# Eldorado Goldens in VA-WONDERFUL Experience



## KWenger (Nov 15, 2013)

As I have detailed in earlier posts, we lost our beloved Henry to hemangiosarcoma at age 8 on Christmas Day. Truly one of the saddest days of my life. Just devastating! Past experience has taught us that the only way to heal a heart broken by the loss of a beloved dog is to get a puppy. Within a week of Henry's death, we began the search for a puppy. During Henry's illness (he lived 6 weeks from the date of his initial hemangio diagnosis) we learned a great deal about this terrible cancer and how it, and other cancers, affect the lives of so many goldens. I learned that hemangio is more prevalent in some lines than others, so I concentrated my search on finding a breeder with many years experience in breeding healthy, long lived dogs that do NOT have hemangio in their lineage. That search led me to Chris Browning of Eldorado Goldens in Gum Spring, VA (Richmond area.) I contacted Chris via email and was immediately impressed by how kind, thorough and patient she was in answering my MANY questions. After exchanging several emails, I talked with Chris at length on the phone and learned that she has been breeding exceptional goldens for over 30 years. She has produced numerous champions, and more important (to me at least) her dogs are extremely healthy and long lived. Indeed, longevity is one of the hallmarks of Eldorado Goldens. Her dogs are also certified for hips, elbows, eyes and heart. Unusual to find a breeder who is so focused on breeding dogs that are not only handsome but HEALTHY. Two weeks ago Chris invited me and my family to visit her facility to meet her and her dogs. From the moment we arrived at Chris's property we were impressed with everything we saw. To begin, Chris and her assistant were gracious and friendly and took the time to show us all around the facility. The dogs are kept in the best possible conditions.....spacious, immaculate kennels & runs, obviously well cared for, and SO BEAUTIFUL! I've never seen more gorgeous goldens. We were most interested in seeing puppies, and we certainly were not disappointed. The puppies were kept inside Chris's house and of course were as cute as can be. Chris made available to us a gorgeous boy from her Furno/Kit Kat litter and we jumped at the chance to adopt him. Besides being extremely handsome, the puppies are SO WELL SOCIALIZED. Chris and her team spend an inordinate amount of time with the puppies in an effort to socialize them properly. Very impressive. We left excited and VERY impressed with Chris and her breeding philosophy. Yesterday we drove back to Eldorado and got our puppy......we named him Charlie and he is now 7 weeks old. Chris met us with a big smile on her face and proceeded to spend close to 3 hours with us explaining in great detail everything we needed to do to raise Charlie the best way possible. She is so knowledgeable about the breed and her passion is evident. Can't overstate how impressed we were with every facet of the transaction. Charlie has been home with us for only 24 hours, but already he has stolen our hearts. Such a beautiful, healthy boy......I know he will be a treasured member of our family for MANY years to come. Many thanks to Chris Browning at Eldorado Goldens. We can't thank her enough for everything she did to make it possible for us to adopt Charlie, and I would HIGHLY recommend Eldorado Goldens to anyone looking for a healthy, beautiful, carefully bred, and wonderfully socialized puppy.


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

That is so wonderful!! My new baby is coming from there as well! I have a 6 year old, Zach who we brought home from El Dorado. Chris is wonderful. She really knows her stuff and you can tell how much she loves those babies! Congratulations!


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## Wicomico (Jul 25, 2013)

Wow! You were very blessed to get one of her pups so quickly! We have been waiting since summer but will be bringing one home soon! Glad to hear you also had a good experience with Chris. She really does seem to care so much for her dogs and finding them good homes. I know she will be a wonderful resource over the years and we are really looking forward to bringing our new family member home! Let us know how it is going now that you are getting settled! Take care!


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

Wicomico said:


> Wow! You were very blessed to get one of her pups so quickly! We have been waiting since summer but will be bringing one home soon! Glad to hear you also had a good experience with Chris. She really does seem to care so much for her dogs and finding them good homes. I know she will be a wonderful resource over the years and we are really looking forward to bringing our new family member home! Let us know how it is going now that you are getting settled! Take care!


Which litter will you be getting your baby from?


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## Wicomico (Jul 25, 2013)

The brother to yours! We were supposed to get Brooks and Holly but one of the new owners fell through this weekend and she offered it to us so she could find him a home as quickly as possible. I trust her to provide a wonderful puppy no matter which litter it comes from and I have met all of these parents. Did you meet my little man while you were there?


