Sires and Dams (parents) of a
litter must be over 24 months old in order to qualify to have OFA Hip and
Elbow Certificates (clearances). Board Certified Eye Clearances
must have been performed within 12 months before the breeding. Board
Certified Heart clearances are acceptable after the age of 1 year.
If both sire and/or dam were/are
not yet 2 years old at the time of breeding or do not have final OFA Hips &
Elbows Certificates, Board Certified Eye and Heart clearances , ask why the
breeder performed a breeding in contradiction to the advisory guidelines
stated in the GRCA Code Of Ethics.
"Generally,
a Golden Retriever is not physically and mentally mature until the age of 2
years; an individual dog’s suitability as a breeding animal is difficult to
assess until that time."
If both Sire and/or Dam are/were
not yet two years old at the time of breeding and a breeder claims it was an
"accidental breeding", please keep in mind that the GRCA Code Of Ethics states
"Members
must ensure that their dogs are kept safe and under control at all times".
What kind of
environment does that breeder offer his/her dogs or puppies that they don't
know where their dogs are at all times? Why wasn't that breeder aware
that their bitch was in season? Perhaps that breeder has too many dogs
or just doesn't pay enough attention to their dogs! Was that breeder up
front on their website by listing their 'accidental breeding' or did you
find out about the accidental breeding by responding to a planned future
litter listing to entice you to inquire to that breeder?
Regardless of the reason that
such a breeding with Sire and/or Dam under the age of 24 months was performed,
the breeder should have no excuse not to be able to produce an favorable OFA
Preliminary Consultation Report to include both Hips and Elbows. Do not
just accept if an OFA number (that is only an application number) is
quoted to you without your ability to view such reports as these actual
preliminary reports can also include negative findings for Hips and
Elbows. You will see clearly stated on that report that "The study must
be repeated when the animal is 24 months of age in order to qualify for an OFA
Number"
OFA Preliminary Consultation Report
Please ask to see a 5 generation
pedigree with any litter. A reputable breeder will be able to give you
the K9data link and will have done a 'test breeding' on K9data so you can see
the pedigree. You can then click on "view genetic information" to see
how closely related the sire and dam are if at all and the COI result of
breeding a specific litter. A "COI" is the Coefficient Of Inbreeding.
We would not be comfortable with a COI above 20%.
Here is an example of a
test breeding with a low COI:
http://www.k9data.com/coi.asp?ID=254356
Here is an example of a
dog from a litter with a higher COI:
http://www.k9data.com/coi.asp?ID=45150
Ask the breeder about the dog
with the most genetic influence in the pedigree (highest percentage). If
that dog is deceased and it was a frozen semen breeding, how old was that dog
when he/she died? What was the cause of death? If it's not listed
on k9data, why isn't it? What possible reasons could a breeder have to
essentially 'inbreed' on dogs that have passed away at young ages?
You can also see the depth of
quality by viewing the 5 Generation Pedigree, is a breeder breeding 'pets' or
is this pedigree truly a Champion / Performance pedigree as perhaps
advertised?
If the Sire or Grandparents of a
litter are deceased there is now a field in K9data where the owner of that dog
can submit the cause of death to be available to the public. If that
field does not appear for a dog, ask the breeder if any of the dogs in that
pedigree are deceased and if they are, why that information is not available
to the public. Unfortunately, not all stud dog owners disclose on k9data
that their dog who had been used frequently over the years has passed or the
cause. However, with now having the technology to perform frozen semen
breedings, a reputable breeder would need to know that information in order to
have made an educated decision before performing their breeding. The
same holds true with you as a potential puppy purchaser with needing that
information to make an educated decision before making your decision to
purchase.
If there is no K9data
information available for a Stud Dog (Sire), Brood Bitch (Dam), or an
advertised litter, what type of research with regard to the health of an
upcoming litter would it appear that breeder has done for their breeding
program?
************************************
When inquiring on a litter and
asking about Health Clearances, the GRCA requires that all Heart clearances
are performed by a Board Certified Cardiologist.
If you are shown an OFA Heart
Certificate (http://www.offa.org/samplecerts.html#cardrpt)
the OFA number must be followed by a "/C", a "S" or a "P" is not
acceptable per the GRCA Code Of Ethics.
Example: OFA
GR-CA1949/18F/C
If you are shown an OFA Cardiac Application Form (http://www.offa.org/cardappbw.pdf)
one of the following should appear as the examiner:
Board Certified Veterinary
Cardiologists - (Cardiology Diplomates of the American College of
Veterinary Internal Medicine, ACVIM)
in Texas:
Dr. Charla L. Jones
Dr. Kenneth W. Knauer
Veterinary
Cardiology & Medical Service
1500 Misty Lane
9125 Manchaca Road
College Station, TX 77845
Austin, TX
75748
979-690-0530
512-451-1070
Dr. Donald R. Clark
Dr. Jenifer Lunney Brayley
C1017 Muirfield
Village
Dr. Kyle A. Brayley
College Station, TX
77845
Bay Area Veterinary Specialists
979-690-6182
12855 Gulf Freeway
Houston, TX 77034
Dr. Sonya Gale
Gordon
281-464-3554
Dr. Matthew W.
Miller
Dr. Risa M. Roland
Dr. Ashley Baker
Saunders
Texas A&M
University
College Station, TX
77843
979-845-2351
*****************************************
Please consider
adopting a Golden from Dallas/Fort Worth Metro Golden Retriever Rescue,
there are so many wonderful Golden Retrievers out there who need loving
homes.
www.rescuegoldens.com
****************************************
The golden retriever puppies that will be available
through Goldenwind Golden Retrievers will be sold with spay/neuter
contracts and with AKC Limited Registration. What does this mean to you?
