not sure if you will receive the PM I sent you, so I replying here also.

After the other ladies in this thread replied about your not being active on the forum for awhile, I decided to call Gold-Rush. I spoke to Amy, and she put us on a list for a litter by Ronnie x Andromeda that was born on 4/6/10. I'm not exactly sure of how the list thing works, so I am going to call her back this week to speak with her again.

Our dog, Tahu, was born 11/25/04 from Double Trouble x Starlight. When I told Amy about the disease he died from, she was not familiar with it, and asked me for some information about it. If you would like the info also, I can give you some links on the internet.

We are slowly dealing with our loss and are looking forward to finding a new puppy that will be as happy with us as Tahu was.

Are you familiar with the dogs that are currently on the litter listing at the website? If so, maybe you can tell me if the Ronnie x Andromeda litter would be good for us. There is a picture of Ronnie on the website, but not Andromeda -- and her pedigree chart isn't showing any pictures either. My hubby and daughter like the lighter color fur -- I have no preference there. I just want a laid back dog (like Tahu was). I am at home during the day, so I am the one who spends the most time with the dog. If you can offer any advice on this, I would appreciate it.

Just let me know if you want the links with the information about GME disease.

Thanks. ~Linda


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## jal239

We had 2 goldens from Goldilocks Goldens. We could not be happier with them. My parents have a goldilocks Golden and my in-laws have a litter mate of ours. Unfortunately, we lost our 1st golden in January. She was the best dog. The golden we still have adapted very well after the loss and she is just a sweetheart. We even visited Connie (breeder) when we started look into getting another golden. We decided to wait a little bit to get another one, but we will be returning to her when the time comes. She is a little pricey ($1600) but so well worth it. I wish you good luck in your search for a new fluff.


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## debrald

tahusmom said:


> Good afternoon, Peg. Thank you very much for your reply. I am not sure if you will receive the PM I sent you, so I replying here also.
> 
> After the other ladies in this thread replied about your not being active on the forum for awhile, I decided to call Gold-Rush. I spoke to Amy, and she put us on a list for a litter by Ronnie x Andromeda that was born on 4/6/10. I'm not exactly sure of how the list thing works, so I am going to call her back this week to speak with her again.
> 
> Our dog, Tahu, was born 11/25/04 from Double Trouble x Starlight. When I told Amy about the disease he died from, she was not familiar with it, and asked me for some information about it. If you would like the info also, I can give you some links on the internet.
> 
> We are slowly dealing with our loss and are looking forward to finding a new puppy that will be as happy with us as Tahu was.
> 
> Are you familiar with the dogs that are currently on the litter listing at the website? If so, maybe you can tell me if the Ronnie x Andromeda litter would be good for us. There is a picture of Ronnie on the website, but not Andromeda -- and her pedigree chart isn't showing any pictures either. My hubby and daughter like the lighter color fur -- I have no preference there. I just want a laid back dog (like Tahu was). I am at home during the day, so I am the one who spends the most time with the dog. If you can offer any advice on this, I would appreciate it.
> 
> Just let me know if you want the links with the information about GME disease.
> 
> Thanks. ~Linda


Hi Linda-
We purchased our second dog from Gold Rush and couldn't be happier. He came from an August 2009 litter (Rocky x Dianthus) and he is the most handsome dog! Rocky is on their website and we received pictures of Dianthus and she is the most gorgeous female I've ever seen. The two of them just had another litter in February, I think. Amy is great as is everything about Gold Rush.

Debbie Dajee, Newport Beach, Ca.


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## tahusmom

Good morning ladies! Thank you all so much for your support during such a difficult time. We made a visit to Gold-Rush Goldens in Princeton a few weeks ago. It was a warm rainy spring day -- and we had the good fortune to be able to spend time with Ann Johnson and have her all to ourself for a couple of hours. She is such a lovely, warm person -- and she knows her puppies!  Even though we were on the list for the 4/2/10 litter we decided to make a visit just to see some puppies to brighten up our 2 children. As soon as we walked out of her back door and into the yard we were greeted by about 20 puppies ranging in age from 10 weeks to 4 months. Oh my gosh -- they were all so wonderful -- but there was one little guy in there who was destined to come home with us. He was the quiet little one -- we took him out of the puppy area to let him run freely and he did that, but then he came over to us and sat by my side while the kids and hubby looked at the others. We left him out and "took the tour" through all the other available litters -- I was overwhelmed by puppies and their beautiful mothers -- but we felt the little guy waiting for us downstairs was the one. He is from the 2/9/10 litter by Rudy x Jam. We named him Ozzy before we left -- and Ann approved with a smile and a laugh.

This is my 4th puppy from Ann. Two of them were adopted 25 years ago and are long since gone -- they were both beautiful, wonderful, and sweet -- the same with our Tahu, and now with our Ozzy. I would highly recommend one of Ann's puppies to anyone seeking a golden retriever.


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## LA Bob

I would think that any discussion of Gold-Rush Kennels and Ann Johnson should include Gold Rush Charlie, the dog that started it all.

Go to this page to see and read about Charlie, Ann and an amazing run of dog show successes that boggle the mind. Many people, even those who have never fallen under the spell of a Golden Retriever, have given Charlie the credit for the explosion in Golden popularity. I'm not one to argue.

Noodle around on the Charlie page, and read Ann's story of their travels together and then decide whether any of the rumors hold water. I think, like me, you will wish they would make a movie from that story.

On cancer:

Gold-Rush? Lawn service? Golf courses? Please. There's no real evidence that any of these have caused a single cancer, intentionally, negligently or otherwise. There is a tremendous amount of grief, however, that seems to lessen when blame can be placed, however unfairly.

I speak from experience. I lost my third Golden Retriever yesterday. All to cancer. Different cancers. Different bloodlines. Different breeders. No Gold-Rush ancestors. No lawn chemicals that didn't come directly out of the southern end of a northbound cow. No golf courses.

Just a whole lot of the same grief.

I wandered in here to look at puppy pictures and remind myself of all the good stuff that comes along with the grief. And there will be more of that; we live in a world where we outlive our pets and the bigger the dog the shorter his life.

Having a Golden lay her nose on your knee in search of getting her ears rubbed makes up for that. And I think Gold-Rush would be a great place to start over.


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## tahusmom

LA Bob said:


> I would think that any discussion of Gold-Rush Kennels and Ann Johnson should include Gold Rush Charlie, the dog that started it all.
> 
> Go to this page to see and read about Charlie, Ann and an amazing run of dog show successes that boggle the mind. Many people, even those who have never fallen under the spell of a Golden Retriever, have given Charlie the credit for the explosion in Golden popularity. I'm not one to argue.
> 
> Noodle around on the Charlie page, and read Ann's story of their travels together and then decide whether any of the rumors hold water. I think, like me, you will wish they would make a movie from that story.


Yes, I agree with this. If you are not familiar with the success of Charlie, then his story is a must read. When speaking with Ann, it is amazing how humble she is about it all. I believe that she is as amazed as anyone -- even though she was there and is part of the story.

LABob -- I am so sorry about your loss, and, I understand completely. No matter how hard we try, the mind can never make sense of death when it is our own personal loss. You will know when it is time to bring home a new little puppy face. I'm sure Ann or Amy would be happy to speak with you then. In the meantime, cry all you need to. It's okay, and, a part of the healing process.


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## pipercaptain

*Really bad breeder!!!!!!*

About 15 years ago my wife and I purchased a Golden Retriever from Gold Rush Kennels (Ann Johnson), in New Jersey. At about 30 months old, he developed lymphoma. We called Ann to request her assistance, and were told that the dog developed lymphoma from the water he was drinking. The water he was drinking? You have to be kidding me. The dog had to be put down, my wife was crushed and cried for months, and Ms. Johnson walked away with my 1,000.00 for a dog that we truly loved and could not live a life we wanted to give him. BEWARE OF GOLD RUSH KENNELS. MS. JOHNSON IS JUST IN IT FOR THE MONEY, SHE REALLY DOES NOT CARE ABOUT HER DOGS, OR YOU. SHE JUST WANTS YOUR HARD EARNED $$$$$$$$$$$$$


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## Muddypaws

As you all know my two are Gold-Rush and so was my Sunshine. Scully (MIL and Darby's mom) is also G-R, she had two other G-R Golden's before Scully. Both Sarah and Anne died of cancer, Sarah was 11 and Anne was 8. 

I know the rumors, history, kennels (I have been to both locations) and I know several G-R dogs. I added Darby & Kirby to K9 data so you can check their lineage if desired, they are not line bred G-R. I do know that G-R have the most amazing sweet temperaments and I have been told by many, many people that I always have the "sweetest' Goldens. 

I read a very interesting article regarding cancer in Goldens that stated cancer is not in any particular line but has been traced that it back to the development of the breed, so genetically it is something we sadly have to deal with as owners of this wonderful breed. 

I am doing everything I can to keep them safe and healthy, they eat healthier then I do!  I honestly believe that Gold-Rush is doing everything they can to improve the health and longevity of their dogs.

BTW - NJ has dog "lemon laws" there is a guarantee and G-R's contract clearly states their guarantee. I also keep in touch and let them know about any health issue (Kirby's heart murmur) so that they can keep track of health issues, it is our responsibility as owners to stay in touch with breeders so they can track health and longevity. 

