# Y-Rock Ranch breeder question



## mirthril (Jun 23, 2010)

Hello all:

My husband and I have recently purchased a new home, and now that we have the additional space + yard, he's buying me a new puppy for my birthday (July 10) - YAY! I've wanted a retriever puppy since I was a child, so this is a dream come true for me. 

So we've started shopping - and whow there sure is a lot of information out there - it's a bit daunting. I've found a breeder named Y-Rock ranch with pups being born in the right time frame for us, and I was wondering if anyone hear had any experience with them. We're in socal, so they are a bit of a drive for us but I really like how responsive the breeder is and the puppies from her previous litters are just beautiful. 

Their website is: http://www.y-rockranch.com/default.htm

And the registered names of the sire and dam involved are:

Miliy Drug Lourena
Shinning Gold Voogie-Boogie

I've checked their certifications and noted there are no eye certs. I've requested those from the breeder, but do you see any other red flags or things I should be concerned about?

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Kindest regards,

Jessica


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Dam has no eye, elbow, or heart clearances...

Its early and perhaps I overlooked it, but I don't see any Date of Birth info on any of the dogs....

Lots of clearance are missing on all of the dogs....why list some, but not others...?

No mention of their association with any clubs ....they have links on their site....but if you notice they make no claims that they actually 'belong' to any of them.

No mention of them investing the time or money in competition....on their Home page they say fantastic for show....how do you know if you don't take the time to learn and participate?

Lots of breeding females on the premises...

Not impressed with the whole English Cream marketing line...

Personally I would continue searching...


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

On k9data, Miliy Drug Lourena shows elbow dysplasia in one elbow. It is not listed on OFA, but she has a CHIC, which says that the elbows were done but since she did not pass I assume they chose not to have them posted on the website.

Elbows are also not listed on the sire in OFA (name is misspelled in your post). On k9data, the elbows again show dysplasia in one elbow. He also has a CHIC which requires that elbows be done, whether they pass or not.

I wouldn't touch this litter, and you can do much much better for a breeder. Try www.grca.org and www.goldenbreedersresouce.org (but vet these breeders as they are not all good breeders).


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

This is not a breeding I would recommend to my worst enemy. Each parent has ED (elbow dysplasia). This is a crippling disease that will require a very expensive surgery in the future. 

Try the links provided above, also try contacting the few closest Golden Retriever Clubs and ask for a puppy referral. They can let you know which reputable kennel has puppies ready to go, born, or planned.

http://www.grcgla.org/
http://www.norcalgrc.org/
http://www.homewardboundgoldens.org/

Here are a few that came to mind...

*www.birnamwood.com
**www.emberain.com
**premieregoldenretrievers.com

*


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## nixietink (Apr 3, 2008)

Tahnee GR said:


> On k9data, Miliy Drug Lourena shows elbow dysplasia in one elbow. It is not listed on OFA, but she has a CHIC, which says that the elbows were done but since she did not pass I assume they chose not to have them posted on the website.
> 
> Elbows are also not listed on the sire in OFA (name is misspelled in your post). On k9data, the elbows again show dysplasia in one elbow. He also has a CHIC which requires that elbows be done, whether they pass or not.
> 
> I wouldn't touch this litter, and you can do much much better for a breeder. Try www.grca.org and www.goldenbreedersresouce.org (but vet these breeders as they are not all good breeders).


Agreed. Sometimes you really have to dig deep for the information. For the best chance at a healthy and happy pup, I would look at the resources Tahnee posted. 

Also, reputable breeders do not usually use the term "English Cream" as it is often a marketing ploy. Best of luck! Please ask any other questions.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I am so glad you asked about this! Please keep looking. Here is a Golden Retriever club which should have good connections t guide you in your search: http://www.vdsgrc.org/index.html

Linda, in Arizona, how is Jovi's Goldens? My friend Wendy has a nice golden from them and she had fun doing her CDX with him, but I do not know their overall history/ deal? 

http://www.jovisgoldens.com/http://www.jovisgoldens.com/


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## vixen (Jul 26, 2008)

I know very little about breeding in the US, but I wouldn't buy from this breeder just because the little info they have about there dogs in there site.

If your gonna put your breeding stock online you should sing it praise's and metion everything about them you can, lack of info shows something to hide to me.


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## bla89 (Jun 3, 2010)

Call the Golden Retriver Club of America, they help direct my mom and I to a breeder in Texas and they can tell you a good breeder in the SoCal area.


