I am looking for an Adult Golden Retriever to be our family pet not for showing or breeding. The dog must be from health tested parents.

We are based in the Cheshire area.

Have you tried the North West Golden Retriever Club’s rescue section! Easy to find on google. Also Happy Paws rescue goldies and I have heard good things about them. Good luck with your search!

Hi yes I have tried most of the rescue places around the country. They all say the same things that dogs are few and far between because people sell them on the internet. To be honest I am not sure I trust people selling dogs on the internet unless they are the breeder as I have heard some horror stories. Thanks for your reply.

Seems odd comment when rescues are full. I would keep contacting the various Goldie rescue around the country.  Finding one that's health tested is maybe  harder from rescue. Have u spoken to the breed club?

Yes I have spoken to many people including a lot of Assured Breeders for Golden Retrievers.

Just for information even if a breeder isnt assured don't discount them there are many very good breeders who choose for varing reasons not to join that scheme .  It really isn't the be all of breeders

Rescues may be full, but not many Goldies are in them!  There do seem to be some being imported as Rescue - just keep your eyes open and good luck x

I have Goldens but don't part with my oldies, they are part of our family and remain with us even when their show/breeding days are over.

I’ve also heard that there is a shortage of goldens in rescue, the only ones that are coming through in any numbers are dogs from Ireland.
Sometimes breeders have dogs returned to them, many have this stated in the contract, so getting in touch with could help and as said above, not all of the good breeders are part of the assured scheme.

Thanks Jodi

I have contacted many breeders in the hope one had been returned but have had no luck so far. Hence my post on here.

So you only want a rescue from health tedted parents ?  This is the reason you wont be having any success with rescues as most dont get dogs bred by people who health test their breeding dogs.

No, ideally I would like a dog which has been returned to a breeder.

Responsible breeders who fully health test their dogs are also very choosy where they place their puppies & hence don't have many returned & often have people waiting for one of their dogs. I have a friend who breeds Labradors & has done so for over 40 years in that time only the death/ serious ill health of owners of their dogs has resulted in a dog being returned. They have people always waiting for an older dog & they sometines rehome an older retired show dog to people waiting, the logic being the dog deserves a comfy non kennel home, they can only keep a certain number as house pets & as their dogs live long active lives it's a way of ensuring the dogs get the reward of being totally pampered.

It doesn't happen quite so much these days because there aren't as many large kennels, regardless of breed.   However, if you do contact one of the larger breeders, you may find they have a retired older dog they'd love to get out into a 'fireside' home rather than stay in kennels.   The relevant Breed Club should be able to help you.

> Just for information even if a breeder isnt assured don't discount them there are many very good breeders who choose for varing reasons not to join that scheme .  It really isn't the be all of breeders

Amen to that.   There have been a number within my main breed!

I have only ever seen 2 in our local rescue in the past 14 years - and one of those became mine :-)  He was 9 weeks old when I got him and comes from working lines. The rescue knew who bred him but refused to let us know whom it was or let them know that he had his forever home with us. He is now 13 years old, greyer, slower than he was but still in very good condition and still loving his walks, and of course still teleporting his food .

The other GR didn't have a good temperament at all and ended up living in a sanctuary where he roamed with other dogs and only the sanctuary owners as he was very unpredictable around people. He was rehomed and returned twice before going to live on the sanctuary.

My GR is a wonderful boy and I was very, very lucky to have him come and own me. Being his 5th home he definitely wasn't being moved on elsewhere and he has been an absolute pleasure to live with and I am hoping that will continue for a goodly while yet.

According to the kc there are 15 Goldie breed rescues around the country. I've looked at a couple  and they do have dogs but of course may not be suitable  for the op situation.dogs trust also has two

Harley - goodness - your boy sounds wonderful - but how awful that you were his fifth home and he was only 9 weeks old when you got him.  Poor lad.

He was lucky to find you and to become your owner!  I think it is sad that the rescue refused to let his breeder know that he had found a lovely forever home - and that they refused to tell you anything about his breeding.