I sometimes wonder if I should get and clearances done just to help the breeder keep track, any thought on this?


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## Debles

I find this thread very interesting and disturbing. It is hard to know what to believe. I was looking at an upcoming breeding at a breeder I had heard good things about and then saw they were breeding their female to a Gold-Rush dog. All my red flags went up and sirens, since Selka just died of osteosarcoma and I of course never want another dog of mine to go through such pain. 
But 60% of goldens die from cancer. If we continue to have goldens as part of our family that fact is very likely even if we never get a Gold -Rush dog. Scares me to death but I can't imagine ever having a dog of another breed.


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## jennybird

The only thing I've heard about Goldrush was from my vet. My sweet Chester, passed away at 4 years old after having lymphoma diagnosed at 3 and 1/2. My vet said she had gone to a conference and they had spoke about Goldrush having a prevalence of cancer in young dogs.


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## Megora

I was debating about whether I wanted to say anything, but I thought I'd just throw this in here...

My Jack's is the first golden I've owned who does have Gold Rush in his direct (5 generations) background. That would be on his mom's side. His mom is 5 and healthy. 

I did do a little research (vertical pedigree) on his sire's side and noticed that there was a dog in the last 5 generations who died of lymphoma at 8 years old. There isn't noticable Gold Rush on the sire's side, at least the last 5 generations, but clearly, lymphoma still pops up in other lines besides Gold Rush. 

Um, obviously I'm feeling Jack's neck and arm pits and wherever else while grooming (something I do every other day). 

Lymphoma and splenic cancer are the cancers that affect the highest percentage of goldens with cancer. The one usually happens to the young and the other takes our old dogs away. I kinda think it's important to say that everyone (regardless of where you buy your golden puppy from) needs to know the signs and symptoms of cancer, particularly those two. 

This is a side track, but cancer is also a reason why I'm going the holistic food route and have even discussed doing raw food (I can't believe I'm admitting this, particularly since I've already stated my opinion on doing anything like that) with my mom even this weekend when I showed her ground lamb and lamb stew at this meat market we visited (it's also a bakery and it's birthday season at my house) and asked her if she'd think I was crazy if I bought that for my dog. I shouldn't have asked. 

My mom feels that there is something wrong with the food we are eating and the food we give our dogs, and that's causing more cases of cancer. And this is why she mainly buys organic food for us and (oh lord) is trying to convince me to at least offer raw food at least two or three times a week instead of kibble.


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## Selli-Belle

Kate,

Gold-Rush is in most show-line Golden's pedigree. Charlie and Teddy were very popular sires and Kirby, Rush Hills Haagen-Dazs was a very frequently used stud. It is quite hard to have a pedigree that does not contain Gold-Rush unless you are specifically looking to avoid it.

I believe the splenic cancer you note is actually hemangiosarcoma, which takes a huge fraction of all Goldens.

My Dexy had a lot of Gold-Rush blood (we lived in New Jersey when we got him), he lived to be twelve and died of Hemangio.


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## Jleway

Be careful though... there is a difference between Gold-Rush and Goldrush and also Gold Rush. They are three separate breeders. My Lady had both Gold-Rush and Goldrush in her. She has Great Teddy Bear and a few other Gold-Rush dogs. The Goldrush dog, though, I cannot find any information on. Just something to keep in mind.


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## Megora

Selli-Belle said:


> Kate,
> 
> Gold-Rush is in most show-line Golden's pedigree. Charlie and Teddy were very popular sires and Kirby, Rush Hills Haagen-Dazs was a very frequently used stud. It is quite hard to have a pedigree that does not contain Gold-Rush unless you are specifically looking to avoid it.
> 
> I believe the splenic cancer you note is actually hemangiosarcoma, which takes a huge fraction of all Goldens.
> 
> My Dexy had a lot of Gold-Rush blood (we lived in New Jersey when we got him), he lived to be twelve and died of Hemangio.


I know (and I agree)... but what I meant is that my Jack's mom came from a Gold Rush breeding and she has some big Gold Rush names in the last 5 generations. With other breeders you go with, you might have to go back more than 5 generations to find Gold Rush names. 

It worried me a little when I came on GRF and found a few threads on Gold Rush re/cancer. But with our other goldens we'd have to do digging back more than a few generations to find Gold-Rush names, and we did lose them to cancer anyway.

ETA - I didn't realize there was a difference... but I guess I wanted to point out when I said Gold Rush, I was talking about Gold-Rush, goldens bred by R Ann Johnson.


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## Selli-Belle

Sorry Kate, I didn't realize the Gold-Rush was so close.


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## palismom

*goldrush goldens*

please do not purchase your pup from goldrush. 
litters full of genetic abnormalities, degenerative diseases and the cancer rate is off the chart.

my sweet boy has so many issues - 

stay away from goldrush. try cananda.


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## Robert

I just joined the forum and find this discussion fascinating. My wife and I got our first GR pup from Ann Johnson 25 years ago. Alex was a Gold-Rush Charlie descendant and lived to 12 1/2. After we lost Alex we bought another GR from Ann, Lucy. Her parents were Tess and Mr. Briggs. We eventually adopted Tess from Ann when she was about 6 after she could longer get pregnant. She really showed her age after all the breeding she had done. Unfortunately she was only with us for less than a year (cancer). Lucy just passed away on July 2 at the age of 11 1/2 of cancer of the spleen. She was truly an amazing dog...one Ann later admitted she regretted selling her. I would not hesitate to return to Ann, but this thread has made me pause just a bit. Has anyone heard of Alyson Fuge, a member of the Hudson Valley GR Club? I believe she resides in Morris County, NJ. Thank you to all who contribute here. Our life is not the same without Lucy and our 2 boys are crushed, but we remember all the joy she gave us. That affection she gave us is worth it all.


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## SunGold

Robert said:


> Has anyone heard of Alyson Fuge, a member of the Hudson Valley GR Club? I believe she resides in Morris County, NJ.


Yes, Alyson bred to my boy Eclipse last year. She's a very nice woman with beautiful dogs. 
Welcome to the forum!


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## rudimom

*goldrush golden health concerns*

I got my beloved golden from Goldrush in Princeton. At age 7.5 she was diagnosed with histiocytic sarcoma and died three months later in October of 2009.
I have met several people with Goldrush goldens who also died at a young age from cancer.
In addition, I know a woman who has two four-year-olds from Goldrush -- one got hip displasia at around six months, the other one just got diagnosed with it. 
I would love to have another golden related to my beloved girl, but I am scared to return to Ann Johnson because I fear that cancer at a young age and hip displasia seem way too common with Gold Rush Goldens.


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## Jleway

Same with me, but not with Goldrush, nor Ms. Johnson. My Penny died of Cancer, and I would love to have another Golden from her line, but I fear that if I find one, that it will surcome to the same fate. I talked to our vet about it, when Penny was still fighting, and he told me to look within myself, and to the pain that I was experiencing. He asked me if I would want something I loved, my family, and myself to go though the pain again. 
I answered, no. 
He said that dogs, especially Goldens, are meant to add something exceptional to our lives, not to give pain. He said that there are no guarantees on any breeder, but there is more of a chance of experiencing the negative aspects of life, cancer, with that line, then with a line that hasn't shown signs of that retched decease yet. The Vet said to look for a line that seems generally happy, healthy, and playful. He said to let live in the past, what was in the past.


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## Selli-Belle

There are NO lines of Goldens that do not experience cancer! Any breeder who says their lines do have have any cancer is telling a lie.


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## tippykayak

It is inaccurate to suggest that one can avoid cancer simply by choosing the right "line" of Golden Retrievers. The causes of cancer are very complex, and all the dogs a single breeder has produced simply do not constitute a large enough statistical group for us to make firm judgments about higher rates of cancer in this or that line.

Add to that the fact that cancers are not consistently reported in the GR community, and the bigger, more prominent, more honest breeders are at a higher risk for seeming to produce more cancers than others.

And one other piece: dogs don't have "cancer" in their genes. There may be genetic and epigenetic factors that increase the likelihood of certain kinds of cancers in this or that dog, but it shows a real misunderstanding of biology to suggest that a breeder is producing dogs with cancer because one dog in a line gets hemangiosarcoma, another gets lymphoma, and a third gets breast cancer.

It is always smart to look at longevity in a pedigree, but an honest breeder is going to look worse for entering full cancer information as the COD in k9data instead of leaving it blank as so many do.


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## Jleway

I didn't mean to imply that you can find a cancer free line. I was just telling rudimom that she was right for being cautious. That is all. I know that you can't find a cancer free line. Trust me, I have tried to find one and have failed miserably. I thought that by giving rudimom my story, that it might help her. 

Even though, no one that I know, can find a cancer free line; there are lines that seem "exceptionally healthy." Lines that yield Goldens that live 14, sometimes 16 years. That is all my vet was trying to tell me back in 2006. He was only telling me to find one of those types of lines. 

Yes, cancer might not live in genes, but Penny's line has disappeared now. Talking to her breeder in 2006, the breeder told me that her line just "went down hill." I asked if cancer was the culprit and she said that she thought that it was. Penny's breeder can't even find a Golden from their own line! But, I can see your point that you shouldn't label a line as 'cancerous,' and that the line cannot always give you the signs of weather or not your Golden is going to have cancer. When Penny was a puppy, her line seemed extremely healthy, but years later, her family (dog lineage) in general seemed to be diminishing. 

