Golden Retriever?

[bckrazy]

We have a BIG Golden Retriever rescue for Northern California... with 100+ dogs all in foster homes. Goldens are one of the top 10 registered breeds in the AKC, and there are always many ads for Golden pups in my local paper. They're probably the 2nd most popular large breed in the area, only behind Labs.

Just FYI... pls o pls, be extremely picky about any newspaper ads you go through. 99% of them are BYB's, in my experience. You are MUCH better off contacting your state's GR club & asking about available rescue dogs or breeder references.

[Jakesmom]

We have a very active GR resuce/foster group, but dogs (except for seniors) aren't readily available, as they are snapped up fairly quickly.

They are wonderful dogs to own...(biased answer...) but do have some issues--potential for health problems (allergies, hips, etc, even in well bred dogs, so you need to be ready and willing to care for the dog if these things come up), and they are strong, active dogs when young. My personal experience is that with well bred dogs from responsible breeders, you can count on excellent temperament and probably good hips. Elbow issues, allergies, are up for grabs even with well bred dogs, so you need to be ready and willing to care for these.

My Jake has an excellent pedigree, but has been plagued with allergy issues (or I have). With proper diagnostics and care, he has been in good control most of his life and has a beautiful coat, but it is an ongoing thing to maintain. His hips are great, but he has degenerative disc disease, and now gets accupuncture along with the usual arthritis meds. Big dog problem.

So, in summary, I would definately reccomend a Golden--there is nothing like their personality and looks, but you should know what you're getting into and be ready and able to properly care for them.

Jake's mom