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

Wicomico said:


> The brother to yours! We were supposed to get Brooks and Holly but one of the new owners fell through this weekend and she offered it to us so she could find him a home as quickly as possible. I trust her to provide a wonderful puppy no matter which litter it comes from and I have met all of these parents. Did you meet my little man while you were there?


I haven't been to see them yet!! I'm getting one from Brooks and Holly! I can't wait!! I'm so excited! I live on Nantucket so it's hard to drive down to look at them. Lol


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## Wicomico (Jul 25, 2013)

We are a little closer but still a long drive. Especially with this weather!


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Congratulations but 

:worthless


I am glad your broken heart is healing with the new baby


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Can't wait to see photos


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Wow! I am so glad you had such an amazing experience with her. You're right about the goldens on her property being the most beautiful goldens around. I am awestruck about how passionate she is about her babies as well. She is an awesome breeder. I brought a pup home from her in March 2012. Mercy is KitKat's full blooded sister, your Charlie's aunt. I can't resist her velvety ears and silky fur! Squeeeeeal! :smooch: I have my silly songs about her. She's my big boned beautiful bear!


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## Jenagro (Jan 26, 2014)

I am new to this Forum, but have found it very helpful in my research to find a Golden puppy. I am on the list for a pup from Eldorado this Spring! I would love to see pics of your pups as they grow - I met both Furno/KitKat and Brooks/Holly litters when I was there visiting. All gorgeous!! Best of luck with them!


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

Jenagro said:


> I am new to this Forum, but have found it very helpful in my research to find a Golden puppy. I am on the list for a pup from Eldorado this Spring! I would love to see pics of your pups as they grow - I met both Furno/KitKat and Brooks/Holly litters when I was there visiting. All gorgeous!! Best of luck with them!


Welcome to the forum! I'm sorta new myself! I'm picking up my new baby Hudson on Thursday from the Brooks/Holly litter!! I already have one from El Dorado as well. His name is Zach! Here is the handsome boy Zach:









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## Jenagro (Jan 26, 2014)

ackmaui - Zach is a handsome fellow! With any luck, fingers crossed, I will have a pup with the same pedigree as Hudson (Flame/Brooks)! Post pictures when you get him! I probably have pictures of him on my phone


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

Jenagro... You bet I will. This is Zach when he is at his happiest:










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## KWenger (Nov 15, 2013)

*Charlie photograph*

Here's a photo of Charlie taken Jan. 26. Age 8 1/2 weeks. Isn't he a handsome boy?
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?u...3d41ebcf1c32ca&attid=0.1.1&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

KWenger said:


> Here's a photo of Charlie taken Jan. 26. Age 8 1/2 weeks. Isn't he a handsome boy?
> https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?u...3d41ebcf1c32ca&attid=0.1.1&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1


For some reason it's not letting me pull it up 


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## Catshrader (Dec 10, 2013)

We are picking up our baby girl from the Brooks/Holly breeding on Friday. My little boy has already named her Jesse even though we don't know which one is ours yet. We dropped by to see them when they were about 4 weeks old but their personalities had not really come out yet. We have been waiting since summer too. We were supposed to get a pup from the Furno/KitKat breeding but several of the pups didn't make it and we moved to this litter. All of her dogs are so amazing, I just don't think we could go wrong with any of the pups. Can't wait to see pics and hear about all of the siblings.


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## GoldenMum (Mar 15, 2010)

cgriffin said:


> congratulations but
> 
> :worthless
> 
> ...


ditto......


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## KWenger (Nov 15, 2013)

KWenger said:


> Here's a photo of Charlie taken Jan. 26. Age 8 1/2 weeks. Isn't he a handsome boy?


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## Catshrader (Dec 10, 2013)

Wow. Charlie is beautiful!!!


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

Catshrader said:


> We are picking up our baby girl from the Brooks/Holly breeding on Friday. My little boy has already named her Jesse even though we don't know which one is ours yet. We dropped by to see them when they were about 4 weeks old but their personalities had not really come out yet. We have been waiting since summer too. We were supposed to get a pup from the Furno/KitKat breeding but several of the pups didn't make it and we moved to this litter. All of her dogs are so amazing, I just don't think we could go wrong with any of the pups. Can't wait to see pics and hear about all of the siblings.


I'm picking my little boy on Thursday!!! I can't wait!!!


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

KWenger said:


> KWenger said:
> 
> 
> > Here's a photo of Charlie taken Jan. 26. Age 8 1/2 weeks. Isn't he a handsome boy?
> ...