Yes... refer to K9Data.com for a reference guide on the heath of your Golden's pedigree. 

Again, I was trying to tell rudimom to do her homework, but I see now that my message wasn't as clear as I wanted it to be. So, here is the message, do your homework on any breeder that you choose. Check K9Data.com, ask the members here about the breeder's reputation, and really examine that breeder's dogs. But, if you know that your past breeder is breeding Goldens that are dying early of cancer, then maybe you need to go elsewhere. I was also trying to tell rudimom that I understand that pain of loosing a Golden of cancer. That is all...


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## Megora

> It is always smart to look at longevity in a pedigree, but an honest breeder is going to look worse for entering full cancer information as the COD in k9data instead of leaving it blank as so many do.


And not all breeders advertise the longevity of the dogs either... 

Something I did want to say about the lines with cancer in them... I think the problem is a bit more complicated. Like my Jacks' has Gold Rush in his background. But when I pick up his pedigree and go back a few generations I see dogs like Birnim Woods Mountin' Ash, Amberac's Asterling Aruba, Asterling's Go Getm Gangbuster, Birnim Wood's Douglas Furr, Faera's Future Classic, Asterling's Jamaica Verdict... and so forth. These are dogs that appear in a lot of lines regardless of the breeder. 

Now it could be just the combination of other dogs that the breeder has been using that have cast the bad genes down on today's dogs - and that is probably the case with some. But honestly... even if you escape all "Gold-Rush" titled dogs, you still could have dogs that are related in some way to the dogs that Ann Johnson is breeding. It's a wider problem.


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## Jleway

I believe that it is a wider problem as well.


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## tippykayak

Megora said:


> But honestly... even if you escape all "Gold-Rush" titled dogs, you still could have dogs that are related in some way to the dogs that Ann Johnson is breeding. It's a wider problem.


And Ann Johnson's dogs aren't responsible for cancer in GRs, so running away from Gold-Rush relatives doesn't make sense anyway.

Cancer is, so far as we can tell, woefully random. There are hints of patterns here and there, but many of those apparent patterns turn out not to be patterns at all. I think we console ourselves sometimes past the point of logic when we try to use food or pedigrees as reassurances. I do believe it's wise to look for longevity and wise to look for a good food for your dog, but I also recognize how illogical fear can make us.

I say that as somebody who had to put down a dog in '08, just after his sixth birthday, because of a rare kind of aggressive lymphoma. I did everything "right" (i.e., followed scientific consensus) when it came to picking the dog and minimizing the risks, and it happened anyway.

So by all means, try to avoid it. But be careful steering people away from a breeder just because a few cancer cases have been publicized. For all you know, the next breeder you look at that has "no cancer" or "only a little" might simply be less honest or less lucky.


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## Jleway

Tippykayak... exactly... you said, what I was TRYING to say.


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## rudimom

Thank you for your thoughtful words regarding my post about losing my goldrush golden at 7.5 years to histiocytic sarcoma. I now have two rescue dogs, including one who I got five months after my golden passed away. Neither are goldens, but my next one will be. Despite the increased risk of cancer in goldens, I think for me they are the most special and perfect breed. What I wonder is this: if many cancers in humans can be inheritable (i.e. if you have a close relative with breast or ovarian cancer, you have an increased risk of getting these diseases), and dog and human cancers are quite similar, so much so that dog cancer research is being used to help fight human cancer, then why is it so far-fetched to think that cancer in some genetic lines of goldens can't exist? I just think it's weird that the only people I know with problems in their goldens at a young age are from gold rush.


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## Mountaingirl

*Dogs needing homes*

The debate about GoldRush and cancer will go on forever. In the meantime dogs need you! After my GR boy Sonny died (cancer at 6 btw but that is not the point) I looked for a breeder high and low. I found a great breeder but her girl didn't get pregnant. In my googling around I found a Golden Retriever Rescue and after an app. and a home visit --my beautiful Sonny came home with me. I'd encourage you all to consider rescue when looking for a golden. There is nothing wrong with these dogs except the humans that owned them. All sizes, shapes, colors, some with papers, if that is your thing, are available. This bad economy is bad for dogs too as people lose their home, jobs and financial flexibility. Consider volunteering for a golden rescue! Often there is a foster to adopt program--like test driving a car! My Sonny brings great joy to my families' life and satisfaction to my soul as I became involved in volunteering. Foster Della is sitting on the couch right now!


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## tippykayak

rudimom said:


> Thank you for your thoughtful words regarding my post about losing my goldrush golden at 7.5 years to histiocytic sarcoma. I now have two rescue dogs, including one who I got five months after my golden passed away. Neither are goldens, but my next one will be. Despite the increased risk of cancer in goldens, I think for me they are the most special and perfect breed. What I wonder is this: if many cancers in humans can be inheritable (i.e. if you have a close relative with breast or ovarian cancer, you have an increased risk of getting these diseases), and dog and human cancers are quite similar, so much so that dog cancer research is being used to help fight human cancer, then why is it so far-fetched to think that cancer in some genetic lines of goldens can't exist? I just think it's weird that the only people I know with problems in their goldens at a young age are from gold rush.


You're on GRF, so you know lots and lots of people whose young Goldens died from cancer and aren't related to Gold Rush dogs. The data we have on the breed has been unable to pinpoint a particular dog or line as more or less prone than others.

Your analogy to breast cancer is a false one. There are a few kinds of very specific cancer (one kind of pancreatic cancer, some kinds of breast cancer, etc.) that we've learned are related to heritable factors. It's very likely that there are some specific kinds in dogs that are also heritable.

However, of the major killers of Goldens: hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, and osteosarcoma, none of these has yet been demonstrated to have a clear heritable link. In the case of humans, heritability was proven through large-scale looks at occurrence and family relationships, combined with genetic studies. And it was only proven for a very small subset of cancer types. To say it simply: just because _some_ kinds of cancers have strong heritable factors doesn't mean _all_ cancers operate that way. Currently, there's no evidence that the major killers of GRs are related to clearly heritable factors.

Furthermore, the vocabulary of cancer can be misleading. To say that a group of dogs got "cancer" doesn't tell you if they all got the same kind. If one dog gets osteo, one hemangio, and one lymphoma, that doesn't mean that the breeder is producing "cancer prone" dogs. Even if we assume that the common GR cancers have clear genetic factors (which they may not), they don't have the _same_ genetic factors, so the occurrence of different cancers really tells us nothing about whether the line has above-average risks.

Strictly speaking, people and dogs do not inherit cancer. They inherit specific risk factors for specific kinds of cancers. So if a breeder is producing related dogs with a very specific kind of cancer, that might tell you something. It might be fair to speculate that there are specific risk factors being passed down. And, when it happens, good breeders typically stop producing with those dogs. However, what seems like an above-average incidence of many different cancers doesn't tell you anything concrete about your risks. You may simply be dealing with bad luck or a particularly honest breeder.

A personal experience can poison our feelings about a breeder or a famous ancestor, but that doesn't mean we can say with any kind of surety that the breeder or the ancestor are actually producing dogs that are statistically more likely to develop any given cancer. A single breeder's dogs simply do not constitute a large enough statistical group to know whether the cancer is from bad luck or bad genes.


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## Selli-Belle

In addition to what Tippy said, Gold Rush is soooooo influential in your area. Probably more than half the Goldens you meet are going to have alot of Gold Rush blood in them. When my sister and I lived in NJ for two years, we decided to get a Golden and looked in the classified. We knew we were looking for a "big doofus" of a dog so we went toward show lines rather than field lines. The ad we picked specified that the dogs had Cumming Gold Rush Charlie bloodlines, but that meant nothing to us (we were from Michigan and knew Meadowpond dogs). So by pure chance we wound up with a dog with a lot of Gold Rush blood ( he had Charlie in his pedigree four times (three times through Teddy who had an additional dose of Duke on his mother's side, plus a dose of Charlie's full sister and in addition one other dose of Duke) and knew other Goldens in the area with a lot of Gold Rush too. We moved when Dexy was one and Dexy and I eventually moved back to Michigan and even here we met a couple of Gold Rush dogs, plus tons that had Charlie or Teddy in the pedigree. Dexy died at 12 of hemangio, but according to everyone I have spoken too, hemangio at 12 is not considered to be something unusual (I thought he should have lived to be at least 15).


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## Jleway

*a few cents to ponder on*

I don't think that anyone is pointing a huge finger to Gold-Rush to blame for the cancer that has appeared in the breed. I think what rudimom is saying, is that a line is like a family, and that a family might be prone to cancer. I think that is all she is saying, not that Gold-Rush is the cause, just that Gold-Rush is possibly more prone to the disease then others. 

But I also understand your point. Yes, the chatter about cancer in general has been inflated and has also been stricken by falsity. Cancer is a retched disease caused by mutation. Yes, cancer can pop up at anytime to any person or Golden Retriever. For cancer is cause by genetic mutation within the cells, usually when RNA is not replicated correctly... which starts the horrible viscous cycle of replicated cancer cells.

