# Information on breeders in SC and NC



## Bubbly31 (Mar 2, 2017)

Hi all,
After a lot of careful planning and researching, my family and I have decided to go ahead and take the plunge. We are ready for a Golden Retriever puppy to bring home and raise as a member of our family. We are located in Upstate South Carolina and are looking for reputable breeders in South and North Carolina as well as Georgia. We began our search online with some basic guidelines about what not to pick in a breeder. This knowledge came from a few books we read while researching the breed and dog ownership in general. We zoomed in on a few breeders whose websites seemed to be informative, clear and transparent enough to satisfy us. I came across this forum accidentally while looking up a breeder's information.

As I went through some introductory posts in this forum, I realized that sometimes what you see on a breeder's website might not be what you get and also that some reputable breeders might not even have an online presence! What seems even more complicated is that we need to make sure all the clearances are in place for a specific puppy, and also check the same for the past two to three generations. And we still haven't figured out how to decipher the complicated titles of the dams and the sires involved! Needless to say, we didn't expect the process to be so overwhelming. What was really really encouraging is how helpful this community is for newcomers like us and so here we are with a plethora of questions.

We have looked at the website of the regional chapter of the Golden Retriever Club of America, specifically the Sandlapper Golden Retriever Club and have begun contacting a few breeders. We would really appreciate any information on/reviews of/experiences with the following breeders: Nobel Golden Retrievers, Sunkyst Goldens, Suthern Gold Golden Retrievers, Sky Harbor Golden Retrievers and Good Life Goldens. 

Nobel Golden Retrievers did contact us promptly and we have expressed an interest in the puppies of this match: St. Patrick’s Mayan Treasure CGC Pedigree: St. Patrick's Mayan Treasure will be bred to Multi Champion Forrest Gump Host of Angels, AKA "Windsor" http://www.k9data. com/pedigree.asp?ID=485297. After reading about clearance issues, we wonder if this is a good match. any help on this front would be greatly appreciated too.

thanks in advance:smile2:


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Windsor- Orthopedic Foundation for Animals is his OFA page. I have updated k9data. His cardiac is not sufficient, needs to be done by a cardiologist. She's had it done twice, both times by a practitioner. He has two offspring that appear to have failed elbows (as they have hip #'s and they are done together). 
Maya's cardiac is done by the right veterinarian, a cardiologist. Out of her 4 offspring on OFA, one did not pass elbows. Orthopedic Foundation for Animals Her eyes are out of date and we don't know on eyes. 

Whether the risk is too much for you or not, I can't say but there are elbow issues on both sides.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

first let me say great job doing all the research. So many puppy buyers don't understand the importance of health testing and health certifications.

You are right that it's difficult to understand what you're looking at. Below I'm going to give you some images that I hope you'll find helpful.

As far as Nobel goldens I would run from them. Way overpriced for what they're offering. There are not complete health certifications on either parent. And that amazing multi-champion father is not really all that impressive because those multi-champions were earned an a venue where it's non-competitive and basically pay for title.

While K9Data is a wonderful tool it is user entry. So, always verify any health testing claims on Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. If the dog is in the US it really should have the health certification for dogs residing in the US. I am always skeptical of health certifications from another country when the dog lives here since other countries use very different schemes and some test as young as four months old. In the US for hips and elbows they are required to be two years old. To me that's a substantial difference.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I believe Powderhorn Golden Retrievers Powderhorn Golden Retrievers ? Jonesborough, Tennessee would be a good one to try.


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## Bubbly31 (Mar 2, 2017)

Thanks everyone for all your help. @Robin and @LJack, it was fascinating to see how you could decipher all the clearance information! I now know that a k9 page is quite similar to a wikipedia page on a particular dog and that I need to dig deeper at the OFA website to check out specific clearance details. @LJack, thanks for the diagrammatic representation of the various clearances and the Championship information. Initailly, it was an information overload, but I am slowly and surely learning to read my way through the data on a particular dog. Thanks to all your timely suggestions, I now know my gut instinct was right: Nobel seemed like a too good to be true opportunity. I am cancelling my decision to go for a puppy from them. 
I am now thoroughly exploring all breeders associated with Sandlappers and Tarheel GRCs. I spoke to two or three breeders on the phone and it became clear that anyone worth their salt did not have puppies ready to be taken home. I didn't realize it would be this long a wait, but ethical breeding and treatment of dogs is of utmost concern to me and my family and we are willing to wait rather than seeing a dog suffer through his or her later years. Sunkyst Goldens in Chapin,SC might have an upcoming litter. So far, I have read good reviews on this forum. Hoping for the best.
@nolefan, I will be contacting Powderhorn soon. Thanks for the contact.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Bubbly31 said:


> ...I spoke to two or three breeders on the phone and it became clear that anyone worth their salt did not have puppies ready to be taken home. I didn't realize it would be this long a wait, but ethical breeding and treatment of dogs is of utmost concern to me and my family and we are willing to wait rather than seeing a dog suffer through his or her later years....


