WTB: Golden retriever puppy!

[HotHotHeat]

Anyone have any contacts for breeders? Or, better yet, are you one yourself?!

[Bobblehead]

I think there are probably some links on Cowperson's website:

http://goldentales.ca

[Traditional_Ale]

Auburn Mist (or something, its been a long time) on Dumbo Road if they;re still there.

They breed champion show dogs (goldens) that would cost over $5000 each if you refused to sign away the rights to show it. Even then its still $800. Every penny worth it though, to get a pup that was carefully bred by experts. Less health issues assuming you do your part.

[FlamesGirl]

Please, please make sure you use a reputable breeder if you are going the purebred route. Lots of backyard breeders are only too happy to breed ill-tempered golden retrievers and happily take anyone's money. Golden retrievers are a breed that have suffered drastically from poor breeding and you have to very cautious when getting a pup. Some points to look for when selecting a good breeder:
- They are only breeding one or two breeds of dogs. None of which are "labradoodles", "puggles" or any other made up non-recognized breed.
- The pups are either spayed or neutered before you get them or else you sign a contract saying you will have them altered when they are of age. No reputable breeder just lets anybody use their dogs as "breeding stock".
- Most breeders have a guarantee on the dog sold. Meaning if there are any health issues, temperament issues, etc. they will take the dog back. A poor breeder doesn't care about the dog as long as they have the cash in their pocket.

Finally, I obviously don't know what your reasons are for wanting a purebred golden retriever puppy (maybe you have kids and want a breed well-known for their temperament) but please consider a rescue. There are tons of good dogs (and puppies!) looking for homes. I recently adopted a rescue dog and he has been nothing but great. Amazing with all people and loves children. Here are some rescue group websites if you're interested:

www.albertanimalrescuecrew.com The place I adopted my dog. They are swamped with puppies.

www.arf.ab.ca The Alberta Rescue Foundation

And last, please do not get a dog from a pet store or from craiglist or kijiji. If you really want a golden, please get it from a reputable breeder.

[SOMBRI2]

HotHotHeat, I have a golden retriever at 8 year-old, having seen her getting old, I sometimes go to pet shop, humane to look at how high the demand is to adopt another one.

Yesterday, I checked in the Petland at Panorama Hills, they have two puppies waiting to be adopted, I can't believe my eyes because they are playful and adorable. Hard to believe no one is interested as of this afternoon (I went there again, could not help).

You better check it out if interested. They look like under 6 months old.

[Berger_4_]

Originally Posted by FlamesGirl

please consider a rescue. There are tons of good dogs (and puppies!) looking for homes.

This. All of our dogs have been rescues, or taken from a farm who didn't want them. Each and every one of them has been awesome. Unless there's a specific reason you want a golden retriever, look at the SPCA and other such agencies.

[welshboy2008]

There is one for adoption at Petland in Market mall, very cute and needs a home

[chid]

I just adopted a german shepherd / collie / pointer cross from Misty Creek Dog Rescue, they are really thorough in who they let adopt the dogs, something I really appreciated. It makes me sick seeing ill researched people buying puppies without knowing a THING about the effort/money/time it takes to bring a dog into a family -- sorry to derail the thread, but yeah there are a lot of rescues with some really great dogs!

[FlamesKickAss]

Yep look at rescues. My oldest is a rescue.

[FlamesGirl]

Do not get a puppy from a pet store. These poor dogs come from very inhumane places called puppy mills. Google it for more info, just be warned that some pics are very graphic. Most of the dogs spend their lives in cages stacked upon cages where the excrement from the top cages drip down into the ones below it. There are tons of health issues and poor temperaments. The puppies are usually taken away from the mom before the proper 8 weeks, sometimes as young as 5 weeks so they do not learn proper dog skills and tend to be aggressive.

While it may seem like you are doing a favour to the poor puppy by "saving" it, it just encourages the puppy mills to keep going as they are turning a profit. There was a statistic a few years ago that for every one puppy in the petstore, ten more puppies died due to the inhumane conditions they live in.

And if the puppy is called a "purebred" then it should be registered and have papers. Which petstores usually cannot provide. Even if you ask a petstore employee if they get the dogs from puppy mills, they will lie and say no, it's from a reputable breeder. Then you ask for the dog's paper which they cannot provide.

As a side note, ALL puppies are cute. Really doesn't matter what breed or whether purebred or mixed. Do some research into the breed to make sure it is suitable for your lifestyle. There are way too many good dogs in shelters because they were cute as puppies, then grew up to be 60+ lbs that required walks/jogs and obedience training.

[welshboy2008]

Originally Posted by FlamesGirl

Do not get a puppy from a pet store. These poor dogs come from very inhumane places called puppy mills. Google it for more info, just be warned that some pics are very graphic. Most of the dogs spend their lives in cages stacked upon cages where the excrement from the top cages drip down into the ones below it. There are tons of health issues and poor temperaments. The puppies are usually taken away from the mom before the proper 8 weeks, sometimes as young as 5 weeks so they do not learn proper dog skills and tend to be aggressive.

While it may seem like you are doing a favour to the poor puppy by "saving" it, it just encourages the puppy mills to keep going as they are turning a profit. There was a statistic a few years ago that for every one puppy in the petstore, ten more puppies died due to the inhumane conditions they live in.

And if the puppy is called a "purebred" then it should be registered and have papers. Which petstores usually cannot provide. Even if you ask a petstore employee if they get the dogs from puppy mills, they will lie and say no, it's from a reputable breeder. Then you ask for the dog's paper which they cannot provide.

As a side note, ALL puppies are cute. Really doesn't matter what breed or whether purebred or mixed. Do some research into the breed to make sure it is suitable for your lifestyle. There are way too many good dogs in shelters because they were cute as puppies, then grew up to be 60+ lbs that required walks/jogs and obedience training.

Google is not always right you know. I know people who have rescued dogs before. They do not come from Puppy mills, They are rescue dogs who have been abandoned. No pet shops in calgary actually sell dogs or cats they are ALL rescued.

[HotHotHeat]

Thanks for all the info everyone, I'm going to do my research on whatever I decided to do.

[BOSSY]

We got our golden (our second one) from Ann Greenbank in Edmonton about five years ago - a very well respected breeder and vet. She breeds them for show, but sometimes they are better suited as pets than show dogs... Her website is verdoro.com - you can email and ask her if she has any companion dogs/puppies and go up and meet them first if you like. Oddly enough we have met various other goldens at dog parks/on paths etc. here in Calgary that came from Verdoro and everyone seems quite happy with their dog.

Highly recomend her - and you know where the dog came from, conditions blood lines etc.

[Suzles]

Originally Posted by welshboy2008

Google is not always right you know. I know people who have rescued dogs before. They do not come from Puppy mills, They are rescue dogs who have been abandoned. No pet shops in calgary actually sell dogs or cats they are ALL rescued.

Petland does sell puppies and kittens that come from professional and backyard breeders (fancy name sometimes for puppy mills) as per their web site - they do also do some adopting of rescue dogs and cats as well, I believe. I would rather they stopped the whole selling aspect to be honest. Animals bought on a whim is NEVER a good idea.