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## MGMF (May 13, 2009)

Keep looking! Don't get one because they are cute....they are all cute


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

bla89 said:


> Call the Golden Retriver Club of America, they help direct my mom and I to a breeder in Texas and they can tell you a good breeder in the SoCal area.


That's how we got the lead on our first golden--we were given the names of 3 breeders in our area to contact--the GRCA is going to refer you to breeders that have a history of following the Code Of Ethics (obtaining health clearances on eyes, heart, elbows and hips on both sire and dam).

Also, someone mentioned that all goldens are cute--AMEN!!! All golden puppies are CUTER!!! ALL of them. I have yet to see a litter of golden pups that weren't cute--some of them may not have as much coat, or may be smaller boned--but they are all precious just the same. So cuteness, in and of itself, shouldn't be a deciding factor. Cuteness is a given.

What's not a given is your time frame; by the time we made contact with a breeder, had an interview, and the breeder had a litter, it was close to a year. Worth the wait? Most definitely. If you're willing to settle for a collar and leash--and crate--waiting while you do your research, I also feel it will be worth the wait. You could also luck out and meet up with a breeder who is expecting a litter around your birthday--but it's my experience that hobby breeders don't breed that often, and you have to be patient.


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## ragtym (Feb 3, 2008)

Just thought I'd chime in here. Once again, it looks like OFA has removed some negative information from their database. However, this time, I got smart and captured screenies of the pages before the information was deleted:

Miliy Drug Lourena 










Shining Gold Voogie Boogie









Sorry about the quality - Photobucket is degrading the ones I've uploaded. The originals are much clearer.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

RUN from that litter/breeder.

In the greater LA area, check out:

Rebecca Scribner [email protected]

And here's the list of breeders who are referred by the GR Club of Greater LA:

http://www.grcgla.org/info_and_educ.htm

Be sure to check for clearances by looking at the OFA site, etc.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Run away...far, far away!!!!!


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## MGMF (May 13, 2009)

It is horrible someone would breed poor ratings and taking advantage of the uneducated buyer.


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## MillysMom (Nov 5, 2008)

I would run, not walk from this litter. I will also caution you that if you do chose to go the European route be extremely careful - I know of two fairly regularly recommended for the paler European blood-lined golden breeders whose studs have sired Y-Rock Ranch litters. To me, a breeder should be just as particular with their stud being used in litters as they would a bitch, and with the massive amounts of red flags on the Y-Rock Ranch website I couldn't condone anyone letting their stud sire one of their litters. 

If I lived in California I'd contact Birnam Woods for a puppy.


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## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

Interesting that the OP has made only the one post.


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## MillysMom (Nov 5, 2008)

Jackson'sMom said:


> Interesting that the OP has made only the one post.


I've joined forums on other topics and posted just once to get specific information. One was on a Bernese Mountain Dog forum, don't remember which, or what my log-in info was, when I was thinking about getting one. I had a list of questions for breeders, and also some perspective breeders I was looking into. I only posted once, then decided I'm not ready for that much black hair, and if I move back to SC a Berner would be an impossibility. 

Just saying, some view forums less as a place to post frequently, and more as a way to get some info fast. 

Though, I wouldn't be surprised if Y-Rock joins and posts soon.


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## mirthril (Jun 23, 2010)

Hi everyone:

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply here. My husband and I have been in Australia on vacation the last two weeks, with no access to Internet. We just got back tonight, so I'm trying to get back into gear on my epic search for a birthday puppy.

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to help me research this breeder. Just before I left I did send her an e-mail asking for more certification information (elbows, eyes, thyroid, etc). This was before I'd seen any of your replys but the breeders reply was honest:



> We appreciate it when people care about the health of their puppy. It is important to check that out and breeders who are doing their best should be checking those things. I do check hips, eyes and heart. Thyroid, I was told by my vet, isn’t anything to worry about unless I am seeing symptoms in my dogs which I am not. My only hitch is elbows. Brighams preliminaries were fine but when we check his hips and elbows through OFA this last time, they came back with some inflammation on one of his elbows—the other one completely fine. My vet took the X-Rays twice and could see nothing so whatever it is, it is very low level. After consulting with two vets---one which breeds dogs himself, they both felt like it shouldn’t preclude him from breeding because everything else is so good on him. They also said elbows are not a big thing and rarely debilitating, especially on goldens, so not much to worry about. Sofi is pretty much in the same boat---excellent hips, according to PENN and good OFA but one elbow came back with some inflammation. Again, the concensus was she is fine (still can’t see it on the X-rays) and nothing to worry about. I have certificates on their hips, eyes and heart and I am happy to forward those to you.