Just think of something though: women with mothers or grand-mothers with breast cancer are told by their physicians to get a B.R.A.C analysis test; a blood test that reads DNA for genetic marker or genetic "red flags" for breast cancer. My best friend lost her mother at the age of 21, her sister was only 16, and now they are facing the reality of having to get a B.R.A.C analysis test to see if their fate is the same as their mother's. Yes, there is a genetic link to cancer, but there is no guarantee that every family member of a certain family will have it. In my family, every woman of my family: my grandma, my aunt, and my mom have had colon cancer; so guess what... my doctor told me that I have the pleasure of getting my first colonoscopy at the age of 35, and that I will have to have one every 3 to 4 years until the age of 50, at which time I will have start getting them every 1 to 2 years. So, yes cancer does run in families. But, no... there is no certainty that every member of the family will be graced by it. I might get lucky and not have any sign of colon cancer at all, because I also have my father's DNA as well. So... yeah... a few cents to ponder on.

I'll get off my proverbial soap box now... by the way... I am not against Gold-Rush at all. I think that they are beautiful dogs... in fact... my Lady has some in her, so by all means... I am not against them. I just know a little something about cancer... because I have lost a ton to this horrible epidemic of a disease.


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## tippykayak

Jleway said:


> I don't think that anyone is pointing a huge finger to Gold-Rush to blame for the cancer that has appeared in the breed. I think what rudimom is saying, is that a line is like a family, and that a family might be prone to cancer. I think that is all she is saying, not that Gold-Rush is the cause, just that Gold-Rush is possibly more prone to the disease then others.


The key here is _possibly_. Yes, it's possible. Based on what we know about the major cancers found in GRs, though, we cannot trace any of them to particular families. Some of the larger-scale work done to track these cancers shows us the opposite, in fact. The instant that we have any predictive tests like BRCA-1 and 2 for GR diseases, I'm sure great breeders will embrace them the way they've embraced OFA, CERF, and PRA tests.

That possibility that a line really is prone to something is why I said that I would respect a personal decision to avoid a breeder or a particular family of dogs. However, I don't think that possibility is particularly likely nor arrived at scientifically, so I don't think it's responsible or fair for anyone to publicly state that a breeder's dogs are prone to cancer or any variation of that theme. Everything we know says a statement like that is unfair and misleading.


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## maddie10

How odd to have stumbled upon this thread in the hopes of finding a solid breeder of goldens in our area..we had a golden from this breeder who recently passed away..she was about ten
I would not recommend this breeder at all...she is in for profit and cuts corners when it comes to health screenings..sells inferior, puppy mill quality pups from other breeders in order to make a buck..
Our original purchase had to be returned after our vet found severe dysplasia ( 5 month old pup ) then , sold us one of her own bred dogs whose father was screened, but not the mother...another dog with dysplasia. When approached her with this, was told that it was our fault for having Pergo floors in our home.
Shame on us for being ignorant, emotional, uneducated people who wanted to add a golden retriever to our family
Shame on her for willingly preying on people who are searching for such and not being prepared and educated enough about solid breeders and the proper care and placing of their pups

Since then , have found another breed altogether with truly caring breeders that treat their dogs and prospective buyers with the utmost care and placement ...

Don't care for commercial breeders that are in it for profit and not love and bettering their breed


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## Tanner's Mom

Just came upon this post. We got our Golden from Gold Rush in Princeton, brought him home, named him Shea and anticipated many years with this beautiful and wonderful dog. After we had Shea for a few months, we began hearing some frightening stories about this breeder and hoped our Shea would beat the statistics. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. He was diagnosed with lymphoma at age 2 1/2 and we had to put him down this past November. Shea had just turned 3 years old.


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## Sally's Mom

So sorry to hear about Shea. Unfortunately, lymphoma crosses all pedigrees and ages.


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## rudimom

Tanner's Mom said:


> Just came upon this post. We got our Golden from Gold Rush in Princeton, brought him home, named him Shea and anticipated many years with this beautiful and wonderful dog. After we had Shea for a few months, we began hearing some frightening stories about this breeder and hoped our Shea would beat the statistics. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. He was diagnosed with lymphoma at age 2 1/2 and we had to put him down this past November. Shea had just turned 3 years old.


So sorry to hear about Shea. It is so sad.


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## mustluvgoldens

The horrifying stats are that 1 in 8 goldens will develop lymphoma. It's not limited to Gold Rush goldens. My golden who died of lymphoma 9/2/10, less than 3 months shy of his 9th b'day, was not related at all to any gold rush goldens. A good friend lost her golden to the same thing, at approximately same age, a month and a half after I did and her dog was not gold rush either.

I currently have a 10 month old by a Gold Rush sire and Gold Rush grandsire with tons of clearances, but he's not directly from Gold Rush and the mom and granny are not of goldrush lines. But that gives me very little comfort because another stat I found when I was researching how to get my Rex through chemo (5 months of it that failed) was that 71.2% of golden deaths are cancer related. Is it environmental? I think the increased rates in our dog friends are just like in humans. There is simply more cancer because we no longer are "natural" in so many areas of our lives. Alll I can say is that it's just tragic to watch your golden die right before your eyes a little at a time from this horrifying disease. Many will say it's the most curable of canine cancers. IF, caught early. Unfortunately, it's usually after sypmtoms appear that it's caught and by then, it can have spread to many organs. The stats regarding remission are skewed by other breeds who do seem to tolerate chemo rather well and get into remission. Corgi's are one of these lucky breeds. Every golden I have personally known with lymphoma has died within a few months. 

Bottom line, any golden can get cancer no matter what kennel they come from.


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## Tanner's Mom

I totally agree that Golden's tend to be prone to developing lymphoma and that when we all choose to love this wonderful breed, it is a gamble we sign up for. It is just odd to me that this breeder's name has been mentioned way too often when it comes to this topic. Although I know it is very possible for my current Golden pups to face the same fate, I would never knowingly purchase another dog with any connection to Gold Rush. Losing a 3 year old puppy was just not in the plan.


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## tippykayak

My dog who died of six from T-cell lymphoma came from a pedigree with no cases of pre-geriatric lymphoma, and none at all of confirmed T-cell. We don't understand the causes, and one line of dogs simply does not provide a statistically significant sampling.

The biggest contributing factor may have been asymptomatic anaplasmosis. It may have been genes (despite the dearth of other relatives who had it). It may have been exposure to pesticides or cell phone signals or plastic dog bowls or BPA in dog food bag linings. 

We just don't know, and our minds and hearts want so badly to have a resolution that we unconsciously favor simple explanations ("it's in that line," "it's the diet we feed nowadays," etc.). However, when you actually study one of those factors by trying to control the others, you find that there isn't a single factor that's yet been studied that explains something like lymphoma all on its own.

Do your best; take reasonable precautions; but don't assign the lion's share of the blame to a single factor, especially when doing so unfairly hurts a breeder's reputation.


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## Megora

As far as lymphoma... I suspect that it's a combination of genes and environmental triggers. It isn't enough to cause me to skip vaccines with my dogs or feed them raw (which doesn't matter anyway, because you can't control the hormones and junk that goes into the raw meat and veggies you are feeding your dog), but it is concerning. 

Then again... my guy has Gold Rush in his pedigree through his mom. She is still alive and in great condition at five. And she has dogs in her background who lived 10+ years. 

That doesn't mean that my three year old golden will not suddenly develop lymphoma or some other cancer. If you consider a lot of the breeds out there, they ALL have cancer problems. If you bring a popular companion dog home, it is a risk you take. But it's a risk I'm willing to live with, because I do have a very gentle, intelligent, and good natured guy back home. <- I probably would not take the same risk if it meant bringing home a breed that's standoffish, independant, ill-tempered, and stubborn as heck.


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## Sally's Mom

I agree with the previous post as cancers cross all lines and pedigrees, and we're not just talking about lymphoma. Gold Rush may seem to be over represented to some people, but you have to consider that Gold Rush has been breeding for a long time. So, become part of the solution. If your dog develops hemangio or lymphoma or osteo, the Modiano and Breen Labs would be very interested in samples. They like tumor samples and blood samples from affected dogs. And they also like blood samples from helathy relatives. As I have said in the past, be it cancer, orthopedic issues, or whatever, bad things can happen to good breeders.


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## MGMF

There is never a guarentee. Just make sure your can do what you can to research the pedigree. k9data's longevity is helpful if entered. You don't want generation of dogs showing they only live 6-8. I look for lines that show a good amount of 13-15's. Wish there was an answer for cancer for dogs and humans.


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## kekee726

I went to Gold Rush last fall when I was looking to purchase a puppy. I was turned off by the living arrangements of the adult dogs. Perhaps I am naive about the business of breeding, but I was saddened to see the many, many dogs all living in tight cramped conditions. Many of the dogs spent their days living in the "pet kennels" typically used for airline travel.
They were so many adult dogs living either in the garage, laundry room or another spare room. I couldn't in good conscience support this practice and purchase a puppy from Gold Rush.
From there I went to Sweetlea and purchased my puppy from there. What a difference! The dogs are family pets and we were able to play with and interact with my puppy's mother, father, aunt & grandmother.


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## Megora

kekee726 said:


> I went to Gold Rush last fall when I was looking to purchase a puppy. I was turned off by the living arrangements of the adult dogs. Perhaps I am naive about the business of breeding, but I was saddened to see the many, many dogs all living in tight cramped conditions. Many of the dogs spent their days living in the "pet kennels" typically used for airline travel.
> They were so many adult dogs living either in the garage, laundry room or another spare room. I couldn't in good conscience support this practice and purchase a puppy from Gold Rush.
> .


