Buying Golden Retriever Puppy

Hi,

I have seen shocking programs in the recent past about illegal dog breeding / farming.

I want to buy a golden retriever puppy as I am moving into a new house and it is in an area surrounded by fields whereas prior to this I lived in an estate.

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to whom I should go to, I want to ensure that the person I buy from is reputable and is an animal lover.

Tks,
Infoseeker

Hi Infoseeker, you could talk to your local ISPCA. They may be able to put you in touch with reputable breeders and if not have a look at their website, there's bound to be some real cute dogs there.

Go to the pound and pick up a dog who might not get another chance !!!

Tks for the replies, I have found a reputable site so I have what I need.

Hi Infoseeker.

Just to back up what others have said it might be worth trying some local pounds or rescue centres. Alot of them have breeds if you're specifically looking for a golden retriever.

Either way good luck with the new dog..

If you are looking for a pedigree retriever, the Irish Kennel Club will put you in touch with such breeders. http://www.ikc.ie/index.php

http://www.irishanimals.com has loads of dogs for free!

If you're not planning on showing the dog why bother shelling out €000's for a pedigree. Thousands of unwanted dogs are put down every year. You shouldn't have too much trouble getting one that is close enough to your requirements.

just a quick note...just because somewhere is surrounded by fields does not mean that you'll be allowed to let your dog run loose. sheep farmers in particular would be very upset!

www.aigrc.com is site for retriever club of Ireland. The are excellent for info.

How much would one expect to pay for a golden retriver puppy?

sorry should have also said one with papers & vaccinated

Infoseeker:- care to share the name of the reputable site? We've been thinking of buying a retriever for some time now too.

Hi Infoseeker,

This time last year was in same predicament as you looking for a specific dog. I googled and got some good web sites, researched the breed I wanted to get etc. I went to look at the pups, saw her mother and grandmother (the pup's that is!) and was happy with what I saw. I wouldn't buy a dog without seeing mother and looking at conditions in which she is kept. The people asked me a few questions about enviroment in which pup would be going to which was reassuring to know the had the pup's best interest at heart and not just the money they would be getting. I picked out the pup when she was 1 week old and went back to get her when she was 10 weeks old, she was microchipped and vaccinated and we are thoroughly delighted with here. Good luck.

I am still looking to get a golden retriever puppy since I started this thread last April.

I contacted http://www.aigrc.com/ about getting a puppy but they deal only in pedigree puppies and cost around 600 euro.

Now I am not trying to save money but that seems a lot as we do not care if it is a pedigree or not.

I have looked at newspapers & Buy and Sell and I was wondering if people could help me with the following questions please:

(1) I have worked out that IKC = Irish Kennel Club but are all owners of dogs supposed to register with them?

I looked at their site but it is poor, ie loads of links have no data on the pages you are directed to.

(2) Also ads I have seen do not mention (I know I can ring & ask but seeking advice first) if the puppies are microchipped, wormed, Parvo injected and vaccinated.

So I can work out that microchipped is a safety feature should the puppy get lost but could someone let me know what approximately it would cost to get the puppy microchipped, wormed, Parvo injected (must google this term) and vaccinated?

I simply want to buy a puppy from a person who loves dogs so whomever I buy it from then I will ask to see the mother, etc but also want to know what I should be doing once I get the puppy as the ad I saw did not mention the above. All it stated was:

"Golden Retriever Pups(9). Munster Cork €190.00
7 males, 2 females, beautiful strong healthy pups, born on October 24th"

A simple rule of thumb is never, ever buy dogs advertised in the Buy & Sell. The Irish Kennel Club is a bit of a joke - their certification system is a mess, there have been lots of cases of forged papers etc. €600 is what you should really be expecting to pay for a quality pedigree retriever - anything less than that is virtually guaranteed to be from a backyard breeder/puppy farm.

Just think, if you'd gone to your local SPCA in April and got a nice friendly mutt who needed a home, how many happy hours would you have enjoyed and how strong a lifelong relationship you would have built with a lucky dog since then? Instead, how many of those lovely dogs have been put down for want of a home?

Seriously though, if you contact the DSPCA etc. now, tell them what you're looking for, I guarantee you'll have a retriever from them by end Feb - they'll be inundated with unwanted pups in the New Year, same as every year. Oh, and they don't let an animal leave their care without fully vaccinating, chipping etc.

Anyone other than a professional (i.e. expensive) breeder won't vax etc., and an amateur who does not get their dog fixed and allows it to breed accidentally is irresponsible and does not care about their own animal, let alone its offspring.

Also ads I have seen do not mention (I know I can ring & ask but seeking advice first) if the puppies are microchipped, wormed, Parvo injected and vaccinated.

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Hi Info - we are the owners of two dogs - we had to organise the injections ourselves - and this is standard, the same for micro chipping (because it is optional). €190 per pup is OK - our springer was €150...

€600 is what you should really be expecting to pay for a quality pedigree retriever - anything less than that is virtually guaranteed to be from a backyard breeder/puppy farm.

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I dont agree with that - i got a lab puppy for the folks 6 months ago through the buy and sell where i found a reputable breeder on a farm in Laois. She cost me 300e and i got to meet both parents, saw all the conditions, she was chipped and jabbed with everything and as far as i could make out, supurb conditions. She is a total thourghbred and i have the papers which go back 2 or 3 generations.
Now after 6 months with the dog i can see that she is of a wonderful nature and after the routine visit to the vet, was informed that the dog is a perfect example of a health.

Infoseeker, if you're looking for where i got her PM me. I can also send you a pic if you want to see the dog herself.

So sad to see people talking about paying hundreds of € for dogs. Please Please Please if you want a dog, go to the local dogs home and see if there is anything suitable there first.

We got a scut of a mutt in one 2 years ago, she's no pedigree dog, a bit of a loony but in a good way, a great guard dog and lives to sleep by the fire, go for walks, have her belly rubbed and eat Schmackos, what more could you want from a dog?

Mpsox - that is one of my regrets is that we didn't go to a pound - Mr Bear got me the dogs as an Xmass pressie (and I wasn't going to return them ) - one of them is a mutt too...

what more could you want from a dog?

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- true

Have you tried the following site http://www.irishretrieverrescue.com/ If nothing else it highlights the number of Golden Retrievers that are considered surplus to requirements in this country every year. I think this site specifically rehomes Irish dogs in the UK (what a disgraceful nation we are), so I'm sure if you contacted different Irish Resuce Centers they would love to help you out. Good luck with your search and please do consider a resuce dog...