I appreciate how honest and forthcoming this breeder was about the elbow issue you all pointed out. Is she right when she says elbow issues are rarely debilitating?

My guess is the advice to avoid this breeder still stands, but I was impressed by her responce so I thought I'd post it here for your oppinions and thoughts. I will do as you suggest and ping the local clubs for breeders. 

Thank you all sincerely for your expert advice and help.

Kindest regards,

Jessica


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I can't even tell you how sad it is to have a young golden with elbow dysplasia. I had such high hopes for my Tango as an athlete/performance dog, and she rocks an amazing pedigree. However, bilateral ED crippled her by age 6 months and she had a super expensive surgery to clean out both fragmented elbow joints. Her half sister is on this forum, and just had elbow surgery too. It is SOOOO sad watching a dog struggle with pain. Please do not support a breeder who chooses to use dogs with documented Elbow Dysplasia


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Sorry but her response is not honest and forthcoming at all....it called CYA.

Degenerative joint disease is not 'a little inflammation' it is the physical degradation of the joint...

I can only think of one motive for *knowingly* breeding dogs with documented, progressive, painful, health conditions....

I would want to know the names of the vets that said, _*After consulting with two vets---one which breeds dogs himself, they both felt like it shouldn’t preclude him from breeding because everything else is so good on him. They also said elbows are not a big thing and rarely debilitating, especially on goldens, so not much to worry about. *_ 
IMHO they should have their licenses revoked...







mirthril said:


> Hi everyone:
> 
> I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply here. My husband and I have been in Australia on vacation the last two weeks, with no access to Internet. We just got back tonight, so I'm trying to get back into gear on my epic search for a birthday puppy.
> 
> ...


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

mirthril said:


> Hi everyone:
> 
> I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply here. My husband and I have been in Australia on vacation the last two weeks, with no access to Internet. We just got back tonight, so I'm trying to get back into gear on my epic search for a birthday puppy.
> 
> ...


Excellent! My new advice is: "run even _faster..._" Because this is purely garbage. It means to me that she is an eloquent liar, and I'd be loathe to trust anything she says. Elbows are NOT "not a big thing and rarely debilitating"! And for BOTH male and female to have "a little inflammation" and to breed them anyway is negligent. And thyroid is a very big deal when breeding - a dog might be asymptomatic, with a reading in the low normal range, and show symptoms later, as well as passing thyroid issues on to offspring. I'd love to know who the "breeder vet" is, because this would be someone I'd also advise potential puppy buyers to avoid.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Many members here have dogs that have had surgery for crippling elbow dysplasia. It is certainly by no means "nothing to worry about." Why would we screen for something that isn't important? Well- that makes no sense. We screen because it's very, very important in having a sound dog!!

I do think it is nice and forthcoming that she openly told you about the elbows- but keep looking. It just isn't worth the risk when you can find a breeder that has a sire and dam of the litter clear of these degenerative joint problems.

Best of Luck!! 

Remember to check on the forum via searches or in a new thread if you find another breeder!


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

My Heart Dog Dexy had elbow dysplasia his parents were not certified, he lived a long happy life and was very active because he swam long stretches every day it was over fifty degrees. However, when he was eleven, he over compensated for his painful front end and tore his cruciate ligament. He limped significantly after that point. Dexy loved to swim, but after about four, he was not much of a runner, because it was painful.

Now Selli, who elbows x-rayed normal and whose parents had cleared elbows, loves to run. She likes to swim to cool off, but then it is back to running. She is so physically sound she is like a machine.

It breaks my heart to think that Dex was limited in his activity and that he could not experience the joy in running that Selli does. 

All this to say, elbow dysplasia is debilitating in Goldens and I am appalled to thing that someone is intentionally breeding two dysplastic dogs and selling the puppies.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

I'm the owner of Jill's Tango's half-sister. To be perfectly honest, I would have preferred a hip dysplasia diagnosis rather than the elbow diagnosis. Surgery can only do so much for bad elbows. Arthritis is going to progress even with surgery-NOTHING can stop it. At least with hips you've got several different options.

Did you know that even breeding Normal to Normal you can get 12.2% affected? Did you know that having one parent with elbow dysplasia more than doubles that chance and the having both parents with elbow dysplasia more than triples that chance???