Was this Gold Rush - with Ann Johnson?

The only reason why I ask is I would assume the dogs are kept in a kennel facility - the sort that commercial breeders use to keep the multiple litters seperate, the mom dogs calm, and everything clean? 

And these dogs are cycled into the home where they may be kept in crates during the day?

I'm not saying this is as preferable as puppies born inside a home to parents kept inside the home, but... I think a lot of big breeders use the above method.


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## historicprim

Welcome to the forum Kekee, I worked for Ann for 10 years and have been at her home many many times, in fact I was just there 2 weeks ago.
Did she take you on a tour of her properties? They are beautifully landscaped and securily fenced for the dogs to exercise. The dogs are crated to eat, rest and sleep at night at her home. Her home is spotless and those dogs live a better life then most pet homes, having the best of everything. They are bathed and groomed every 2 weeks, and are jogged by Ann herself every day. She lives and breaths for her dogs, and I personally have never met anyone in my life so dedicated to anything!
Anns females are housed at her farm/kennel, which is maintained like her homestead. Anyway, I'm happy to here you were able to purchase your pup from Sweetlea's, her dog who just won BOB at Westminster is a very handsome boy. p.s. I no longer work for Ann and havent posted here in a very long time. I just felt like this needed to be addressed.



kekee726 said:


> I went to Gold Rush last fall when I was looking to purchase a puppy. I was turned off by the living arrangements of the adult dogs. Perhaps I am naive about the business of breeding, but I was saddened to see the many, many dogs all living in tight cramped conditions. Many of the dogs spent their days living in the "pet kennels" typically used for airline travel.
> They were so many adult dogs living either in the garage, laundry room or another spare room. I couldn't in good conscience support this practice and purchase a puppy from Gold Rush.
> From there I went to Sweetlea and purchased my puppy from there. What a difference! The dogs are family pets and we were able to play with and interact with my puppy's mother, father, aunt & grandmother.


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## kekee726

historicprim said:


> Welcome to the forum Kekee, I worked for Ann for 10 years and have been at her home many many times, in fact I was just there 2 weeks ago.
> Did she take you on a tour of her properties? They are beautifully landscaped and securily fenced for the dogs to exercise. The dogs are crated to eat, rest and sleep at night at her home. Her home is spotless and those dogs live a better life then most pet homes, having the best of everything. They are bathed and groomed every 2 weeks, and are jogged by Ann herself every day. She lives and breaths for her dogs, and I personally have never met anyone in my life so dedicated to anything!
> Anns females are housed at her farm/kennel, which is maintained like her homestead. Anyway, I'm happy to here you were able to purchase your pup from Sweetlea's, her dog who just won BOB at Westminster is a very handsome boy. p.s. I no longer work for Ann and havent posted here in a very long time. I just felt like this needed to be addressed.


Hi historicprim, I didn't get a tour of the property, only of her home. The dogs weren't eating while we were there and they weren't sleeping. I wonder how much rest do they get a day. 
I took my 7 year old nephew with me while picking out a puppy and he was the one who first commented that he felt sorry for the dogs being in cages. I had heard a lot of postive feedback about Ann, and was disappointed by the experience.
I'm very pleased with my Sweetlea puppy. He's the son of Jacque aka Sweetlea Follow Me, the BOB winner.


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## mustluvgoldens

Megora said:


> As far as lymphoma... I suspect that it's a combination of genes and environmental triggers.)
> 
> I totally agree about the role genes play when combined with environmental triggers. I've thought long and hard about a few things I unwittingly exposed my Rex (died 9/2/10 lymphoma) to. He swam in Mobile Bay frequently starting in 2005. We had just moved to the Gulf Coast and had no idea then how polluted the bay was. When he started getting hot spots every time he went into the bay despite an immediate bath, we stopped.
> 
> He did continue swimming in a river here which is much cleaner, but we also, for the first time ever started using a lawn service. Fertilizers, weed killers, you name it. 3 years later, my dog is dying. And quite possibly, it could have triggered the kidney failure that killed my 13.5 year old Chelsea two years ago. Even though quite "elderly", she was in great condition and suddenly became ill. Rushed to the vet to find she had less than 1% kidney function. It didn't hit me at the time that the yard chemicals could have caused it. But when Rex was diagnosed 3/23/10, we stopped using the lawn servie immediately.
> 
> Picture dogs and children playing in the lawn, rolling around in the chemicals and coming inside and continuing to play in the floor where chemicals are tracked in from the outside. My yard looks crappy now, but I don't care as long as my 2 current goldens remain healthy. There's nothing worse than watching a dog you've loved more than any other, go thru chemo and then die anyway. These are just my thoughts and opinions but if it helps anybody else decide to stop with the chemicals, then great!


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## tuckerbailey

I have not read this entire thread but can I ask a question here? How many puppies or litters will they have in a year?? Just my singular opinion but it seems to me with all of the dogs out there a breeder who has more than 4 litters a year is irresponsible and I could not support such.


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## Megora

tuckerbailey said:


> I have not read this entire thread but can I ask a question here? How many puppies or litters will they have in a year?? Just my singular opinion but it seems to me with all of the dogs out there a breeder *who has more than 4 litters a year is irresponsible* and I could not support such.


You have to understand that a lot of these big breeders are having at least 2 litters a season. That winds up being at least 6 litters a year. 

And the reason why they do this is because demand is high for the puppies. I know of one place (my guy's breeder) where the puppies are all sold weeks before it's time for them to go home.


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## SlartiBartfast

Being raised with several Goldens, the first thing I wanted when getting married and living on my own was a dog, and that dog was ALWAYS going to be a Golden. Living in the Trenton area, GoldRush in Princeton was an obvious choice.

So I got a GoldRush golden. 

He was gorgeous, sweet, and affectionate. My Poor Sweet Riley was everything I wanted in my first Golden. 4 years later, I came home and he didn't want to eat. An emergency services trip, 2 hours, and several X-Rays later, I walked out with his collar. His belly and kidneys were so riddled with tumors that they gave him no more than hours to live.

Afterword, the more I learned the more I was shocked and angered. Upon his passing, I talked to a prominent Vet Oncologist & cancer specialist that told me he could comfortably support his practice JUST treating GoldRush Goldens.

I am shocked and saddened to hear that GoldRush dogs continue to show as recently as this weekend and litters of puppies are on the website.


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## Sally's Mom

That totally stinks. I am so sorry for your loss. IMO, the oncologist was out of line. Mind you, this is coming from me, the vet. As I have said in numerous threads, cancer knows no age or pedigrees. Gold Rush breeds a lot of litters so by numbers will be well represented by cancer.. you need to notify the breeder. IMO cancer is in all lines, there are just the details of how early and how severe.


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## WLR

23% of human deaths in the US are caused by cancer.....I'm not trying to belittle your loss, don't get me wrong.....I dread the day I have to part with any of my canines......GoldRush, being popular in the pedigree world is probably under the microscope more than other breeders. It would be interesting to see the mortality statistics for all goldens and other breeds.
I too think the oncologist was out of line in what was said.


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## rudimom

To the mom of Riley from Goldrush: I am so sorry for your loss. I feel your pain. I lost my golden from Gold Rush at age 7.5. to cancer, her spleen was filled with tumors. And then it spread to the rest of her body. I sadly have to say that every person I have met who has a goldrush, and I mean every single person, has had cancer or other severe health issues to tell me about. I am stating a fact. It breaks my heart.


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## Tanner's Mom

I am so sorry to hear about Riley. Our Shea was only 2 1/2 when diagnosed with lymphoma and passed away 9 months later. We also purchased Shea from Gold Rush in Princeton. We brought home this sweet pup expecting a long happy life with him. Unfortunately, we probably should have done our homework a bit better in terms of choosing this breeder. I did write a letter to Gold Rush after we had to put Shea down, and I would encourage you to do the same. However, please don't expect much in a response from them. The owner had allowed one of her employees to breed her female Gold Rush w/one of the owner's males and sell the litter at Gold Rush. The owner of Gold Rush's response to me was that she would replace the pup if it were up to her, but she didn't know how her employee, the owner of the female pup, would handle the situation. That was in November, 2010; never heard back from either of them. Needless to say, we would have never taken this option, but I guess it was a little disappointing that they chose to never follow up w/us. I agree that Golden's may have a predispositon to getting cancer, but it seems highly suspicious that such YOUNG pups coming from this breeder are developing cancer. After we purchased Shea, we heard many incidents about Gold Rush. One year later, we purchased Tanner from a wonderful breeder in Pa. Shea and Tanner were best buds for just a year before Shea's diagnosis. As we loved having 2 Goldens, we got Ellie in January. Although I know it is always a gamble, we are hoping for many happy years ahead w/Tanner and Ellie  I'm so sorry for the loss of your Riley and that you had to experience such sadness.


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## maddie10

So sad to read the stories of lost beloved dogs here. The problem I have with Gold Rush is that it is run like a business than a careful and meticulous breeder who should have the mission to better the breed , not out for a profit.
Although my Golden purchased from them didn't have cancer , she was diagnosed with severe dysplasia and when I contacted the breeder ,she blamed me..yes me. Why ? Because my house has Pergo floors. It couldn't have been perhaps that she cut corners and didn't screen the mother's hips ? :no:
She was beligerant and combative when I approached her...hardly what one would expect under the circumstances of learning our dog wasn't healthy.