Long may he enjoy his walks - and, of course, his food!

Oggy - I'm sorry you're having difficulty finding an adult golden for rehoming.

It's interesting to read what others have said about how few are in rescue although it would be worth pursuing the specialist breed rescues.

I do know of a couple of reputable breeders who, in spite of their best efforts with vetting buyers really thoroughly, sometimes have young/adult dogs returned to them.  The parents are always health tested to the hilt and litters conscientiously bred.  The trouble (from your point of view!) is that these breeders, and others like them, do not pass on the returned dogs to rescue centres or advertise them.  Instead, they rehome the returned dogs "by word of mouth" via trusted friends and acquaintences spreading the word that such a dog may be available for rehoming to the right owners.  The breeder then vets interested parties in the usual rigorous way to ensure the proposed new home would be suitable and forever.

So these dogs get rehomed "under the radar" and are never widely publicised.  Occasionally, they may be highlighted on Facebook, usually carefully described and with limited information so that the breeder can sift out genuine enquiries from frivolous ones.

This probably doesn't help you very much (sorry!) but it may be worth you continuing to contact directly more good breeders who health test, explaining exactly what kind of home you can offer, what you are looking for and why.  If you contact enough of them and are willing to wait you may strike lucky.

I have a friend who breeds working lines goldens.  She is absolutely scrupulous about placing her puppies but sometimes, in spite of her best efforts, things go wrong and she ends up with some cracking young dogs returned to her for rehoming (none at the moment) - so keep trying and good luck!

Blay

Thanks for your reply. I have been looking for many months and will continue to phone trusted breeders in the hope that a dog becomes available from genuine circumstances.

I would rather not have a Goldie than end up with a dog that has been ill bred, from a puppy farm or worse still a dog that has been stolen.

I hope your diligence pays off and you find what you are looking for.  Your special dog may "pop up"when you are least expecting it  Let us know how you get on. 

Blay

When you enquiry please don't use the Goldie nickname, Goldie was a Blue Peter GDBA brood bitch & is not the term good Golden Retriever breeders use. The shortened name is Golden. many good breeders hate the name Goldie

Picky!

LOL I know some Golden breeders who will refuse to reply to request for a Goldie puppy/dog, on the grounds that they have Goldens & not Goldies or refuse to even discuss the breed with someone who doesn't know the correct name for the breed. I'm a bit like that with people who call Border Collies Boarder Collies & Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Cavvies(US term for herds of ranch horses) or Cavies( South American rodent) picky it maybe but never the less incorrect

When I bred Cavaliers I could feel the hairs on my spine rise if I heard them being referred to as Cavvies. Perhaps I'm being snooty, but it sounds distinctly BYB to me.

Hush Puppies - Bassets anybody?? 

Or Fred's?

I'm not sure if you're on Facebook, but there are a couple of groups - second chance Golden Retrievers.  May well be worth keeping your eye on that

If your looking for one from Health tested parents then you need to contact members of the breed clubs who breed. they may have one retiring from showing or that hasn't quite made the grade, or one that the breeder has come back for re-homing (usually marriage breakdown, change of job or loss of home) .

> I would rather not have a Goldie than end up with a dog that has been ill bred

I am the same, I need the odds stacked in my favour for a dog that is likely to be fit and healthy into old age. I have limited means, but also want my dogs to enjoy their lives with minimum avoidable health issues.

The major cost of keeping dogs I have found is Vet care.  Just spent £410 on my 15 year old having 22 teeth out.  Earlier in the year her 10 year old daughter had an abscessed tooth out £250.

Apart from the odd hot spots most of mine never need the vet until veteran age, and have rarely been to the vet beyond vaccinations or pregnancy..

Have you thought of contacting the Guide Dogs Association for a golden that’s failed its training?