The OFA report DID NOT say "a little inflammation". It read *degenerative joint disease (aka elbow dysplasia)*. Bad elbows are a big problem for Goldens. We are not talking about a breed that lays around and does nothing. They are meant to run and play and swim. I'm just hoping that my girl gets to continue to enjoy these things as time goes on.

I'm not at all surprised that their regular vet didn't see anything on the x-rays. Unlike with hips, it is very difficult for a "regular" vet to be able to diagnose anything less than extremely advanced elbow dysplasia. I too am shocked that any vet worth their salt would knowingly recommend breeding a dog with elbow dysplasia (just for the record, I am a vet myself and RARELY will speak ill of a colleague).


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

IowaGold said:


> I'm the owner of Jill's Tango's half-sister. To be perfectly honest, I would have preferred a hip dysplasia diagnosis rather than the elbow diagnosis. Surgery can only do so much for bad elbows. Arthritis is going to progress even with surgery-NOTHING can stop it. At least with hips you've got several different options.
> 
> Did you know that even breeding Normal to Normal you can get 12.2% affected? Did you know that having one parent with elbow dysplasia more than doubles that chance and the having both parents with elbow dysplasia more than triples that chance???
> 
> ...


Sarah, I am inclined to believe that it was all fabricated and that no vet actually said any of this...


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

IowaGold said:


> Did you know that even breeding Normal to Normal you can get 12.2% affected? Did you know that having one parent with elbow dysplasia more than doubles that chance and the having both parents with elbow dysplasia more than triples that chance???


I'm so glad you're here. It's nice to see a professional run down the numbers. I was absolutely appalled to hear what must be either a lie by the breeder or woeful incompetence on the vet's part. Elbow dysplasia is debilitating in addition to being difficult and expensive to treat.

To know that just by following best practices, one can cut the chances by two thirds, how could you breed without clearances, much less breed two dogs who failed!?!

Can you post the study that confirms those numbers? I've always known that OFA clearances could cut down the incidence of ED, but it's wonderful to see the stats laid out. Even if it can't be linked, can you post the article and journal titles?


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

PG, I sure hope you are right!

Tippy-those numbers came directly from OFA itself: http://www.offa.org/edanswers.html. The numbers I quoted were from example #1. Example #2 actually compares BVA and OFA ED% in Goldens and talks about the advisability of using dogs with Grade I elbows for breeding.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Just curious. If you're in So Cal, why would you look at a breeder in Arizona before looking at local breeders?

And yes, I agree that what the breeder said regarding health of the dogs is a bunch of hogwash.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

IowaGold said:


> Tippy-those numbers came directly from OFA itself: http://www.offa.org/edanswers.html. The numbers I quoted were from example #1. Example #2 actually compares BVA and OFA ED% in Goldens and talks about the advisability of using dogs with Grade I elbows for breeding.


Thanks! I always try to read as much source material as I can on these important topics.


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## mirthril (Jun 23, 2010)

*Happy News*

Hello everyone:

I want to thank you all again for your help and guidance as I've stumbled through this puppy search. I did contact my local golden retriever club as you suggested, and shortly thereafter received some calls from breeders. I'm speaking with Julia Wolf now who's one of the retriever club of Los Angeles' recommended breeders. She seems very legit - has full OFA records for the parents and some/most records for generations back. She also does shows and competitions with most of her dogs. Not 100% sure I have the puppy yet - the breeder is still in the process of interviewing me - but I'm hopeful. I just wanted to give you all a status update.

The breeder's website can be seen here for those curious:

http://www.simplesite.com/stellar

And the puppies I'm talking to her about are the four from Sage (Stellar's Lucky Lil' Green Girl) and Montgomery's (Stellar's Turn On The Old Charm) litters. 

Thank you again for all of your help!

Jessica


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

ragtym said:


> Just thought I'd chime in here. Once again, it looks like OFA has removed some negative information from their database. However, this time, I got smart and captured screenies of the pages before the information was deleted:
> 
> Miliy Drug Lourena
> 
> ...


 
WOW thank you for this. How did you get this data, and does anyone know why/when they removed it from the offa site? Is that legal?...:no:


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## silver39 (Jan 29, 2010)

mirthril said:


> Hi everyone:
> 
> I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply here. My husband and I have been in Australia on vacation the last two weeks, with no access to Internet. We just got back tonight, so I'm trying to get back into gear on my epic search for a birthday puppy.
> 
> ...


