NO
 
INBREEDING!

Microchipping is available upon request for an additional charge. It is a very quick procedure, painless and harmless.

Although the number of dogs euthanized in shelters is a small fraction of the estimates that have been bandied about for years, there are still too many healthy dogs dying because their owners can't find them and too many owners heartbroken at the loss of their pets. There are also lots of stray dogs that wind up in rescues, no-kill shelters, and with new owners because the original owner cannot be located.

Statewide dog license laws are supposed to help return lost dogs to their owners, but they don't work very well. Few people obey the law, and many dogs lose their collars and tags somewhere between the yard they escaped from and the truck that carts them to the shelter.

Owners of purebred show and breeding dogs have long used tattoos to comply with the rules of identification of the American Kennel Club and to provide permanent, visible identification should their dogs get lost. Many pet owners also tattoo their dogs to prevent loss. But tattoos have a drawback as well; although they cannot get separated from the dog as tags can, they can be hard to find and read if the dog is frightened, aggressive or has a heavy haircoat, so few shelters make the effort.

I understand that our pups are more expensive than the others in town. Goldens are great dogs - they make beautiful companions, pets, hunting buddies, service animals. Good Goldens are even better! Average price for a Golden Retriever Puppy in the United States is around $1000-1500, you can even get a $4500 puppy, how about that? 

But let's talk about our puppies, shall we? I am just going to pin-piont some of the major points that we always offer:

1. A guaranteed healthy puppy (8 weeks old) with great genes and AKC registration papers;
2. Actual Golden Retriever Standard - no curled tales, no white markings, etc.
3. Health Check and 2 year Health Guarantee,
4. Health Certificate from the vet (after release at 10 weeks);
5. Deworming;
6. Hip/Elbow/Eye/Heart Certified Parents - long, expensive and time-consuming procedures;
7. Inoculations appropriate to the age;
8. The knowledge that we will take the puppy if you become unable to keep the dog;
9. Copies of Dam and Sire Pedigrees (or Litter Pedigree); 
10. Copy of signed Sale Contract; 
11. A set of Brochures on very important subjects; 
12. An option to upgrade to Full Registration in the future;
13. Vaccination records & vaccination schedule; 
14. A small blanket or a chew toy with Leia's scent; 
15. A book about Golden Retrievers; 
16. A collar;
17. Lifetime email and/or phone support.

All those "extras" are not unnecessary, and most of them are very important!

Would you buy a house with no inspection? Would you buy a car without a test-drive? Would you adopt a baby with absolutely no background info whatsoever? Now, you are getting a family member for the next 10-15 years. You better make sure that the animal is healthy, solid, socialized, beautiful and happy. Those vet bills can run very very high.

Remember pet stores? As long as you have money, they will sell you a dog. We are not like them.

When you buy a pup from me, in addition to the above-listed benefits, you get two friends for life – your new dog and… well, me) I am here for you if you have any questions or need any advise – just a call or an email away. My breeding and care practices are costly and time-consuming, and, while I do not breed to make money off of Leia, I do have to make something back to compensated for some of the expenses I incur in this endeavor. This is only fair and I believe our puppies are quite reasonably priced when one considers the quality and benefits that come with each of my puppies. Keep in mind that the old adage "You get what you pay for" is true even when purchasing a pet. You can take your chances with a cheaper puppy, or you can spend a little more up front to purchase a puppy that you know has been breed to be the best it can possibly be.

We are against inbreeding and linebreeding. There are reasons why inbredding is bad, one of them - it is wrong in humans, and it is wrong in dogs as well. I guess I may change my mind if the breeder is a genetic engineer and knows exactly what he's doing. Other cases are just the hunt for the money, in my personal opinion. Even if you will buy a puppy from someone else, please, see the pedigrees of the parents BEFORE buying a pup of any breed. Any dog owner will want to take the best possible care of his or her companion. For Golden Retrievers, that can be a challenge. Because of their popularity they've had a long history that has involved a fair amount of inbreeding.

As the matter of fact, Goldens are the most inbred dogs due to it's popularity. You should be especially careful when you see both parents on site (when Dam and Sire have the same owner).

Mating a bitch with a stud that is too closely related increases the odds of emphasizing certain genes. The chances of those genes combining is increased the more the pair share similar ones. That enhances the odds for both desirable and bad characteristics. For example, mating a male and female who both have dominant genes for a certain color or type of coat will substantially increase the odds of the pups sharing that.

But the odds are increased for both good and bad, unfortunately. A pair who are both prone to hip dysplasia, for example, a common problem with Goldens, are much more likely to produce one or more pups with that condition. The result over the past 120 years that Golden Retrievers have been a distinct breed is a large number with various weaknesses. Hip dysplasia and certain kinds of cancers are among the two most common. But each breed will have its weak and strong points. Golden Retrievers are no more prone in general to health problems than any other breed.

There are no white purebred Golden Retrievers as this breed does not come in a white variation. They can be very pale cream in color but are never white. Some breeders call their dogs Rare White Golden Retrievers or English White Golden Retrievers but they are in actual fact extremely light colored and not pure white. This is done in order to make these dogs sound like a rare variation of the breed or to encourage buyers that prefer white dogs but White Golden Retrievers are either light gold or cream in color. Purebred Golden Retrievers have certain standards and excessive amounts of white on the coat would count as a fault against the dog.

There are many breeders who claim to have White Golden Retrievers in order to sell their pups at a higher price. The color of the dog should not really matter to someone who is looking for a pet to join their family but people can be led astray by promises of unusual white colored dogs. But the color of the dogs are just preferences and do not affect the temperament of the dog. If you are considering buying a pup and the breeder in question is offering a White Golden Retriever then it may be necessary for you to enquire about genetic testing and that the pups and the parents of the pups have appropriate papers declaring their thoroughbred status. If you are simply looking for a pet and not a thoroughbred or show dog then beware of breeders who charge higher prices for paler colored retrievers.