# Puppies around the Maryland Area



## caseypooh (Dec 30, 2010)

My husband and I are thinking about bringing home a puppy later on this summer and have begun looking at breeders in our area. Does anyone have any suggestions on this process? We lost our 13 year old golden in December and she was so wonderful. I just picked her out of a local newspaper ad and met both the mom and dad. 

Any suggestions from you all would be so much appreciated,
Thank you


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## MilosMommy (May 24, 2010)

I have heard that Lycinan Goldens is a reputable breeder and they are in Harford County Maryland.

Lycinan Goldens- Quality AKC Golden Retrievers- Harford County, Maryland

Some other members might be able to chime in on Maryland breeders though.


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## caseypooh (Dec 30, 2010)

Thank you so much MilosMommy! We will look into them! Your pictures are beautiful. You have a very beautiful golden. I love his color too. Our Casey was a dark golden.


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## MilosMommy (May 24, 2010)

Thank you so much.

And just a work of advice is to make sure you do some research on the breeder that you get a dog from. You can't tell from the pictures but Milo is from a backyard breeder. At 6 months old he was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. For the next 6 months he couldn't run or go on long walks. At 1 year old he got a total hip replacement, costing us thousands of dollars and a lot of heartache. He is currently recovering from this surgery. We met his parents and they were lovely dogs.

Any way my point is that even though dogs are cute doesn't mean they are healthy. It is well worth your time and money to get a dog from a good breeder who tests and clears their dogs for hip dysplasia and other things.


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

Contact a local GR Group like the Potomac Valley Golden Retriever Club or the Chespeake Golden Retriever Club for their puppy referrals. That's where I found my breeder. She actually was the one in charge of the one of the lists!


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

Apply to the GRREAT Golden Retriever Rescue.


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

Delmarva Goldens
There is a delmarva puppy on GRF
Edit: Lilliam has a Delmarva puppy


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

What is a Delmarva puppy?


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

Judi said:


> What is a Delmarva puppy?


Just a puppy from the breeder, Delmarva Goldens.
Delmarva Golden Retrievers


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

When there are so many Goldens in Rescues, why not think at least twice about supporting a breeder?


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Judi said:


> When there are so many Goldens in Rescues, why not think at least twice about supporting a breeder?



There is NOTHING wrong with supporting a responsible breeder. In fact one of the founders and heads of GRREAT is a long time breeder of Golden Retrievers.


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## MilosMommy (May 24, 2010)

Judi said:


> When there are so many Goldens in Rescues, why not think at least twice about supporting a breeder?


Most rescues will turn you down if you don't have a fenced in yard and some breeders won't, it's easier to get a puppy from a breeder. It's also nice to know the background of your puppy for health reasons.

I'm all for rescuing too, but we've been turned down for not having a fence even though we would be a great home for a dog and Milo is never outside alone & we take every precaution to make sure he is safe.


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with supporting responsible breeders but doesn't it bother you that so many wonderful Golden Retrievers that are all ready on this earth need caring homes?


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## caseypooh (Dec 30, 2010)

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I wish I had found this forum a long time ago. Everyone here is very kind and helpful. You all helped me so much and are still helping me through my grief with losing Casey. I do pop in on the rescue site of GRReat and we definitely are thinking about adopting too. I tried to adopt before Casey but like MilosMommy, I lived in a condo development and did not have a fenced in backyard. My husband has never raised a puppy before so that is in our thoughts as well.


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## jealous1 (Dec 7, 2007)

Thank you for doing all of your research, both on breeders and rescue. While I am very involved in rescue and all of our dogs have come to us that way, I understand the desire for a puppy (which for the most part are unavailable through a rescue) and the desire to know the background of the puppy for health purposes. While we have been very lucky with most of our golden rescues, we have lost one senior golden to cancer and another that we presently have has extreme allergy issues that we are definitely supporting our local vet--this being our "free" dog from a shelter (LOL). 