 
I also can't believe that they would state that "elbow issues are rarely debilitating" Our boy Charlie was diagnosied with bilateral elbow displasia at 9 months old and he underwent surgery this past July and he is doing fine now but arthritis has set in already and he will not be the same, and it definatley an expensive surgery and costly recovery.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Puppydogs: The owners have the option of having results displayed in a public database. Obviously, to a breeder that is trying to better the breed and only produce sound dogs- they would leave this information for the world to see. Why? Because how can yourself and others better the breed if you've viewing the dogs with a skewed lens? It doesn't make sense!

I believe ragtym took a screenshot before the information was removed. Very smart!


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

It's not up to OFA to remeove the info... I know a kennel that checked off the box to have results posted no matter what. Elbows passed hips didn't. They resubmitted the hips and didn't check the box... voila, hips failed again and the bad results were removed because there was new information. Likewise when my OFA Fair bitch became dysplastic, I resubmitted her rads(knowing what I know now, I would've agreed to showing the bad results), that negated her previous hip clearance which no longer shows up on OFA.


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## KellyH (Sep 5, 2010)

Where are you located? If you're looking for English/European Goldens then I highly recommend my breeder - Sandy McFarland at Timberee Goldens in Colorado. www.timberee.com. I also recommend Wendy Bergeron and Marybeth Tessier at Eastshore Goldens Eastshore Golden Retrievers at Fieldstone Farm. They are in New Boston, New Hampshire. I was considering them as well for my new puppy, it just happened that Sandy's litter was born earlier. You can read a lot about my experiences searching for a reputable breeder of English Goldens on my blog listed in my signature. Good luck!


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

And I agree with previous posters that I would rather deal with hip dysplasia than elbow dysplasia. I think ED is much more debilitating than HD, in general(obviously, I'd rather have neither).


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## ragtym (Feb 3, 2008)

Here's another reason not to buy from Y-Rock

The current litter was born 11/11/10

Thel litter is supposedly sired by a dog named English Meadows Prince - she gives his registration number as SR59959103

1) There is no dog registered with the AKC under this name or number currently.
2) Doing a search for the first part of this number comes up with a littermate in the OFA database. It shows the littermates birthdate as 11/17/09. If he is the sire of her current litter, he was bred when he was 10 months old.

The dam of her current litter is supposed to be a bitch named Satin Sea's Solana Breeze, reg #SR59831506

1) Again, there is no dog by this name or registration number in the AKC database currently.
2) A search of the reg number pulls up a potential littermate whose birthdate is 11/6/09. This would make this bitch also 10 months old when she was bred and just over a year old when she had the litter!

Yes, I have screenies in case she decides to try and delete the info again.


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

I just noticed on the offa website, after you choose the name you can click the link to "view change history". Seems to pull data from a log automatically here...


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

puppydogs said:


> I just noticed on the offa website, after you choose the name you can click the link to "view change history". Seems to pull data from a log automatically here...


 
I think that you are referring to the K9 Database, not OFA...


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

Yes I meant K9 site. Sorry


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## ragtym (Feb 3, 2008)

Sally's Mom said:


> It's not up to OFA to remeove the info... I know a kennel that checked off the box to have results posted no matter what. Elbows passed hips didn't. They resubmitted the hips and didn't check the box... voila, hips failed again and the bad results were removed because there was new information. Likewise when my OFA Fair bitch became dysplastic, I resubmitted her rads(knowing what I know now, I would've agreed to showing the bad results), that negated her previous hip clearance which no longer shows up on OFA.


Sally's mom - I knew that it could be done this way but I know for a fact that at least one breeder has had their negative information removed by OFA because they cried to their vet and the OFA that they didn't know that checking the box would mean releasing the information to the public. 

Something that Tahnee pointed out once and it's a great thing - if a dog has a CHIC number but they are missing a clearance, it's probably because they failed that clearance. CHIC doesn't take passes or fails into account, just that the dog has had all clearances attempted. So technically, a dog with dysplastic elbows can get a CHIC number - like the examples I show above.


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

Yes, I know that about CHIC #'s... years ago, my foundation bitch got a CHIC #, yet her daughter did not(both were all clear). I had had the daughter's heart cleared by a specialist. So I got her cleared at 40 months(prior to 1st breeding) by a cardiologist and there was the CHIC #. I also went to a repro meeting years ago where they were showing CHIC #'s on setters that ED.