I now have two Pembroke Welsh Corgis and upon researching and meeting breeders in our hunt , I found the breeders to be much more concerned about placing their dogs in a proper home , as well as very careful screening of our family..and a lot more health screening and generally higher ethics .
And in my opinion , all purebred breeders should do the same before bringing puppies into the world


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## tippykayak

maddie10 said:


> Because my house has Pergo floors. It couldn't have been perhaps that she cut corners and didn't screen the mother's hips ?


I do not believe that flooring can cause HD, and there's no evidence that it can, so far as I know. Blaming puppy owners for HD isn't fair in my book. The wrong kinds of exercise can worsen the symptoms of HD, but there's no evidence that they create the underlying joint malformation.

However, the accusation of failing to obtain a hip clearance before breeding is a serious one. Are you sure of that? What was the dam's name? She can be looked up on offa.org fairly easily.


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## Sally's Mom

My dogs(not dysplastic) are all raised on hardwood and (gasp) go up and down wooden stairs as pups! Blaming bad genetics on the floors the pup was raised on is not ok. As Tippykayak said, you can look the parents up on OFA.


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## kidznpupz

I am sorry to add to this list. I lost Bear because of severe dysplasia and arthritis at 8, Maddie at 7 for cancerous tumors in her abdomen that spread to her chest and just one week ago Mikey who had a soft tissue sarcoma in his leg that spread to the bone.
All Gold Rush. I wrote Ann Johnson about Mikey's death and have received no response. I thought she miught have wanted to know because of breeding and statistics. 7 and 8 is too young to lose a beloved familoy member in my book. I would love another golden but am scared to death. No more goldrush for me that's for sure


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## PrincessDi

*Again so sorry!!*

Again, I'm so very sorry for your loss of 3 golden children in such a VERY short time. Just can't imagine how heartbroken you are. If you feel this is an issue with the breeder and you have tried to speak with them about your heartbroken concerns and they did not return your calls or emails, you have EVERY right to be angry. It is hard enough to endure the loss, but to not be able to discuss this is not acceptable.


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## maddie10

However, the accusation of failing to obtain a hip clearance before breeding is a serious one. Are you sure of that? What was the dam's name? She can be looked up on offa.org fairly easily. 
__________________
This was not an accusation , but an admission from Ann herself. It was done before we took our puppy home , and in our ignorance and inexperience , didn't take it as seriously as we should have. This happened over ten years ago , and I don't recall the dam or sire's name , and have no idea what I did with the papers.
The sire's clearances were done and shown to us and there was a discussion about the dam was going to be screened but had not yet at this point . If fact we didn't meet the dam. Their was a pen full of pups and each were marked in streaks of clipped fur.
It was a stupid decision to go back to her when the first puppy was purchased that didn't even come from her , but someone in Minnesota that she sold for them. That puppy was five months old and had very severe dysplasia to the point that we had to carry her outside to do her business...we only had her for a few weeks and our vetrinarian advised us to return her. Our children were heartbroken and when we returned pup #1 , there was that adorable litter and we caved.
I miss my Maddie and sometimes I wish we had another , but I have a lot of reservations , hearing about all of the cancer and other health issues in the breed


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## kidznpupz

Maddie -
We also got a pup from Ann in that time frame who was from Minnesota- we had to put him to sleep at age 8 due to severe dysplasia. The Dam's name was Bonnie - I remember that for sure and the breeder was Russell Crume - does that ring a bell? Just wondering. We have just lost 2 gold rush goldens in 2 years at age 7 and 8 due to cancer. Why I went back I have no idea. The hip dyplasia guy - our Bear was awful to lose - as they all are. I am starting to think that Ann Johnson runs a puppy mill.


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## Tahnee GR

Ah, that would Russell Crume of Boardwalk Golden Retrievers in Minnesota. Never met the man, never saw him or one of his dogs at a show but I would periodically see ads from him.


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## kidznpupz

exactly the one. Ann had one of his big male puppies for sale. He was an absolutely wonderful dog. Devoted. But his hips were so bad that by 8 years we had to let him go Hip surgery wasn't as common as it is now - this had to be around 10 years ago. But finding out that someone else had what appears not to have been a random problem makes me furious.


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## oakleysmommy

this is horrible. she needs to be stopped


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## debrald

We have had two goldens from Gold-Rush. First one dropped dead in the yard for no apparent reason at age 6 years-vet says probably hemangiosarcoma which led to bleeding to death. Second one, diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia at 1 1/2 years. Gorgeous, wonderful dogs with unacceptable health problems. Could understand one of them having a problem but both?? Paid a ton of money for them and expected better quality.


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## maddie10

I didn't ever get the Minnesota breeder's name..all I saw was adorable puppy with sweet , calm disposition ( who was most likely quiet because of her severe dysplasia at age 5 mos ). I was really ignorant about everything back then , I am ashamed to say. And I also placed no importance on the breeding practices or lineage. Since we purchased a pet and not a show dog, it just didn't seem important to me at the time.
It was my first dog and our girls were sooo excited to have one that I was too hasty in the process of choosing a breeder.
Having since become acquainted with several corgi breeders , I feel that they chose us more than the other way around when it came to placing their dogs , which worked out well. I love my corgis , but I do miss having a golden too


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## sherrybear101

I have a 6 year old golden retriever that I got from Gold Rush in New Jersey. She is beautiful, intelligent and very healthy. We got all of her health clearances, no problems. The hips were OFA Good, (Our vet who looked at the films first said very good - no worries) she has no eye, heart or any other problems. I would recommend Gold Rush - though I know some are put off by the fact that it is a commercial kennel.


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## sherrybear101

60 to 70 percent of all Golden Retriever dogs will die of cancer. As of now, there is no real way to predict accurately which dog will die from cancer. There is no screening test, no breeder is the cause or to blame. The staff at Gold-Rush does their best to produce the best, healthiest dogs. Every test that can be done for screening sire and dam, including OFA Hips and Elbows, SAS for heart and eye testing is done. I have copies of the parents clearances to prove it.


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## Sally's Mom

Ok I support that cancer crosses all pedigrees, but where did you come from?


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## MGMF

It is a shame we can't do clearances for cancer and maybe if we did it would whip out all lines. For now we have to do our best to avoid it. Besides doing all the clearances available breeders should do continual research for longevity and other health issues. Just because they are beautiful, sweet and a CH. they shouldn't all be breed. If their average lines are only living until 8 something must be wrong. I believe they should be a good numbers of 12, 13 and up in their pedigree. The perfect line does not exsist but as breeders should always work hard towards the goal for better breeding.


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## kidznpupz

Sherrybear,
With all due respect and not meaning to offend - my three gold rush dogs were fine at 6 years old and all were dead by eight. I would have said the same thing as you when they were that age. One of my dogs was involved in the above litter without clearances for the mom and died of severe hip dysplasia. I was ignorant when I bought him and accept at least some of the responsiblilty. However the other two died two years apart of cancer at the ages of 7 and 8 - it was a real heartbreak for me and I am stil, affected by Mikey's death that happened last May.
I wrote to Ann to tell her of the death and didn't even get the courtesy of an e-mail back. 
Gold Rush is to me a glorified puppy mill - I hope you got lucky and escaped the legacy of cancer and early death - but believe me Ann Johnson doesn't care one bit if you did.


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## golden_eclipse

This is the dam that poster is talking about that was bred with HD. 

Pedigree: Am Ch. Gold-Rush Kathie Lee

My parents own a puppy who's sire is from her, and I was looking through the puppies pedigree when I noticed the lack of hip clearance on her grandmother. When I emailed Anne, she admitted that the hip clearance came back "Mild", but was a good dog in other ways. she said "back then things were different" but that dog was bred in 2002, I don't thing the standard for golden breeders were that different. Just thought I would throw that out there. I have not had good luck with Gold-Rush dogs. We purchased a puppy in 2005 who's parents were directly from Gold-Rush, and she had Moderate HD at 8 months. She was spayed and was placed in a home where they were prepared financially and emotionally (as much as possible) to deal with it. She is doing well, she has lucked out and doesn't seem to be bothered too much (according to her family). (we had hoped to show the puppy.)

and apparently she took a puppy from Kathie lee, this puppy does not have a hip clearance, and then decides breeding that bitch would be a good idea ??? 

http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=241177 This is the offspring in question.....so at that point you have two generations of bad hips...aghhh


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## Sally's Mom

There is at least one breeder in Maine breeding from the same Kathy Lee line...


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## Sally's Mom

I have noticed, however, that many Gold Rush dogs do not have cardiologist heart clearances, but practitoner clearances. One of my pet peeves...


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## golden_eclipse

I think I know which breeder you are talking about. 

My parent's puppy on the other hand, will most likely be spayed. Unless her hips come back excellent, (and even then, not too sure) and she miraculously became a top show prospect (which would take a lot IMHO) . She is 15 months right now, so my hope for her to "fill out" is dwindling.


