# Is Golden Gals in Southbury, CT, a good breeder?



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I would not pay $3,500 for a puppy without multiple generations of health clearances behind the parents. These clearances help breeders make educated decisions about how to choose the sire of a litter to minimize chances the puppies will produce health problems like elbow dysplasia. When the information is not there to see test results for grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins the breeder has less to work with. This is often the case when the dogs are imported from places like Ukraine and is inexcusable especially when the grandparents are from the USA which isalso the case with these dogs. You can do way better than this for this price. 

If you are serious about giving money to a reputable breeder who is more interested in producing healthy puppies than making money, please slow down and do a lot of reading here on the "how to find a breeder" board - you can learn so much by seeing the questions others have asked and reading the responses given. GRCA.org is the parent club website and you can learn a lot about health clearances and genetic testing there. 

It's not easy to find a carefully bred puppy this year, I am glad you're taking your time and trying to be patient. You will hopefully be living with your Golden for a good 10-12 years and you want them to be healthy and happy years. It's ok to have a color preference, but you will have better luck not being taken to the cleaners if you take the "english cream" out of your search parameters. Most people who breed conformation style Goldens will have lighter puppies and I promise that whatever dog you have in your family, you will think he or she is beautiful.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

I took in a male golden in June 2019 from previous owners that I later found out came from Golden Gals.

He is a beautiful dog with a temperament to match. 

I have all his previous medical records and there were no issues and he is still a healthy boy.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

GG has been discussed multiple times here- the search engine isn't the greatest for me or I would look up for you. Perhaps someone will.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

I found this thread, it might be helpful


> Rensselaer golden retrievers and golden gals in CT are...


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## love_pups (Aug 21, 2020)

Ffcmm said:


> I found this thread, it might be helpful


Thanks for sending this along!! I had seen that post earlier in my searches but wanted a more updated opinion. I wasn't sure if two years would make a difference


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

There are quite a few reputable breeders in New England who breed dogs with lighter coats and/or the typical "English Cream" looks. Check out this thread in particular: Ethical "English Creme" breeders

For reputable breeders in New England in general, this thread may be helpful: Looking For Breeder Advice [New England]


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

love_pups said:


> Thanks for sending this along!! I had seen that post earlier in my searches but wanted a more updated opinion. I wasn't sure if two years would make a difference


Not typically- doing things correctly when one has been shortcutting (memory- I didn't do any new research) is the opposite of what usually happens.


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## love_pups (Aug 21, 2020)

Prism Goldens said:


> Not typically- doing things correctly when one has been shortcutting (memory- I didn't do any new research) is the opposite of what usually happens.


That's too bad  I will begin to look elsewhere! Thanks for your help. 

Just to recap (and make sure I am understanding), when breeders do not have multiple generations of properly tested dogs (specifically for hips and elbows), they put puppies at higher risk for developing ailments such as elbow dysplasia which can greatly affect (and shorten) their lives? It is a red flag when breeders import from Ukraine because they do not perform proper health testing (?).


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

love_pups said:


> Just to recap (and make sure I am understanding), when breeders do not have multiple generations of properly tested dogs (specifically for hips and elbows), they put puppies at higher risk for developing ailments such as elbow dysplasia which can greatly affect (and shorten) their lives? It is a red flag when breeders import from Ukraine because they do not perform proper health testing (?).


Correct!

I've also learned, though, to pay attention to birthdates, especially of males/sires, and dams well back in the pedigree. Doing as much testing as is currently done is fairly recent (maybe someone else can speak to _how _recent), and using frozen seamen from a dog who died many years ago is not unheard of, so a grandsire without full clearances is more concerning if their birthdate is, say, within the last 10 years, but much less concerning if he was born 20+ years ago... especially if he has the clearances that were expected back then (which I think was just hips).


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

elbows around 2000
hips late 60's/early70's
eyes before hips to my memory
hearts I'm not sure, I was doing them in the late 70's-ACVIM became an organization in 73 or 74 I think. 

So- should someone breed to frozen semen on a dog who was getting clearances around 2000, he may not have elbows done and back then we didn't do eyes every year either. But frozen has the benefit of being able to see if SD produced ED in the offspring since he's long dead. Eyes are harder - I bred to frozen and the entire litter got JCs except my keeper but I placed her since I figured that risk was too great.