I believe there are a lot of people who are on the waiting lists for dogs that have failed their training for one reason or another, but you may get lucky. I’ve just had a chat with someone who has a golden from the guide dogs, apparently the dog didn’t like having something on his back (the harness mainly) and would refuse to move, so couldn’t become a guide dog, but is fine in every other regard. Some dogs do fail on medical grounds but the association will pay vet bills associated with that. The man I was talking to told me he also has a Labrador who had developed diabetes insipidus which is controlled well with medication and water available at all times. The £80 a month bill for medication is paid by the guide dogs association

Don't forget that the GDBA also breed crossbreeds & there are long waiting lists for their dogs & some fail on character or health grounds.

According to their website the new owner is responsible for ALL costs. They recommend insurance for any veterinary costs

Just had a quick look at some of the Guidewell dogs on MYKC. Quite shocking no hip or elbow scores only clinical eye tests. I believe that one of their directors of breeding believed they had bred out HD & ED

That is shocking about no health tests. I know the sire of my golden has been used as a sire for guide dogs, he is tested, but I would have thought it was such a simple and relatively easy thing to have the breeding dogs hips, elbow and eye tested compared to the expense of sorting out a lame dog.
Something I read on the guide dogs site was that if a dog fails on medical grounds the. Whatever was wrong with it would be covered by the association for life. Other medical expenses will be met by the new owner of course.

The guide dog I’m sponsoring is a lab/golden cross but looks so much like a golden that I would be hard pushed to say she wasn’t.

https://www.manytearsrescue.org/display_mtar_dog.php?id=23478

I wonder whether there's a place by your fireside for this old boy?

As the OP is looking for fully health tested Golden parents obviously rescue or failed guide dog wouldn't fit the bill. Some rescues take in " retired" puppy farm dogs, Many Tears Ltd certainly do

> Some rescues take in " retired" puppy farm dogs, Many Tears Ltd certainly do

They primarily seem to take in Irish puppy farm stock, and refuse to work with breed rescue.

They take in retired breeding dogs from Wales as well

There are 2 goldens coming into Second Chance on Facebook...

> and refuse to work with breed rescue.

This isn't confined to Many Tears - who I work for as a Home Checker btw.   I did similar for Wood Green when up East but in both cases, it really bugged me that they'd not liase with breed rescues.   Thank goodnes in both cases, they never had a Basset in!!

I know that's commonplace with non breed rescue ,not all but many . does anyone know why ?
It is worrying with MT that some puppy farmers may rely on them to take their dogs who arnt sold or retired .

Because the owner of the MT Ltd company hates normal breeders & breed rescues. They insist on ALL animals in any home to be neutered before they will even consider an application. So if you want a cat from them ALL your dogs must be neutered & vica versa. Not quite sure what the logic is as far as I know dogs & cats can't breed together.

I don't know why they take ex puppy farm breeding dogs & unsold(often disabled)puppues, perhaps there's a monetary arrangement between the PF & MT Ltd company

Thanks tommee , can't be true of all rescues surely ? As for your last para I have heard all.sporys. true or false I have no idea

Makes you wonder doesn't it & it's a limited company not a Charity because they also run a commercial boarding kennels on the same site & that is supposed to be the reason they cannot be a registered charity, which is a load of bull wotsit. In the next valley to me is a very plush boarding kennels/cattery & a registered charity for cat rescue. Both proerties are in Wales & the one near me is older than MT.

Did you know if you get a MT Ltd dog & it needs behavioural assistance you have to pay them if you want any help from them !! Also they neuter on site & then transport the dog on the same day !!

No it's not how most rescues operate, Battersea has qualified behaviorists & certainly don't charge, they do appreciate donations, but never ask for anything.

> They insist on ALL animals in any home to be neutered

Unfortunately (and I didn't know about dogs going into a home with a cat meaning the CAT had to be neutered!!) this is the one thing I'm at odds with Many Tears about.    I don't mind doing the local home checks for them however!!

All I can say tommee isà hmmmmm

> it's a limited company not a Charity because they also run a commercial boarding kennels on the same site & that is supposed to be the reason they cannot be a registered charity, which is a load of bull wotsit.

Commercial rescue phenomenon is very widespread in the USA, basically using emotion and the "rescue don't shop" mantra to act as second hand dogs salesmen.