I am not for "guilting" someone into going the rescue route but if you do decide to go to a rescue, don't be discouraged if one turns you down because of your living in a condo. There are many rescues that will look at your situation as a whole rather than just following black/white rules of who can adopt from them. With an older golden, you will not have to deal with a lot of puppy issues (i.e., housebreaking, chewing, little shark teeth, terrible "teenage" years). Personally, I live vicariously through this forum with the folks that share their puppies' growing up but know that a puppy is not in any of our future plans (by choice). We love the older dogs, particularly the seniors, and that is who we will be looking at adopting in the future whenever we are looking to add to our crew.

If you decide to go the breeder route, continue with your research and be sure that you are not just supporting someone who is only interested in trying to make money rather than breeding to insure that they only produce the healthiest puppies available and to try to improve the breed. This forum is a wealth of information and you can do a lot of research here, but occasionally it does gets a little "opinionated" about certain breeders and issues. P

Good luck in your search, and when you do find that special one, please make sure you post pictures!


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

MilosMommy said:


> Most rescues will turn you down if you don't have a fenced in yard and some breeders won't, it's easier to get a puppy from a breeder. It's also nice to know the background of your puppy for health reasons.
> 
> I'm all for rescuing too, but we've been turned down for not having a fence even though we would be a great home for a dog and Milo is never outside alone & we take every precaution to make sure he is safe.


I used to think that most rescues will turn you down if you don't have a fenced in yard but that is not always the case. Some rescues allow "invisible fences".

It is nice to know the background of your puppy for health reasons but there aren't any guarantees. I went to a breeder and adopted a puppy thinking he was healthy. He died two weeks before his fifth birthday.
My younger Golden that I have now lived with a woman who had to give her up since she was terminally ill. We got some background even though she is from a Rescue. It depends on the case. I have another Golden who is about 10 from a Rescue and he is doing quite well too.


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

caseypooh said:


> Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I wish I had found this forum a long time ago. Everyone here is very kind and helpful. You all helped me so much and are still helping me through my grief with losing Casey. I do pop in on the rescue site of GRReat and we definitely are thinking about adopting too. I tried to adopt before Casey but like MilosMommy, I lived in a condo development and did not have a fenced in backyard. My husband has never raised a puppy before so that is in our thoughts as well.


Did you fill out an application for GRREAT?


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

jealous1 said:


> Thank you for doing all of your research, both on breeders and rescue. While I am very involved in rescue and all of our dogs have come to us that way, I understand the desire for a puppy (which for the most part are unavailable through a rescue) and the desire to know the background of the puppy for health purposes. While we have been very lucky with most of our golden rescues, we have lost one senior golden to cancer and another that we presently have has extreme allergy issues that we are definitely supporting our local vet--this being our "free" dog from a shelter (LOL).
> 
> I am not for "guilting" someone into going the rescue route but if you do decide to go to a rescue, don't be discouraged if one turns you down because of your living in a condo. There are many rescues that will look at your situation as a whole rather than just following black/white rules of who can adopt from them. With an older golden, you will not have to deal with a lot of puppy issues (i.e., housebreaking, chewing, little shark teeth, terrible "teenage" years). Personally, I live vicariously through this forum with the folks that share their puppies' growing up but know that a puppy is not in any of our future plans (by choice). We love the older dogs, particularly the seniors, and that is who we will be looking at adopting in the future whenever we are looking to add to our crew.
> 
> ...



What a WONDERFUL post!! Thank you!!! :appl:


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## lilnanny (Mar 24, 2009)

We got our Lily from Kisamore. They are a family run operation that only usually does a few litters, but their dogs are well mannered and healthy. Our Lily has been wonderful. They are located in Howard County


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## Brodys Mom (Mar 4, 2011)

MilosMommy said:


> You can't tell from the pictures but Milo is from a backyard breeder. At 6 months old he was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. For the next 6 months he couldn't run or go on long walks. At 1 year old he got a total hip replacement, costing us thousands of dollars and a lot of heartache. He is currently recovering from this surgery. We met his parents and they were lovely dogs.