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## Kiki1967 (11 mo ago)

I’ve heard sketchy things about Golden Gals, which is now in Bethany Ct. the breeder won’t allow visits before a deposit is put down. And I am concerned this could be a puppy “ mill”. Too many litters at a time, and now asking 4000 for a puppy, and none of their dogs are show dogs. So why the price tag?


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Well, I think IF someone is a known entity in the breed (which she is not) I don't think there's anything wrong with not having people over that you don't know.. people have been giving me deposits for 40 years with no pre-deposit visits with no issue.. but I am a known entity. 
Pricing is up to the breeder. She can charge 10k if she wants and someone will pay it you can be certain!


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## Kiki1967 (11 mo ago)

Prism Goldens said:


> Well, I think IF someone is a known entity in the breed (which she is not) I don't think there's anything wrong with not having people over that you don't know.. people have been giving me deposits for 40 years with no pre-deposit visits with no issue.. but I am a known entity.
> Pricing is up to the breeder. She can charge 10k if she wants and someone will pay it you can be certain!


Thanks- it’s a family run business. So your saying it’s normal not to meet a puppy before you pay a deposit ? In the past I’ve had good experiences visiting - and they wouldn’t take a deposit - they made me fill out a lengthy ( and though) questionnaire. Phone call interviews etc. this breeder seemed to eager to sell to anyone. Do you know anything about them? Thanks!


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

Yes, it’s fairly normal to not meet the puppies before you pay a deposit. Each breeder has their own process, but what seems most common is some variation of 1. You research the breeder and decide if he/she is reputable and is breeding the type of dogs/puppies you want, 2. You complete an application (or, more rarely, have a long phone conversation with the breeder) in order to communicate your interest, as well as things like your experience with dogs, your home and daily routine, who is in your household, do you own or rent, do you have other pets, etc. 3. If the breeder thinks you will be a good home for one of his/her puppies s/he will let you know and either add you to the waitlist, or, if the litter is already on the ground, the breeder may ask for a deposit at that time (Mostly just to ensure you are serious and so that they don’t turn away other good homes because they are holding a pup for you). Exactly when a breeder might accept a deposit can vary, but it’s rare that a reputable breeder will get to the point of having puppies of an age to be visited without already having deposits from committed buyers. Some breeders MAY allow puppy buyers to visit the puppies once they are 6 weeks or so, others will just share pictures and videos and you won’t actually see the puppies until you go to pick you puppy up. Most reputable breeders will match you to a puppy or puppies that they feel will best match your needs, experience and lifestyle. It’s rare that a reputable breeder lets a buyer choose their own puppy based on when deposits are received.

That said, there are some things that I see on the Golden Girls website that would cause me some concern.

The use of the term “English Cream” (this is a marketing term rarely used by reputable breeders)
The importation of most of their dogs from Ukraine (Although there are some reputable breeders in Ukraine, they are rarely willing to send breeding-quality dogs to the US. There are many threads on that topic here on the Forum.)
Not all of their dogs have full, verifiable health clearances that adhere to the recommendations of the GRCA Code of Ethics. This is usually the lowest bar that needs to be cleared to be considered reputable.
I didn’t see anything that looked like a questionnaire or anything that indicated that they screen their prospective puppy buyers as opposed to selling to anyone who sends in a deposit.
The $4000 price tag is very high for a breeding program that has little to recommend it. The current price range in New England is more like $2500-$3500, and that’s from a reputable breeder, who adheres to the Code of Ethics, and who is often breeding dogs with both AKC conformation championships and/or working titles.
If you are still interested in this breeder, let us know what litter you are considering and we can take a closer look at the health clearances for (and behind) the parent dogs and let you know if we see red flags. Otherwise, there are MANY more obviously reputable breeders in New England. Post #13 in this thread is a list that can get you started: Looking For Breeder Advice [New England]


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## Kiki1967 (11 mo ago)

pawsnpaca said:


