# Opinion on a Breeder



## steveditt (Jul 1, 2012)

*Help*

Not sure how much help I will be we sent our deposit in for one of Kate’s pups first male pick. We raised Golden Retriever Kipling for Guiding Eye’s and he graduated last Saturday 6/23 is now with his new partner second year college student in Michigan, very few goldens are in the program. John Lounsbury an old friend who was a HV breeder gave me Patty McCoy’s number who then gave me Karen’s number I was very comfortable speaking with her and her commitment to the breed and health of her goldens I sent the check the same day. I knew John directed me in the right direction. I think you can drive yourself crazy looking, what we will do with the pup is still to be determined. Hope this helps and if you do purchase one of Kate’s pups hopefully we can have a play date if you’re local. Steve


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## Yunish (Nov 4, 2007)

Steve, thanks for the reply. I did feel comfortable after speaking with Karen. It was definitely a very educational conversation. 

Are there anyone else that dealt with Karen before? Or if there are other breeders that I should look into, please let me know. 

Any help/info/comment is appreciated!


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

I'm not very good at distinguishing good breeders from great breeders. However, if you go to the search tab near the top of the page and type in Amberglo Goldens, you may come across posts about this kennel already. $2,000 seems a little high, but not by much. I would think closer between $1200 -$1800. Prices could of gone up since the last time I've looked though. Good Luck!!


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## Yunish (Nov 4, 2007)

Also, I am a little concerned about the sire's heart clearance is done by a practitioner rather than a cardiologist. I looked at a couple of dogs on sire's side, and their heart clearances were all done by practitioner. Is there any disadvantage in using a practitioner? 

Thanks in advance again!


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

I think everyone on here says they should be done by a cardiologist and not a practitioner. If you are not getting responses, I would suggest keep bumping up the thread and someone else is sure to see and comment.


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

I only accept cardiologist heart clearances for my dogs. As a practitioner, I could do their 
clearances, but I don't. I was involved looking at a stud dog with only a practitioner clearance...I would not breed to him unless a cardiologist examined him. He had a murmur undetected by the practitioner, so the cardiologist did an echo and it was considered to be innocent.


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## Yunish (Nov 4, 2007)

Thanks again for the replies. 

We are also considering another breeder in the area, but the sire is a Canadian GR (link to his pedigree). I could only find his heart and hips clearances on OFA, but the breeder told me that things are done differently up in Canada and she has the paperwork to show us. 

What are the Canadian standards and what clearances we should look for? Just wanted to understand more before our visit. 

Thanks!!!


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

Bumping Up!!


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## FourMaze2010 (Jan 2, 2016)

Has anyone heard recently of any pros or cons about Amberglo Goldens?


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## elizahicks (May 31, 2016)

We have bought 3 golden's from Karen Fennikoh as companion dogs. First one in 1994. A female who lived 15 years. Then a male who lived 12 years. Both beautiful, loving and very appealing dogs. They grew up with our 3 children. 6 years ago we both another female, and are now considering going back to Amberglo for a male puppy sometime in the next year. We definitely recommend Amberglo.


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## Watsonbmw (Jun 4, 2016)

Hello Everyone
I'm new to this forum from Ontario Canada I was wondering if anyone has gotten a puppy from a Breeder by the name of Laura Maher in New Lowell Ontario? Kennel name is hyjak farms I have unsuccessfully been able to find out anything online about this breeder my daughter just placed a deposit for a puppy without even going to the location a bit worried.


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## Figtoria (Apr 19, 2016)

I'm in Ontario and haven't heard anything about this breeder.

The price seems a bit low - most breeders who do all the standard health checks are asking at least $1500.

You might want to ask her about proof of cleared hips, elbows, heart and eyes, etc.


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## -ALBUS- (May 5, 2016)

Not sure about that breeder specifically, but as far as your question about price, we recently paid $2K for our puppy (we're also in the NE region, specifically Massachusetts). Had hip, elbow, heart, eye, and thyroid clearances. Both parents were successful show dogs. (We have no plans to show our dog, just were looking for a healthy, well-dispositioned family companion). I feel like this price is within the range of current market value...


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## Susan Lee (Mar 17, 2017)

Watsonbmw said:


> Hello Everyone
> I'm new to this forum from Ontario Canada I was wondering if anyone has gotten a puppy from a Breeder by the name of Laura Maher in New Lowell Ontario? Kennel name is hyjak farms I have unsuccessfully been able to find out anything online about this breeder my daughter just placed a deposit for a puppy without even going to the location a bit worried.