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## Wicomico (Jul 25, 2013)

We brought our Eldorado golden home last week too! We have all fallen in love already! Meet Boone from the Furno/KitKat litter!


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

Wicomico said:


> We brought our Eldorado golden home last week too! We have all fallen in love already! Meet Boone from the Furno/KitKat litter!



Ohhhhh now I really can't wait to see them!!!!!! So freaking cute!!


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## Jenagro (Jan 26, 2014)

I met bot Charlie and Boone when I was there a few weeks ago, but they are even more gorgeous in their new homes! Congratulations!!!


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## KWenger (Nov 15, 2013)

Love the photo of Charlie's brother Boone! Where do you live? We're in Durham, NC


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

KWenger said:


> KWenger said:
> 
> 
> > Here's a photo of Charlie taken Jan. 26. Age 8 1/2 weeks. Isn't he a handsome boy?
> ...


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Wicomico said:


> We brought our Eldorado golden home last week too! We have all fallen in love already! Meet Boone from the Furno/KitKat litter!


Welcome Boone! This is Mercy's nephew!


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## Wicomico (Jul 25, 2013)

KWenger said:


> Love the photo of Charlie's brother Boone! Where do you live? We're in Durham, NC


We live in southern Maryland.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Wicomico said:


> We live in southern Maryland.


It's nice down there!


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## ackmaui (Oct 8, 2013)

Ok! Now that Hudson is taking a nap I have time to write about my experience! 
So we knew when it was time for a new puppy.. El Dorado was the only place we called. We have friends on the island who have also gotten two dogs from there and another friend here who's brother lives in Maryland who has one.
Chris was so helpful and answered every question we had right away. Having been to her place before I knew how socialized the puppies were and how healthy they are.
I was going to drive down to pick up Hudson but at the last minute his other mommy couldn't come. So I decided to fly down. 
Chris was amazing and actually met me at the airport where we went over everything. Honestly, if anyone has doubts about this place.. They shouldn't! She is so loving that she got teary saying goodbye!
Hudson slept like a rock on the plane even while being ogled by the flight attendants. We played for about 20 minutes at Logan Airport then he slept again on the ride to Hyannis. A shirt 15 minute flight to Nantucket and he was home by 5pm. 
He is just the sweetest dog and his brother and sister love him. I can't say enough about El Dorado Goldens and Chris. She even made sure we got home that night all safe and sound. Thank you Chris!!







Hudson on the plane







Hudson on Nantucket


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## passivesun (Apr 2, 2017)

*Eldorado Goldens*

Last year while researching to purchase a golden puppy; this forum was instrumental in helping my wife and I decide to purchase from Eldorado Goldens. Specifically, a thread from 2013 supplied us with many favorable impressions of this breeder (Chris). 
We picked up our wonderful little Chessea from Eldorado Goldens in August 2016. In December, Chessea (6 months old) was diagnosed with severe bi-lateral hip dysplasia. Our vet sent us to the Virginia Veterinary Surgical Assoc. here in Richmond with the hope that we caught her soon enough for the TPO surgery. Dr. Hamilton explained how they measured laxity in the hip joint and that the TPO surgery could be performed only if the angle of reduction was 30 degrees or less. Chessea measured 45 degrees in her right hip and 75 degrees in her left.
It’s been a tough, tough time. We have Chessea scheduled for a Total Hip Replacement for her left hip on April 24th . (She’ll be 10 months old) We’ll worry about her right side once we get through our current storm.
The reason we’re posting this is for others to have feedback on Eldorado Goldens. We called Chris in December assuming she would want to notify others who had purchase from Chessea’s same litter. Chris asked for a copy of Chessea’s x-rays and she’d get back to us. We never heard from her. We’ve since noticed that her webpage currently is advertising the availability of puppies from Brooks and Glory B. They are Chessea’s parents. 
We chose a reputable breeder when we purchased Chessea because of their careful record keeping and selective breeding to prevent hereditary issues. We don’t think breeding Brooks and Glory B again when Chris has been informed about Chessea is meeting those characteristics.
I can vouch for Chessea’s confirmation, temperament, coat/skin, and intelligence; they’re excellent. All of Chris’ dogs we saw possess these same characteristics. I would just advise NOT to purchase pups from the mating of Gory B to Brooks.


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## passivesun (Apr 2, 2017)

Our Miss Chessea prepping for her surgery


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

Sorry to hear about Chessea's hips, would you be willing to post her x-rays to this thread?