> Yes, it’s fairly normal to not meet the puppies before you pay a deposit. Each breeder has their own process, but what seems most common is some variation of 1. You research the breeder and decide if he/she is reputable and is breeding the type of dogs/puppies you want, 2. You complete an application (or, more rarely, have a long phone conversation with the breeder) in order to communicate your interest, as well as things like your experience with dogs, your home and daily routine, who is in your household, do you own or rent, do you have other pets, etc. 3. If the breeder thinks you will be a good home for one of his/her puppies s/he will let you know and either add you to the waitlist, or, if the litter is already on the ground, the breeder may ask for a deposit at that time (Mostly just to ensure you are serious and so that they don’t turn away other good homes because they are holding a pup for you). Exactly when a breeder might accept a deposit can vary, but it’s rare that a reputable breeder will get to the point of having puppies of an age to be visited without already having deposits from committed buyers. Some breeders MAY allow puppy buyers to visit the puppies once they are 6 weeks or so, others will just share pictures and videos and you won’t actually see the puppies until you go to pick you puppy up. Most reputable breeders will match you to a puppy or puppies that they feel will best match your needs, experience and lifestyle. It’s rare that a reputable breeder lets a buyer choose their own puppy based on when deposits are received.
> 
> That said, there are some things that I see on the Golden Girls website that would cause me some concern.
> 
> ...


Thank you. They have one boy at 9 weeks, and another litter that is 6 weeks. It seems odd to me that they don’t have a waitlist. I agree it seems at best, just a bad breeder.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

pawsnpaca said:


> Yes, it’s fairly normal to not meet the puppies before you pay a deposit. Each breeder has their own process, but what seems most common is some variation of 1. You research the breeder and decide if he/she is reputable and is breeding the type of dogs/puppies you want, 2. You complete an application (or, more rarely, have a long phone conversation with the breeder) in order to communicate your interest, as well as things like your experience with dogs, your home and daily routine, who is in your household, do you own or rent, do you have other pets, etc. 3. If the breeder thinks you will be a good home for one of his/her puppies s/he will let you know and either add you to the waitlist, or, if the litter is already on the ground, the breeder may ask for a deposit at that time (Mostly just to ensure you are serious and so that they don’t turn away other good homes because they are holding a pup for you). Exactly when a breeder might accept a deposit can vary, but it’s rare that a reputable breeder will get to the point of having puppies of an age to be visited without already having deposits from committed buyers. Some breeders MAY allow puppy buyers to visit the puppies once they are 6 weeks or so, others will just share pictures and videos and you won’t actually see the puppies until you go to pick you puppy up. Most reputable breeders will match you to a puppy or puppies that they feel will best match your needs, experience and lifestyle. It’s rare that a reputable breeder lets a buyer choose their own puppy based on when deposits are received.
> 
> That said, there are some things that I see on the Golden Girls website that would cause me some concern.
> 
> ...


All of the above is worth repeating.
OP, when I responded I assumed you meant a future litter... puppies already go-home age or close, that is somewhat different but it is shocking there are any available at that age still. I also assumed you'd filled out a questionnaire and had a couple emails or phone conversations on top of that but it sounds like that's not the case. 

Breeders can charge whatever they want, it is up to the buyer to decide whether the value is there for the litter and price charged. As Lisa said, the current range in New England for puppies from well-titled, clearanced parents is more around $3k- but those litters will be spoken for probably before they are born and certainly by the age of these 2 litters.


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## Kiki1967 (11 mo ago)

Thank you so much for your input on this. I’m passing it all along to my friend.


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## MCNYC (11 mo ago)

[Post removed]


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## Kiki1967 (11 mo ago)

*I’m so sorry. And I’m glad my friend dodged that bullet. I’ll pass it along to her. I do think the place should be shut down. Have filed a complaint at least against them through the better business ? Is there anything at all we can do to shut them down? At least maybe email local government or the Animal control in their town?? My heart goes out to you. And sending prayers for your puppy. *


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## Iowa girl (11 mo ago)

love_pups said:


> We are from Connecticut and are looking for breeders close by. We stumbled upon Golden Gals and have been set on them ever since. I have always loved the English Cream coats and, while I know "English Cream" is often used as a flashy term, I've always wanted a lighter golden.
> 
> Website for your convenience; The Golden Gals
> 
> Looking for some guidance (be as honest as possible!), as this will be our first golden


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## Iowa girl (11 mo ago)




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## Kiki1967 (11 mo ago)