Hi I was wondering if you went ahead with the breeder? would love to know your opinion as I might be considering as well!


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I re read the thread. There's no way to do any research for you since no one posted sire and dam registration info or registered names. There doesn't appear to be a website. There is only one dog on k9date w Hyjak as a prefix and that pedigree is somewhat ... well, empty and notable only because there isn't a single title in 3 gens. And only the top half is know to 5 gens and there is only one title in the 5th gen. I put Hyjak and Hyjak's in OFA and there is only one dog there w clearances.
There are also no dogs owned by that person on k9data. Its very odd to me.


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## Susan Lee (Mar 17, 2017)

We visited Hijak yesterday, and we were very pleased with what we saw. Great environment. The dogs are raised with other animals and kids. The parents are adorable and have very good temperament, we loved them. Both Laura and Peter are very friendly and knowledgeable. They have been raising goldens for the past 16 years, before their first kid was born. They explained that they raise goldens with focus on placing them towards families and companionship, which is what we are looking for. They also said that about 50% of their pups goes to returning customers or referral. And of course, they only work with customers they believe are the right ones to raise the pups. We are putting down our deposit for puppies coming in June, and we are very excited


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

_Regarding Hyjak:_

While you're pleased with what you saw, it's also important to know what you may not have seen: namely, a history of health clearances for the litter's parents and for several previous generations. This breeder's dogs aren't on any of the usual registries (K9 Data, etc.), so the details of their ancestors' health aren't available for general reference. Golden retrievers are subject to some pretty nasty (and expensive) genetic issues (hip and elbow problems, skin problems, blindness, etc.), and while health clearances don't guarantee anything, they considerably increase the chances of getting a pup who will stay sound and healthy. 

Hyjak says it is a registered CKC breeder, but this doesn't mean much, in and of itself. The CKC is simply a registry: people pay to be on it. The CKC doesn't do any kind of inspection. Registered breeders are required to provide buyers with registration papers for their pups, at no extra charge, but the registration papers themselves don't give any kind of guarantee as to the pup's health. Nor, in fact, does a one-year health guarantee, which doesn't constitute a clearance and is often not worth the paper on which it's printed. 

The golden retriever world has many wonderful breeders who do their best to improve the breed and produce sound, healthy dogs. These breeders usually take part in some kind of canine activity: conformation shows, field trials, obedience, agility and so on. They obtain health clearances for their dogs (specialist vet certifications for hips, elbows, eyes and heart at a minimum) and only breed dogs with a history of certified clearances across several generations. Their pups will cost $1,500 or more. At the other end of the spectrum, there are also many people whose primary aim is not to improve the breed, but simply to sell pups. These pups cost less in terms of purchase price - usually under $1000 - but are more likely to cost more in vet's fees, etc., further down the line. For reference, hip dysplasia will cost many thousands of dollars to treat, and if left untreated, will condemn the dog to a life of pain. As I said earlier, there's no way of verifying whether or not Hyjak gets clearances for its dogs because its dogs don't appear to be listed in the public registries such as K9 Data. For me personally, the fact that they sell their pups via Kijiji would be a red flag.

Buying a pedigree pup is, of course, a question of personal choice. None of the above may be important to you: you may be happy enough with what you have seen. Whatever you decide, I wish you a long and happy life with your new pup.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

^^^^THAt. I find it quite odd, and therefore suspicious, that there are no records on OFA or k9data. Can you give us the registered names of the sire and dam? And Peter and Laura's last name too, since I hate to judge them harshly and it is possible the dogs are not prefixed on k9data and I could find them by their last name. 

I too hope you are happy with your puppy, but I have a feeling it is not as it appears.


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## bigblackdog (Jun 14, 2013)

Prism Goldens said:


> ^^^^THAt. I find it quite odd, and therefore suspicious, that there are no records on OFA or k9data. Can you give us the registered names of the sire and dam? And Peter and Laura's last name too, since I hate to judge them harshly and it is possible the dogs are not prefixed on k9data and I could find them by their last name.
> 
> I too hope you are happy with your puppy, but I have a feeling it is not as it appears.


I live about 30 minutes from this "breeder". She is a BYB producing pet quality dogs:frown2:...and has ads posted on Kijjiji all of the time. She seems to have litter after litter. I've seen some of the pups that she has produced ( I board dogs in the area)...and was not impressed. She has produced pups with health problems...bad hips, bad elbows, skin and allergy problems. She does nothing with her dogs, but produce puppies.:frown2:


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