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## Jsfali (Dec 24, 2015)

passivesun said:


> We chose a reputable breeder when we purchased Chessea because of their careful record keeping and selective breeding to prevent hereditary issues. We don?t think breeding Brooks and Glory B again when Chris has been informed about Chessea is meeting those characteristics.


I believe I've read on here that it's possible for parents who have passed OFA hip clearances to still produce puppies with hip dysplasia. It is just a decreased percentage. However, I agree that a breeder having the info and still breeding the exact parents is a concern. I would feel safer as a potential buyer if they were breeding each dog to other dogs with higher hip ratings.


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## passivesun (Apr 2, 2017)

the first x-ray is from Dec. (6 months) when we discovered condition
the second x-ray is from today (nearly 10 months) from the surgeon in Maryland

Her surgery is in 2 weeks - prayers for successful outcome appreciated.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Well, there is no fault to be had in the radiographs or positioning- those are lovely films of a dysplastic puppy. Left side so bad. I'm sorry. Thank you for sharing, please let us know how the surgery goes.


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## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

Those are text-book quality x-rays of a bad hip. And I thought Pilgrim's hips were bad! Your poor Chessie. Wishing you both all the best with the op and the recovery.


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

Poor Chessea! That looks incredibly painful. She is such a pretty girl and I am sending lots of positive thoughts for a good surgical outcome for her.


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## Buddy's mom forever (Jun 23, 2011)

I wish sweet Miss Chessea all the best, successful surgery and speedy recovery. Hope you will come back with great update.


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## passivesun (Apr 2, 2017)

I sincerely appreciate all the well wishes; they are helpful. To Buddy's Mom -- there a posting in our vet's that goes something like:
Every time I lose a dog, they take a part of my heart with them,
Every time I get a new dog, they gift me with a part of their heart.
If I live long enough, eventually my heart will become all dog; and I will become as loving and loyal as they.


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## Caledonian Isles (Apr 16, 2017)

passivesun said:


> Last year while researching to purchase a golden puppy; this forum was instrumental in helping my wife and I decide to purchase from Eldorado Goldens. Specifically, a thread from 2013 supplied us with many favorable impressions of this breeder (Chris).
> We picked up our wonderful little Chessea from Eldorado Goldens in August 2016. In December, Chessea (6 months old) was diagnosed with severe bi-lateral hip dysplasia. Our vet sent us to the Virginia Veterinary Surgical Assoc. here in Richmond with the hope that we caught her soon enough for the TPO surgery. Dr. Hamilton explained how they measured laxity in the hip joint and that the TPO surgery could be performed only if the angle of reduction was 30 degrees or less. Chessea measured 45 degrees in her right hip and 75 degrees in her left.
> It’s been a tough, tough time. We have Chessea scheduled for a Total Hip Replacement for her left hip on April 24th . (She’ll be 10 months old) We’ll worry about her right side once we get through our current storm.
> The reason we’re posting this is for others to have feedback on Eldorado Goldens. We called Chris in December assuming she would want to notify others who had purchase from Chessea’s same litter. Chris asked for a copy of Chessea’s x-rays and she’d get back to us. We never heard from her. We’ve since noticed that her webpage currently is advertising the availability of puppies from Brooks and Glory B. They are Chessea’s parents.
> ...


Thank you so much for posting this. I'm very new to this forum ,having just started planning a golden puppy search and have learned so much over the past month--I've been reading EVERYTHING. I had been interested in finding out more about El Dorado because of past member recommendations, but am so sad to hear about your Chessea! I understand there's no way to guarantee against some of the health conditions that plague goldens and other breeds, but feel like you, that perhaps breeding Glory B and Brooks again after producing a pup with hip issues isn't a responsible decision. However, I have absolutely no background knowledge of breeding and genetics and am not a first party in this situation, so I'll just say again thank you for providing info to others and wishing you and the pup the best of luck in the upcoming surgery!


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## passivesun (Apr 2, 2017)

Chessea's surgery went extremely well according to Dr. Lotsikas of Skylos Sports Medicine. (They've been fantastic) We are almost 1 week into recovery. She does not like the confinement nor the head cone! I guess that's a good thing. She's eating and getting around rather well under the circumstances so we are hopeful about the next 3 months of rehab. It hasn't sunk in yet that when we finally make it through this we'll be half way home (right hip still needs fix'n) Thanks to all the well wishes - my wife and I appreciate them all.
Since this is primarily an. 'Eldorado Goldens' feedback - to date, Chris has never attempted to contact us since our original call to her last December. Since Chris is still breeding as if Chessea's condition never happened, for the sake of all the future puppies and owners, I pray that our journey is the anomaly that Chris seems to think.