What an awful breeder


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## Iowa girl (11 mo ago)

MCNYC said:


> [Post removed]


Praying for that boy! He’s gotta pull through. Golden Gals needs to be shut down. There is absolutely no reason for a puppy to get that sick within 6 days. That just leads to questions of how many dogs, where are they keeping them and if 1 has it I bet there are more. They will not have the dogs best interest and just put the dogs down or get rid of them quickly and get their money. There has to be a law somewhere that holds the seller accountable for a certain amount of time. If the seller was at all concerned for this dog and will refund the money if you return the dog (they obviously will put the dog down) then why won’t they return your money as they can clearly see you are investing in saving the puppies life. ??? That makes no sense.


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## FUReverGolden (Nov 24, 2021)

This is all so very sad and makes me angry> Hoping the best outcome for your puppy and all you are dealing with.


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## Kiki1967 (11 mo ago)

MCNYC said:


> [Post removed]


He’s in prayers. - I am so glad you notified the proper authorities. Hopefully they will do something- but sadly, what they are doing is very common, and it’s what gives good breeders a bad name. Best of luck and let us know how he dose. This whole think makes me so angry.


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## MCNYC (11 mo ago)

[Post removed]


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

"English Cream" Goldens, many from Serbia and Ukraine but the breeder is not ethical?
Whoda thunk it?


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

MCNYC said:


> [Post removed]


I'm glad that Archie is doing better and praying that there are no long term health impacts from his tough start in life. I did make a donation to the GoFundMe and shared it on my Facebook page.

FWIW, I believe it's fairly common for breeders to give their own puppy vaccines and do their own deworming (hopefully one of the breeders in this group will correct me if I'm wrong). Generally, the only vaccine that is required by law is rabies (which is generally not given until 3 months of age). I'm not sure what is needed to get a "health certificate" from a vet prior to a puppy being sold, but it's possible that at the time of the exam the pups had no outward signs of illness. Again - maybe one of our breeders can weigh in on whether a standard health certificate exam would have/should have caught your puppy's issues.

I checked out the website for this breeder's vet and they look like they are highly thought of. I'm wondering if you have ever reached out to them directly to let them know about your experience? They may not see the Google review you left, and they may be just as appalled as you are that these puppies ended up being so ill. It may be worth giving them the benefit of the doubt and calling just to put them in the loop...


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## YSF (10 mo ago)

.


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## Iowa girl (11 mo ago)

YSF said:


> Look at my latest review on
> 
> 
> 
> I have posted a review, I also got a sick pet with Parvo from them this past weekend. I've left my email address on the review for people to reach out to me and we can take some kind of action against them. Also my IG handle is YSFB_2 feel free to reach out. We have to put an end to these scum bags.


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## Iowa girl (11 mo ago)

I am sending this to my nephew and he will get in contact with you. This proves it came from there. Their vet bill was over $20,000.00


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## dogandcatmom (9 mo ago)

MCNYC said:


> [Post removed]


I'm so sorry you had to deal with all that. We have a golden boy from GG, found out that he has a grade 2 heart murmur/moderate sub-aortic stenosis around 19 months of age. When I reached out to let them know, they basically responded that I could trade him back for a new puppy. He was almost TWO!! How traumatic would that be for him, and for us?!? So we now have a dog that we love deeply, who has to be on medication for the rest of his life, and we know that there is always a possibility of sudden death at a young age. And GG is continuing to use our guy's father as a stud for litters. The more you talk to people with GG puppies, you will quickly see that the number of litters he has fathered is staggering. I feel like ethically, it's time for them to retire him.


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## Ciptur (May 8, 2020)

I initially followed them on Facebook because I was looking for a Golden a few years back. I even reached out to them back then asking about clearances and how they treated their puppies/determined temperament--they answered none of my questions and instead asked if I wanted to put down a deposit. Big red flag and I never contacted them again. Lately they constantly, constantly have half a dozen to a dozen puppies for sale, and post all the time looking for buyers via FB. I'm guessing they "overproduced" puppies due to high pandemic demand and haven't wound down production, so now they have too many. Their website may be flashy and they have a lot of good reviews, but everything about them is setting off *puppy mill* alarm bells in my head. Stay away.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

Ciptur said:


> I initially followed them on Facebook because I was looking for a Golden a few years back. I even reached out to them back then asking about clearances and how they treated their puppies/determined temperament--they answered none of my questions and instead asked if I wanted to put down a deposit. Big red flag and I never contacted them again. Lately they constantly, constantly have half a dozen to a dozen puppies for sale, and post all the time looking for buyers via FB. I'm guessing they "overproduced" puppies due to high pandemic demand and haven't wound down production, so now they have too many. Their website may be flashy and they have a lot of good reviews, but everything about them is setting off *puppy mill* alarm bells in my head. Stay away.