I'm so glad that you've learned so much here. We have a few breeders who take time out of their busy lives to educate readers on this forum and it just makes a huge difference. Experience in reading clearances and looking at the big picture is irreplaceable. Your openness to learning and figuring out that it's not quite as simple as you'd expected make it more likely they will continue to help here.

You may find this old thread informational (I think it was more about Christmas puppies) but it gives a great breakdown by a long time breeder of what the timeline is for a careful hobby breeder to have an 8 week old puppy ready to go home to it's new family. Pretty interesting to those of us who have never thought about it before. http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...eder-puppy/387897-so-youre-looking-puppy.html

Keep us posted on your search, you might also try the Atlanta GRC puppy referral as well.


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## Bubbly31 (Mar 2, 2017)

Hi again everyone. Thought I'd give you an update on what's happening in Search Land. So, I spoke to quite a few breeders in NC and SC over the past week. Most had upcoming litters, but all their puppies were spoken for. A special thanks to Jeannie Cahill at Good Life Goldens. She took the time to call back talk with me and share her breeding plans and even recommend some more breeders in surrounding areas. Her overall approach, ethic and genuine involvement makes me wish we were waiting for a puppy from her soon. I also spoke with Sharon at Sunkyst Goldens and am waiting to know about their future litters and for a phone interview to see if we qualify. Does anyone have any puppies from this breeder? What has your previous experience been? 

Last but not the least, I connected again with Shiela Cook at Camelot House. We were earlier on the waiting list when her dam Mercedes was going to be bred. However, that wasn't a successful breeding and I have myself on the list for her upcoming breeding with Daisy. I will also post details of the pairings here soon for opinions. Hope all goes well and we can at least have a puppy by August. We have realized our earlier timelines are out for a toss  Truly thankful to Sheila for getting back to us promptly. Still looking at drive able options in Tennessee and all suggestions are welcome.


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## Sunpuppy (Jul 24, 2013)

Yes, I've gotten 3 goldens from Sharon at Sunkyst Golden Retrievers and am waiting to get my 4th this summer. The first two I got were in, I think 1994 & 1997. The last one was 3 years ago. I've been very happy with all of them. Sharon breeds some gorgeous dogs with great temperament and she's always there for answers to questions, advice and support. Good luck!


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## kjengold (Jun 19, 2007)

Bubbly31 said:


> Hi all,
> After a lot of careful planning and researching, my family and I have decided to go ahead and take the plunge. We are ready for a Golden Retriever puppy to bring home and raise as a member of our family. We are located in Upstate South Carolina and are looking for reputable breeders in South and North Carolina as well as Georgia. We began our search online with some basic guidelines about what not to pick in a breeder. This knowledge came from a few books we read while researching the breed and dog ownership in general. We zoomed in on a few breeders whose websites seemed to be informative, clear and transparent enough to satisfy us. I came across this forum accidentally while looking up a breeder's information.
> 
> As I went through some introductory posts in this forum, I realized that sometimes what you see on a breeder's website might not be what you get and also that some reputable breeders might not even have an online presence! What seems even more complicated is that we need to make sure all the clearances are in place for a specific puppy, and also check the same for the past two to three generations. And we still haven't figured out how to decipher the complicated titles of the dams and the sires involved! Needless to say, we didn't expect the process to be so overwhelming. What was really really encouraging is how helpful this community is for newcomers like us and so here we are with a plethora of questions.
> ...


Sue Nation, Lyric Goldens <http://www.lyricgoldens.com> in Hendersonville, NC has a litter due in May. It's not on her website. Her email address is: [email protected]


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Pedigree: Foxx x Godiva
Bearabella Golden Retrievers

You would need to ask all the questions about parents, how and where puppies are raised and socialized etc. but all clearances are there for generations.


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## Bubbly31 (Mar 2, 2017)

Hello again friends. 

Here's a quick update on our search:

We narrowed it down to there breeders we felt were ethically sound and good fit for us. (Sadly, Sharon at Sunkyst did not get back to us inspite of several emails and calls and having made contact initially.)
1. Heiki Stroup at Passion for Gold. She was very prompt in getting back to us and though she did not have any puppies available right away, she has kept us informed of future litter plans.
2. Camelot House and
3. Powderhorn Goldens

We were really excited when from Cindy Price at Powderhorn Goldens contacted us in early April as she had had a cancellation from one of the families on her list for an upcoming litter. We are hoping we might have a compatible companion from this litter born in the first week of April:
Tommie and Joey 
Pedigree: Joey x Tommie
If not one from here, she has a friend at Whisper Creek Retrievers with her first litter due in May. Here is a link to the pedigree:
Eros and Cash
Pedigree: Eros X Cash


All in all, hoping to bring home a furry bundle sooner than later.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Nice breedings, all!!
Joey is my breeding- he is a lovely boy and so so smart. 
And I just bred to Eros, got super gorgeous puppies!


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## Bubbly31 (Mar 2, 2017)

That's such a coincidence about Joey! It's a small world indeed.


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