The ONLY thing you can't do with your puppy with regards to AKC activities
is use that puppy for breeding or show that puppy in conformation events.
You can still pursue AKC titles in Obedience, Agility, Hunt Tests, Field
Trials and any other event that AKC offers i.e. Junior Showmanship as well
as get a Canine Good Citizenship certificate or certify your Golden as a
Therapy dog, for example Therapy Dog International status. Golden
Retrievers make wonderful Therapy Dogs and Search and Rescue Dogs.
Golden Retriever puppies are in high demand and there are some
individuals taking advantage of that fact who should not be breeding.
Reputable Golden Retriever breeders should be breeding specifically for
themselves and not to fulfill the demand from the general public.
When
looking for a Golden Retriever Breeder, please be sure to ask for 'health
clearances' on both the sire and dam of the litter. These clearances
should include but are not limited to an OFA Hip rating of ‘Fair’, ‘Good’
or ‘Excellent’; an OFA Elbow rating of ‘normal’ ; an eye report
from a Board Certified Canine Ophthalmologist indicating ‘normal’ in
both eyes or with a possible notation of 'other' which will indicate that it
is not an inheritable issue or condition; and a heart clearance from a Board
Certified Canine Cardiologist indicating ‘normal’. Do not accept any
reports that are not on authentic OFA or CERF forms:
http://www.offa.org/samplecerts.html
http://www.offa.org/cardappbw.pdf
Our
Golden Retriever litters are raised in our kitchen/family room area where we
spend most of our time with them. They are center stage in the middle of
family life here at Goldenwind as that offers our Golden Retriever puppies
optimum opportunities for socialization which is a necessity for Golden
Retriever puppies at this stage of their life. When out of the whelping box
(approx 3-4 weeks), the puppies are in our kitchen in a large approximately 8
x 8 playpen where the puppies can then not only hear everything, but the
puppies then see everything around them as well! When our Golden Retriever
puppies are ready for their new homes at approximately 8 weeks old, they have
been exposed to most household situations that await them with their new
families! They're worth the wait!
We do not do formal written questionnaire's, we want to get to
know you on a 'personal' level so if you see a puppy or planned breeding that
you are interested in, please call or email us. Adding a Golden Retriever
puppy to your family is like adopting a 'four legged child' so please consider
that with that decision you are making a life long commitment to your new
"son" or "daughter" :-) Reputable breeders will take the time to speak with
everyone who emails or calls in order to properly educate those inquirers in
response to any question they may have. If a breeder doesn't have the time to
talk to prospective puppy buyers before a planned litter is whelped, it would
be our opinion that they also don't have the time to properly socialize their
litters of puppies after they are whelped as we feel that a properly
socialized litter is a 24/7 job and the puppies and their prospective families
are priority ONE here at Goldenwind.
********************************
From time to time we may
have an older puppy/young adult available, please check our "Available" page
often!
********************************
Companion/Pet puppies are sold for $1500 with AKC Limited Registration on
spay/neuter contracts.
We
spend alot of time in the whelping box with our puppies and encourage
visits by our puppy buyers as the puppies are growing and socializing
before they are ready to go to their new homes.
We do not ship our
companion puppies, no exceptions please:
Typically we will sell dogs to the
following areas in North Texas: Collin County - Allen, Anna, Blue Ridge,
Carrollton, Celina, Copeville, Fairview, Farmersville, Frisco, Garland,
Josephine, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, McKinney, Melissa, Murphy, Nevada,
New Hope, Parker, Plano, Princeton, Prosper, Richardson, Royse City, Sachse,
Saint Paul, Van Alstyne, Weston, Wylie. Dallas County - Addison, Balch
Springs, Cedar Hill, Cockrell Hill, Combine, Coppell, Dallas, De Soto,
Duncanville, Farmers Branch, Grand Prairie Glenn Heights, Highland Park, Park
Cities, Hutchins, Irving, Lancaster, Mesquite, Rowlett, Seagoville, Sunnyvale,
University Park, Wilmer. Denton County - Argyle, Aubrey, Bartonville,
Bolivar, Copper Creek, Copper Canyon, Corinth, Denton, Double Oak, Flower
Mound, Hackberry, Hebron, Hickory Creek, Highland Village, Justin, Krugerville,
Krum, Lake Dallas, Lakewood Village, Lewisville, Lincoln Park, Little Elm,
Marshall Creek, Mustang, Navo, New Hope, Northlake, Oak Point, Pilot Point,
Ponder, Roanoke, Sanger, Shady Shores, The Colony, Trophy Club. Tarrant
County - Arlington, Avondale, Azle, Bedford, Benbrook, Bisbee, Blue Mound,
Colleyville, Crowley, Eagle Mountain, Euless, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Haltom
City, Haslet, Hurst, Keller, Kennedale, Lake Worth, Mansfield, North Richland
Hills, Oak Grove, Rendon, Richland Hills, Saginaw, Southlake, Watauga,
Westlake, White Settlement. Rockwall County - Fate, Heath, Rockwall. East
Texas - Canton, Edom, Longview, Terrell, Tyler, Van, Lindale. Central Texas -
Waco, Austin, San Antonio. Texas Gulf Coast: Houston, Galveston, Corpus
Christi. West Texas: Abilene, Midland, El Paso. South Texas: Rio Grande
Valley. Oklahoma, Lousiana.
Phoster x
Skittles 