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## Buddy's mom forever (Jun 23, 2011)

I am glad all went well with surgery, wish your girl speedy and full recovery. It is not easy to know that sweet Chessea and you have to go thru all of it one more time, but she is lucky that she ended up with great family and will do anything for her well being.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Wishing your sweet Chessea a speedy recovery, she's a doll.


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## soprano87 (May 19, 2006)

Chessea is a beautiful girl!! I hope her recovery goes well. I truly appreciate your sharing your story.


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## gingy (Sep 23, 2020)

KWenger said:


> As I have detailed in earlier posts, we lost our beloved Henry to hemangiosarcoma at age 8 on Christmas Day. Truly one of the saddest days of my life. Just devastating! Past experience has taught us that the only way to heal a heart broken by the loss of a beloved dog is to get a puppy. Within a week of Henry's death, we began the search for a puppy. During Henry's illness (he lived 6 weeks from the date of his initial hemangio diagnosis) we learned a great deal about this terrible cancer and how it, and other cancers, affect the lives of so many goldens. I learned that hemangio is more prevalent in some lines than others, so I concentrated my search on finding a breeder with many years experience in breeding healthy, long lived dogs that do NOT have hemangio in their lineage. That search led me to Chris Browning of Eldorado Goldens in Gum Spring, VA (Richmond area.) I contacted Chris via email and was immediately impressed by how kind, thorough and patient she was in answering my MANY questions. After exchanging several emails, I talked with Chris at length on the phone and learned that she has been breeding exceptional goldens for over 30 years. She has produced numerous champions, and more important (to me at least) her dogs are extremely healthy and long lived. Indeed, longevity is one of the hallmarks of Eldorado Goldens. Her dogs are also certified for hips, elbows, eyes and heart. Unusual to find a breeder who is so focused on breeding dogs that are not only handsome but HEALTHY. Two weeks ago Chris invited me and my family to visit her facility to meet her and her dogs. From the moment we arrived at Chris's property we were impressed with everything we saw. To begin, Chris and her assistant were gracious and friendly and took the time to show us all around the facility. The dogs are kept in the best possible conditions.....spacious, immaculate kennels & runs, obviously well cared for, and SO BEAUTIFUL! I've never seen more gorgeous goldens. We were most interested in seeing puppies, and we certainly were not disappointed. The puppies were kept inside Chris's house and of course were as cute as can be. Chris made available to us a gorgeous boy from her Furno/Kit Kat litter and we jumped at the chance to adopt him. Besides being extremely handsome, the puppies are SO WELL SOCIALIZED. Chris and her team spend an inordinate amount of time with the puppies in an effort to socialize them properly. Very impressive. We left excited and VERY impressed with Chris and her breeding philosophy. Yesterday we drove back to Eldorado and got our puppy......we named him Charlie and he is now 7 weeks old. Chris met us with a big smile on her face and proceeded to spend close to 3 hours with us explaining in great detail everything we needed to do to raise Charlie the best way possible. She is so knowledgeable about the breed and her passion is evident. Can't overstate how impressed we were with every facet of the transaction. Charlie has been home with us for only 24 hours, but already he has stolen our hearts. Such a beautiful, healthy boy......I know he will be a treasured member of our family for MANY years to come. Many thanks to Chris Browning at Eldorado Goldens. We can't thank her enough for everything she did to make it possible for us to adopt Charlie, and I would HIGHLY recommend Eldorado Goldens to anyone looking for a healthy, beautiful, carefully bred, and wonderfully socialized puppy.


Glad you are doing better .


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## Sedona515 (2 mo ago)

passivesun said:


> *Eldorado Goldens*
> 
> Last year while researching to purchase a golden puppy; this forum was instrumental in helping my wife and I decide to purchase from Eldorado Goldens. Specifically, a thread from 2013 supplied us with many favorable impressions of this breeder (Chris).
> We picked up our wonderful little Chessea from Eldorado Goldens in August 2016. In December, Chessea (6 months old) was diagnosed with severe bi-lateral hip dysplasia. Our vet sent us to the Virginia Veterinary Surgical Assoc. here in Richmond with the hope that we caught her soon enough for the TPO surgery. Dr. Hamilton explained how they measured laxity in the hip joint and that the TPO surgery could be performed only if the angle of reduction was 30 degrees or less. Chessea measured 45 degrees in her right hip and 75 degrees in her left.
> ...


We went there to get a puppy several years ago and ended up taking Glory as she needed a home.


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