I think this is a spot on assessment.


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## kellyann (8 mo ago)

dogandcatmom said:


> I'm so sorry you had to deal with all that. We have a golden boy from GG, found out that he has a grade 2 heart murmur/moderate sub-aortic stenosis around 19 months of age. When I reached out to let them know, they basically responded that I could trade him back for a new puppy. He was almost TWO!! How traumatic would that be for him, and for us?!? So we now have a dog that we love deeply, who has to be on medication for the rest of his life, and we know that there is always a possibility of sudden death at a young age. And GG is continuing to use our guy's father as a stud for litters. The more you talk to people with GG puppies, you will quickly see that the number of litters he has fathered is staggering. I feel like ethically, it's time for them to retire him.


May I ask who your pups stud and gal were? I have a two year old girl from GG and was wondering if the heart issues could run in the litter so I could warn my vet to keep an eye out


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## okko (May 19, 2021)

This thread is so sad. :-( The pandemic seems to be fueling the puppy mill business.

While searching for a pup in CT, recently, I came across two shady outfits and GG was one of them. I won't publicly name the other with no proof of wrongdoing, but there were red flags that had me running for the hills... DM if searching in CT and you want to know so that you can avoid.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Cloverdale. We just picked up our second Cloverdale pup on Wednesday. There's a waitlist, of course, but Jane is an ethical breeder. Jane's Facebook

Some other good CT options listed here, with a amjor hint at who to avoid in the first post ;-) What am I looking at on k9data?


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## YogaMom14 (3 mo ago)

I used Golden Gals for our pup. Picked him up in March 2022 and can honestly say he is an amazing dog. Golden Gals was great to work with and our dog is healthy and has a wonderful temperament. I haven’t experienced the negative comments on this post and they have been receptive when I have had a question. I would recommend them


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## YSF (10 mo ago)

okko said:


> This thread is so sad. :-( The pandemic seems to be fueling the puppy mill business.
> 
> While searching for a pup in CT, recently, I came across two shady outfits and GG was one of them. I won't publicly name the other with no proof of wrongdoing, but there were red flags that had me running for the hills... DM if searching in CT and you want to know so that you can avoid.
> 
> ...


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## YSF (10 mo ago)

GG CT is to avoid at all cost. I ignored the reviews prior to getting my puppy thinking that it was just bad reviews from random bad experiences and things happen… but I was very wrong. We had to deal with a $7k+ ICU bill and a very sick puppy to treat Parvo. Luckily we were able to afford the treatment but when we reached out to GG they told us yea we can pick up the puppy and treat it at one of our vets (mind you we live 8 hours away from GG CT) so I’m more than sure that if we took our puppy out of the ICU for just an hour he woulda passed away in the state that he was in. I also know another couple from the same litter who spent close to 20k in emergency bills for Parvo as well (in NYC) to save theirs… Golden Gals refused to refund any treatment cost.


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## Cbd3 (3 mo ago)

okko said:


> This thread is so sad. :-( The pandemic seems to be fueling the puppy mill business.
> 
> While searching for a pup in CT, recently, I came across two shady outfits and GG was one of them. I won't publicly name the other with no proof of wrongdoing, but there were red flags that had me running for the hills... DM if searching in CT and you want to know so that you can avoid.
> 
> ...


I am currently looking for an ethical breeder in CT and New England. Would love to hear of any. Located in East Lyme


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

Cbd3 said:


> I am currently looking for an ethical breeder in CT and New England. Would love to hear of any. Located in East Lyme


Welcome to the forum! This thread should give you a good start on finding reputable breeders in New England:Looking For Breeder Advice [New England]


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