Upcoming Vintage Litters
We breed infrequently so there may be a significant wait for one of our puppies. We almost never have older puppies or adult dogs available for placement. We always encourage you to consider adopting a rescued Golden Retriever. These are wonderful dogs, most are in rescue through no fault of their own, and are in desperate need of a loving “forever” home. Please contact your local Golden Retriever rescue organization and explore this option for obtaining a Golden.
Our puppies are bred to excel as working hunting retrievers and performance dogs. They are selectively bred for keen intelligence, desire to work, drive and energy. They require attention and training to provide adequate mental exercise. They are bred for athleticism and to have the energy levels needed in a working gun dog. They are not well suited for homes seeking a calm, laid-back pet that won’t need a lot of attention or exercise.
Our puppies are raised in our home, not in the kennel. As
they grow up they are provided with a wide range of experiences and challenges
appropriate for their age and stage of development.
By the time they go home to you, your puppy will have been exposed to
different surfaces including lots of play time on grass, will have had
individual time sleeping in a crate, will be used to being groomed, bathed, and
having nails trimmed, will have had an introduction to duck and goose wings and
pigeons (and hopefully will be retrieving them!), and will have had abundant
socialization with adults and children.
At 7 weeks age the pups are “puppy tested” using a standard puppy aptitude test. Our puppies receive cardiac exams by a board-certified veterinary internist or cardiologist, and eye exams by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, at 7-8 weeks of age. These exams will not detect all cases of hereditary or congenital health problems, but they should identify any puppy that has significant congenital cardiac problems, and some eye abnormalities that may be present from birth or most easily detected before 3 months of age. Our puppies are all microchipped before going home. Puppies go home at 8 weeks age.
FUTURE BREEDING PLANS:
At this time our future breeding plans are uncertain. It will be summer
2012 before we have puppies again. An April/May 2012 breeding
is being planned for Peridot, however
at this moment, we are uncertain about which stud dog will use. We
anticipate a field bloodline breeding that will be intended to produce solid
working and hunting dogs, suitable as *active* family companions with prior
experience with retrievers. Check back around December for more
information.
If you are in the Houston, TX area:
To locate other reputable breeders, please check the
breeder list for the Greater Houston Golden
Retriever Club;
or consider adopting a rescued Golden Retriever from
Golden Beginnings or from the
Golden Retriever Rescue of Houston.
If you are outside of the Houston, TX area, please visit the
Golden Retriever Club of America web site for
breeder/puppy referral and rescue organization contact information in your
region.
Our Puppy Sales Policies
Puppies are sold ONLY to approved homes. A non-refundable deposit is required at the time of whelping to reserve a puppy in the litter; we reserve the right to return any deposit and cancel any pending puppy sale. We require a written sale contract for each puppy sold. Pet puppies are required to be spay/neutered; this is not negotiable. The majority of our performance puppies are required to be spay/neutered. Sale contracts for performance pups to be sold intact are negotiated on an individual basis. At the present time, we prefer to not ship puppies; out-of-town buyers should be willing to travel here to meet us and pick up their puppy in person.
After your puppy goes home, we will be available to you to assist in whatever way we can as you raise your puppy. We are happy to answer questions about puppy rearing and training. If at any time, at any age, for any reason, you can no longer continue to care for your puppy, we require that you return the dog to us and we will take responsibility for finding it another good home. We will always be here to help any dog of our breeding. On the other hand, we do expect that our puppy buyers will keep the lines of communication open and keep in contact with us throughout the lifetime of the dog.
Breeding quality puppies in a responsible manner is an expensive undertaking. Vet care, health clearances on sire and dam, premium food, stud fees, costs of the breeding and whelping, and more -- it all adds up! In the Houston area, you should expect to pay $1200 to $1800 for a pet puppy from a reputable breeder. Show or performance competition prospects may go higher.