MilosMommy, I am not sure what a "backyard breeder" is exactly, but I suspect we got our puppy from what might be considered a backyard breeder. (in Maryland, actually.) We met the parents and, like you, felt that they were wonderful dogs. The breeder was recommended to us by someone who got a Golden puppy from there a few years ago and she grew into a beautiful, mild mannered dog. Other than that, we really didn't know much about the breeder. 

Perhaps we should have done more research but we really didn't go into the search looking for a golden puppy from a "champion line" or anything like that. We just wanted a nice family dog. As a child, my family always had "puppies from the neighbor's litter" or strays/rescues (usually mixed breeds) and they were wonderful companions. 

What I'm getting at is, although I know there are people who are very serious about where they get their puppies and do a lot of research before making a decision, we just aren't those kind of people. To be honest, I don't feel strongly about it one way or another. I just know that we love our little Brody and wouldn't trade him for the world at this point. 

That being said, after reading so many forums where people have had Goldens with problems like you described, I can't help but worry. (I'm a worrier by nature. ) What signs did you have with Milo that indicated something was wrong? I don't see anything obvious with Brody but I want to know what to keep an eye out for...


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## Scott504 (Oct 17, 2009)

lilnanny said:


> We got our Lily from Kisamore. They are a family run operation that only usually does a few litters, but their dogs are well mannered and healthy. Our Lily has been wonderful. They are located in Howard County



I believe they are located Street, Md Harford County.


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## caseypooh (Dec 30, 2010)

Thank you everybody. I'm just like Brodys Mom but I have to say I'm a little bit more worried than I was 13 years ago when my Casey picked me from a very wonderful family. My Casey didn't have any real problems until she turned 12. I emailed the Chesapeake Golden Retriever club puppy/breeder person and she did send me a list of 4 breeders to contact. All in good standing with them. One of them is Grinning Golden Retrievers. I very much like their philosophy from their web site at least. I emailed them and waiting for an email back. My husband, me and our cat (sorry to all the doggies out there) Samantha are looking for a companion and best friend to share our home. God certainly led me to Casey for sure. I didn't research or think twice about going to visit her parents. These days, I'm more concerned.


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## MilosMommy (May 24, 2010)

Brodys Mom said:


> MilosMommy, I am not sure what a "backyard breeder" is exactly, but I suspect we got our puppy from what might be considered a backyard breeder. (in Maryland, actually.) We met the parents and, like you, felt that they were wonderful dogs. The breeder was recommended to us by someone who got a Golden puppy from there a few years ago and she grew into a beautiful, mild mannered dog. Other than that, we really didn't know much about the breeder.
> 
> Perhaps we should have done more research but we really didn't go into the search looking for a golden puppy from a "champion line" or anything like that. We just wanted a nice family dog. As a child, my family always had "puppies from the neighbor's litter" or strays/rescues (usually mixed breeds) and they were wonderful companions.
> 
> ...


A backyard breeder is someone who just breeds for the money and not for bettering the breed. She has MANY litters a year from females who are too young and have no health clearances.

We didn't want a champion dog either, just a companion. But to get a healthy dog they don't have to be a champion.

Milo got tired very easy, we just thought that he was a mellow puppy. Then we noticed that before he walked up the steps he sat at the bottom and almost prepared himself to go up them. Once we noticed that we started watching him closer and realized that he always sat kind of funny, all of he weight on the left side instead of sitting up nice and straight. When he walked you could hear is toe nails drag which meant that he wasn't lifting his legs up all the way. I took him to the vet and 2 seperate vets did a physical exam, assured me that I was just being paranoid because he didn't even flinch during the exam. One time after swimming he was limping for a few days and I just knew that something wasn't right. I pushed for x rays and they were shocked to see how bad his hip dysplasia was. 6 months later he got a new hip or else he wouldn't be able to walk his whole life.


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## caseypooh (Dec 30, 2010)

I forgot to let you know too that Lycinan, Kisamore and Delmarva were the other 3 she listed. I will look into these as well.


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