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## Visitador

Pardon me for being a greenhorn. I have been reading through the posts of this forum. It has been hammered on my head that any time I inquire about a puppy, I need to get clearances for hip, elbow, cardiac and eyes of at least 4 or 5 generations. Even so, there is still a chance that your puppy may have an issue, hence get pet insurance. Also, all Golden Retriever clubs emphasize the medical checks.
So, given that, how come some of you guys went ahead and purchased puppies without the health clearances and researching the certificate of pedigree (a look at Gold-Rush Cathy Lee's K9data info would give me red flags already)? Did the breeder sweet talked you into not checking? I am just wondering, so that I don't make the same mistake when talking to a breeder.


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## MGMF

I would guess sweet talking. If the clearances are not in black and white then what could they possibly say?


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## golden_eclipse

My parents are the one that picked out this puppy. They did not really consult me. They are interested in a pet (that could also be a show prospect for me) as I am the one that shows and has the sire that they would probably have used. But the thing about hip dysplasia is that it can be environmental. So to rule out a whole pedigree for one hip clearance missing,(in the third generation) would in my opinion, not necessarily be prudent. There are not that many pedigrees with 4 or 5 generations back that have all 4 clearances, as the elbow clearance recommendation was just added I believe in 2001. There are some, but you would probably be limiting yourself to a few lines with young dogs all the way back. Again, if I had my choice, I would not have bought this dog,(I love her now though) I don't like Gold Rush and I like to stay as far away as possible. But again, my parents are somewhat informed about buying a good golden, as the parents of the puppy had all four clearances.(one has good and one has Excellent hips) But looking back in the pedigree isn't easy unless you know how to get around on the web( like k9 data or offa.org) which they don't. They just took the breeder's word that they had checked the pedigree. And Cathy-lee is an Am. Ch, which will throw off a lot of people, because one would assume you wouldn't invest that much time and money into a dog with HD. They have been informed now, and hopefully won't try a buying process without consulting me. 

At this point, even if we decide to show her, not get her spayed, we probably won't breed her. As breeding was not our biggest priority. I wanted a show dog, you don't have to breed a show dog, but sometimes the implication is that you do.


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## tippykayak

Visitador said:


> Pardon me for being a greenhorn. I have been reading through the posts of this forum. It has been hammered on my head that any time I inquire about a puppy, I need to get clearances for hip, elbow, cardiac and eyes of at least 4 or 5 generations. Even so, there is still a chance that your puppy may have an issue, hence get pet insurance. Also, all Golden Retriever clubs emphasize the medical checks.
> So, given that, how come some of you guys went ahead and purchased puppies without the health clearances and researching the certificate of pedigree (a look at Gold-Rush Cathy Lee's K9data info would give me red flags already)? Did the breeder sweet talked you into not checking? I am just wondering, so that I don't make the same mistake when talking to a breeder.


The forum isn't a single hive-mind. There are principles articulated by the GRCA Code of Ethics that we all _should_ follow in breeding or purchasing, but not everybody follows them all the time. Some of us simply didn't know at the time of purchase about that code of ethics (like my first dog my parents bought in 1986 or so), and some people choose to bend or break parts of the code of ethics because they think they know better (and maybe they do).


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## tuckerbailey

Can I ask what I hope is a simple question? How many litters do they produce in a year?
Can anyone answer with reasonable accuracy?


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## blink

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." (author unknown)

What I have learned from this thread and this quote is that I must do more research before bringing home a new pup.


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## MGMF

blink said:


> "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." (author unknown)
> 
> What I have learned from this thread and this quote is that I must do more research before bringing home a new pup.


 
Wow....cheers to health and longevity.


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## golden_eclipse

tuckerbailey said:


> Can I ask what I hope is a simple question? How many litters do they produce in a year?
> Can anyone answer with reasonable accuracy?




The answer I can give you is, ALOT. But that is because they have a ton of stud dogs that are used with other breeders along with their own bitches that they breed.


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## LaurieM

Hello,
Many of the members here seem very knowledgable. Is the cancer in the 'Gold-Rush' line from all of their dogs or just a select few? I am looking at a dog with some 'Gold-Rush' on the pups mother's line. Should all 'Gold-Rush' in the lines be avoided?
Thanks


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## MGMF

LaurieM said:


> Hello,
> Many of the members here seem very knowledgable. Is the cancer in the 'Gold-Rush' line from all of their dogs or just a select few? I am looking at a dog with some 'Gold-Rush' on the pups mother's line. Should all 'Gold-Rush' in the lines be avoided?
> Thanks


Not all dogs but many. Just like any pedigree you need to do the research. I like to see longevity in the line as a start. They just don't have the reputation for it. When cancer is strong in a part of a pedigree it should be avoided I don't know if that always happens for them. Send the registered names of the parents and the forum may be able to help with the research.


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## golden_eclipse

While not discounting longevity has an important thing to consider. Making sure health clearances were done will be much more telling of how carefully the breeding was done in the past. Also to try and avoid cancer, is something no one has been able to do, because then there wouldn't be cancer in goldens. So please don't think that if you get a dog with a pedigree full of dogs that have lived till their 16, that your dog will as well. Its something to prepare yourself with emotionally before getting a golden. Also if you read the thread all the way through, you would see that there are other concerns with gold rush lines, with them breeding dogs with multiple generations of FAILING hips. Somehow they have been able to maintain a pretty decent reputation, any other breeder would have been run to ground 10 years ago for the things they have done.


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## gwen poet

*Gold-Rush Kennels BEWARE SELLS SICK PUPPIES Coccydia and flea ridden*

I just purchased a 2,400 dollar six week old puppy from Gold-Rush in Princeton, N.J.; Breeder Ruth Anne Johnson. The puppy came home full of fleas and infected my home. Fortunately my two older Goldens were on Frontline. The vet bill, clean up, and throwing out of bedding etc was colossal. No reply from breeder for three days. Ruth Anne Johnson told me one story, and her assistant told a TOTALLY different story. Which one was true, I will never know.

Next my seven year old Golden is listless, vomitting and has bloody stools. I rushed him on Labor Day to an emergency animal hospital. He wa diagnosed with coccydia and spent four nights at the hospital. Our bill was 4,600 dollars. The puppy from GOLD-RUSH was the one that tested positive for coccydia and made my dog so ill that he almost died.

Gold- Rush's response, by R anne Johnson, was that I should NOT have taken my dog to the hospital, but called her instead, and she would have given me medication, and that I choose an expensive Animal Hospital. I choose the ONLY animal hospital open on labor day. My dog would have DIED had I called her as we had no diagnosis. R Anne Johnso is NOT a vet. The unmitigated gall of her to suggest calling her instead and not saving my dogs life!!!

With regard to her paying for the vet bill for the fleas and for my seven year old almost DYING , she refused to give me any monetary remuneration for the vet bills. Her solution was to give me 500.00 off the price of the puppy. I spent over 5,000 dollars and paid her 2,400 dollars. How can she justify giving me only 500 dollars when she almost MURDERED DYLAN, my seven year old Golden.

Both vets, Ho-Ho-Kus and Oradell Animal Hospital have told me that she is a very unethical breeder and to STAY AWAY fom Gold-Rush. I wish I had knon this before I purchased a puppy from her. I am blessed that Dylan is slowly recovering. R Anne Johnson NEVER asked about his health only that I should have NOT taken him to the animal hospital. He would have DIED. Gold Rush should be closed down for sick puppies and unethical behaviour.


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## Sally's Mom

To clear this up for anyone who reads this post and takes it as gospel. Coccidia is not a severe disease in dogs. And in adult dogs, really never causes disease. In fact, there are some thoughts that you do not treat all dogs that test positive for Coccidia unless they are symptomatic, ie have diarrhea... In all likelihood,there was something else going on and the dog was positive for Coccidia. I am more disturbed that a pup was sold at 6 weeks...


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## Megora

^ Yes. We had a puppy that we almost lost to coccidia. The way we felt at the time was impatience with the vets in not treating him sooner. By the time we went to a vet who recognized what it was, the other vets were convinced he had parvo based on the severity of the symptoms and the way he was failing to thrive. He suffered needlessly for several days. The treatment for coccidia had him back to holding down liquids within the same day, eating by the next day.

He also came home at 6 weeks - which may have or not had something to do with the severity of the coccidia. 

I'm surprised the puppy came home with fleas.


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## Sally's Mom

Sorry, Coccidia is not life threatening...in an adult dog. ....


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## Megora

Sally's Mom said:


> Sorry, Coccidia is not life threatening...in an adult dog. ....


Our vet (the one who got it right) said that coccidia is something that the mom might be carrying and/or the pups could pick it up from her or from the environment. There was never any concern for our older dog (who was 2) at the time. <- And honestly, I don't even think it occurred to us beyond asking if it was the same as worms. 

One thing we felt guilty about was we switched his food practically the same week he had come home with us. The breeder had been feeding him an expensive type of holistic food that had to be special ordered. She gave us a pound of food and we transitioned after that. He got sick around the time we introduced the other puppy food. 

This was something we lived and learned about and did better with my current two.


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## gwen poet

Thank you for understanding. Coccydia is a parasite, and parasites kill. Once Dylan was stabalized with fluids, and he was given the medicine for Coccyddia, Dylan recovered. Yes, adult dogs can get parasites and die. Sorry about your puppy's close call.


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## gwen poet

*Gold-Rush Kennels BEWARE SELLS SICK PUPPIES Coccydia and flea ridden*



Sally's Mom said:


> Sorry, Coccidia is not life threatening...in an adult dog. ....