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

Apologies on the stupid quesiton but what is the CHIC number and what's it for?:doh:


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

To get a "CHIC" #, it means that you have submitted all clearances on a dog that a breed club recommends to the "proper organizations". In goldens, that means you had to submit OFA elbow/hips/heart and CERF eyes. The CERF is obviously done by an ophthalmologist. OFA cardiac clearances can be done by a cardiologist, practitioner, or specialist. To get a CHIC #, the OFA has to be by a cardiologist. However to get a CHIC #, you can fail in any category, a CHIC # does not equal "all clear."(but in the case of my dogs with CHIC #'s, it does mean all clear)


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## Nel (Sep 10, 2010)

I almost purchased from Y-Rock Ranch as well. I did my research and found that they bred their females before the age of 2! Instant red flag for me especially when it happened to more than 2 females.

here are some info on k9data. 

Read the birth date of the puppies. Estimate 2 months for the gestation period. 
Then read the birthdate of the Moms. 

Offspring of Y-Rock Belle
For Bella:
Birth date: 10/16/2007 
k9data registered offspring birth date: 10/31/2008 
*Est date Mated: 8/30/2008 a little over 9 MONTHS old!

Offspring of Fatherland Black Beauty
For Abegail: 
Birth date: 9/15/2007
K9data registered offspring birth date: 6/2/2009
*Est date Mated: 4/2/2009 6 months before age 2!


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## FunnyAboutMoney (Apr 20, 2011)

Thanks so much to everyone who responded to OP's question about Y-Rock Kennels. My son wants a golden, and, having had a lifetime of experience with German shepherds (some of it saddened by the results of breeders' careless practices), I've been helping him in his search. 

We discovered this outfit, which is about a two-hour drive from our homes in Phoenix. I was already suspicious, since the proprietor seemed a little overeager to unload puppies with rather few questions asked. By way of checking, I did a google search, which brought up this forum. Thank goodness! Prompted by your expert skepticism, I took a much harder look at Y-Rock. Also, we found another breeder much closer to home (dba Golden Reflection), and on her site she had posted links to the k9data and the OFA databases, urging readers to use them before buying a pup from anyone.

In addition to the remarks posted here, we learned that Y-Rock now has 11 bitches, mostly serviced by one dog. The most recent OFA results I could find dated back to 2008. In addition to cases of that "mild elbow inflammation" (read "elbow dysplasia") in close relatives of the sire and recently whelped dam, one of the parents has a half-sibling with _severe_ hip dysplasia. Most of the dogs at this kennel, however, have never been tested...or if they have, the results are kept private.

When I read the tale that Y-Rock tried to feed OP, as reported here, I was just shocked. Having owned big dogs all my adult life, I'd say that "lie" is the kindest term one could apply to that story. 

Y-Rock is underpricing other breeders in these parts, and, with the recession-that-is-not-a-depression still going full force here in Arizona, money is a bit of an issue. Thanks to your reports, we were alerted before we made a heartbreaking mistake. You can be sure we'll check every forebear of any pup we consider, and will happily pay a few hundred bucks more to find one with less risk of serious health problems.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Guess they don't have the original website anymore. Hope they don't have another.


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## ragtym (Feb 3, 2008)

They do have a new site unfortunately:Y-Rock Ranch - English Golden Retrievers

Here's some "fun" info: English Meadow Prince - the stud they have been using lately was born on 11/17/09 and has sired at least 2 litters so far, including one out of a bitch born 11/06/09: Pedigree: Satin Sea Solana Breeze
Screenshot of that litter announcement - notice that the pups were born 5 days after Lona's FIRST birthday and 6 days before Prince's FIRST birthday: http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/ragtym_goldens/yrock3-1.png

Prince is listed on Y-Rock's site as:
AKC Registration: SR59959103
Health Clearances:
PENN hip 50%
*Preliminary OFA Hips: Excellent* (bold -- mine)
Preliminary OFA Elbows: Normal

However, this is his OFA record: Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. There is NO information regarding his hips at all. A little strange that his prelim elbow info was released but his supposedly excellent hips are not shown. Considering that his Penn-Hip score is supposedly in the 50% percentile (meaning looser than 50% of the Goldens that have been rated), it would be pretty surprising if he was an OFA prelim excellent.
Screenshot of his OFA record: http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/ragtym_goldens/englishmeadowprince.png

Screenshot of his page on Y-Rock's site: http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/ragtym_goldens/yrock5.png


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