Are you a Veterinarian? I worked for one for ten years ,prior to graduating from NYU , and parasites kill. Coccydia is a parasite. If your dog was fighting for his life on IV fluids etc, you would not be so flippant in your response. Once Dylan was given the medicine for parasites, specifically coccydia, he was fine within 12 hours!


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## Millie'sMom

gwen poet said:


> Are you a Veterinarian?


Yes, Sally's Mom is a vet and well respected on this forum.


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## tippykayak

gwen poet said:


> Are you a Veterinarian? I worked for one for ten years ,prior to graduating from NYU , and parasites kill. Coccydia is a parasite. If your dog was fighting for his life on IV fluids etc, you would not be so flippant in your response. Once Dylan was given the medicine for parasites, specifically coccydia, he was fine within 12 hours!


Sorry - she actually is a vet, and a very generous one who devotes quite a bit of time giving free advice to folks on this forum.

Further, I don't think anybody was trying to tell you your dog wasn't sick but rather that if Dylan was fighting for his life, it's likely that something more than coccidia was at work. Coccidia rarely causes more than diarrhea in adult dogs, so if my adult dog was a death's door with dehydration, I would be concerned that something else was going on too. I can see why you might have read some comments as saying you were wrong or uniformed, but I read them as helpful advice to keep an eye on Dylan and to be sure there isn't an underlying condition that might need further treatment.

Welcome to the forum!


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## historicprim

I am very interested in knowing who the sire and dam are to this puppy?


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## PawsitivelyGoldens

I have a 9 month old female with a lot of Gold-Rush on her mother's side with a Gold-Rush grandsire and some Gold-Rush in the distance on the Sire side. We live in TN but I got her from a breeder in NJ so maybe that's why she has so much Gold-Rush. I personally was excited about this. My mother told me about how wonderful Gold-Rush Charlie was and my Lily has him over and over and over on her extended pedigree. She's a beauty and a great Golden. Unfortunately she had a birthing accident with her breeder and lost a paw. Otherwise I think she'd be show quality based on the research I've done and other breeders I've spoken with. I am training her to work with me as a therapy dog and she is made for it. So I'm happy with the Gold-Rush genetics we got.


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## gwen poet

Sire was Troubador, and the Dam was Zippity Do Dah. Why do you ask? I am always curious because perhaps you have some additional information that I may need in the future. The breeder, A. Johnson, said Troubador was in the hall of fame for winning his title as Grand Champion below a certain age. I was just looking for a dog to love and nurture, and be a companion to my husband and our two girls. I do not plan on showing the puppy once he is full grown.


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## ShadowGolden

gwen poet said:


> Sire was Troubador, and the Dam was Zippity Do Dah.


Here's that pedigree if anyone wanted to take a look (pups were born on July 6): Pedigree: Tru x Zippy


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## Sally's Mom

gwen poet said:


> Are you a Veterinarian? I worked for one for ten years ,prior to graduating from NYU , and parasites kill. Coccydia is a parasite. If your dog was fighting for his life on IV fluids etc, you would not be so flippant in your response. Once Dylan was given the medicine for parasites, specifically coccydia, he was fine within 12 hours!


Yes, I am a veterinarian... Parasites do kill. Coccidia is certainly not in the same category as hookworms for example. My response was not flippant. It is based on knowledge and 27 years practicing where I have never seen an animal hospitalized for Coccidia. I would venture that there was something else (virus) that caused the extreme sickness and the Coccidia were also present.


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## maddie10

Speaking of hookworms, my first dog purchased from Goldrush was infected with hookworms and a horrible case of hip dysplasia. She was a five month old dog that came from another breeder, who Ruthann sold for some odd reason..the poor dog was returned because our vet told us that it was so severe that she would likely have to be euthanized before she reached the one year mark. She was in so much pain that we had to carry her outside to pee and poop. My ignorance when it came to proper breeding led me to this glorified puppy mill, set in the lovely town of Princeton. Our emotions and dealing with three little girls who were heartbroken when their beloved dog had to be returned because of her major health issues , blinded us to once again take home another Goldrush pup, who also had dysplasia. Sooner or later, they have to run on the reputation of their current breeding and show studs and bitches, and not a dog that has been dead for close to two decades . I met with the same BS excuses and belligerence as did the OP of this thread, several years back. I see nothing has changed and that is horrible for future wanna be Golden Retriever owners who make the same mistake as many of us have . Shame on Ruth ann and shame on her " assistant " who tries to manipulate the customers into thinking THEY made irresponsible decisions in caring for their dogs


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## gwen poet

Do you have any of these puppies or did you download their pedigree from k-9 like I did? Just curious who else may have the other pups.


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## historicprim

gwen poet said:


> Sire was Troubador, and the Dam was Zippity Do Dah. Why do you ask? I am always curious because perhaps you have some additional information that I may need in the future. The breeder, A. Johnson, said Troubador was in the hall of fame for winning his title as Grand Champion below a certain age. I was just looking for a dog to love and nurture, and be a companion to my husband and our two girls. I do not plan on showing the puppy once he is full grown.


 
Let me start with the fact that I have worked for Ann for many years, I left for a bit and returned 3 yrs ago. I can assure you that she has never let a 6 week on puppy leave her premises! And it's highly unlikely that the puppy had fleas! Normally I don't get involved with such rubbish, but this post just rubbed me the wrong way. Do I believe she knows more than a Vet. HELL YES! I will not say anymore for fear of getting banned because I am really pissed..............I will gladly accept private messages!


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## gwen poet

I appologize re calling your response flippant. At the time that I posted my comment to you I was very emotional re Dylan's near death condition. Perhaps it seemed curt and being so upset about Dyllie I overreacted. 
Dylan was worked up for everything at the Animal Hospital in Ridgewood. I only know that once he got the Albon 250mgs qid, he improved dramatically. I am completely stumped regarding what could have caused this condition.


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## Megora

Albon isn't just for coccidia, it also treats various bacteria infections. There could have been a lot of stuff going on with your older dog. One thing that I know from owning multiple dogs is there is stress (for the dogs) when they go through changes like loss of a playmate to a brand new interloper in the house. That stress will impact their immune system.


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## gwen poet

*Thank you*

Thank you for your help regarding the use of Albon, I really appreciate it. Hunter really was sold at six weks and had fleas. I do not understand why the employee of Gold Rush does not believe me. I am an extremely honest person and I have no motive to lie about this.


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## Jaime2061

We had a pretty bad experience with Goldeush. IM me for more info. I so t want to bash them because I guess Ann the owner was ill at the time. However I always say we paid $$$ to rescue our guy.


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## gwen poet

This is for the person wanting info on Gold-Rush in Princeton , New Jersey. My messages with your original text will not go through for some strange reason.

I recommend you stay far away from them. They sold me a six week old flea ridden puppy and then denied it. The owner and asssitant both told me different stories about the fleas. To make matters worse my phone calls were not returned for days. 
This is a glorified Puppy Mill rather than a reputable Breeder. For the exhorbatant price of 2,400 dollars for a puppy, I do not believe anything they have told me. The adult dogs were kept in crates and they were way too big for this. I wanted to leave, but felt sorry for the puppy because he was the runt of the litter and I was told nobody would want him. If they had fleas at least I could have been warned as my daugter's friend's dogs were infected. Fortunately my older dogs were on front line.
My older dog bcame so sick that he was hospitalized and I am still not sure if the puppy was carrying something or not.

I do not know anything about Goldilocks. Good luck!


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## kidznpupz

*Sorry, I too purchased a puppy from Ann who was actually several days short of 6 week*



historicprim said:


> Let me start with the fact that I have worked for Ann for many years, I left for a bit and returned 3 yrs ago. I can assure you that she has never let a 6 week on puppy leave her premises! And it's highly unlikely that the puppy had fleas! Normally I don't get involved with such rubbish, but this post just rubbed me the wrong way. Do I believe she knows more than a Vet. HELL YES! I will not say anymore for fear of getting banned because I am really pissed..............I will gladly accept private messages!


I am sorry to say that I most assuredly bought a dog from Ann that was actually several days shy of six weeks. His mother's call name was Peace and his dad's call name was Ace. I believe Spinnaker Wildcard. I loved him with all my heart and he died of osteosarcoma at 7 years. But he most assuredly was sold before six weeks. You can contact me for more information. I still have his bill of sale and paperwork, etc. Gold Rush sadly is a picturesque puppy mill. When I e-mailed to let Ann know that Mikey had died of osteosarcoma I wasn't given the courtesy of a response. Our other Gold Rush dog died of cancer at 8 so quickly it wasn't even given a name - just mass in abdomen - and she was gone. I also had a golden who came from Minnesota that Ann was selling for some reason and he had the worst hip dysplasia and had to be euthanized at 8. No more Gold Rush for me. They are gorgeous but plagued with health issues.


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## gwen poet

Thank you to KiDZNPUPS for verifyiing my story that Hunter was sold at six weeks. I agree that I rescued him, and I adore him. The sad part is that the conditions at Gold-Rush were deplorable. 
My daughter said she felt so sorry for the large dogs kept in crates.
I would enjoy speaking to you and , but I do not know how the forum works and I do not want to violates any rules.

All the best.


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