Hello all!

Looking to add to the crew, I currently have a Golden Retriever (10 y/o) and a Black Lab (9 y/o). Yhe spouse wants another Golden Retriever, female, and I have agreed.  I have been looking in the area, and holy cow, I was not expecting $1600-2000 for a dog.  Last time we paid $400.  I know it is the season.  Anyone in my general A/O that knows of a breeder with reasonable cost?  I talked to one who had females for $800, but all spoken for already.  Just looking for a family dog, no breeding or anything like that.  And I did discuss a rescue, but that is a no-go for the spouse.  We watch other dogs occasionally, and she doesn't want a dog with unknowns.

Thanks for any help!  And rules...

Instead of spending all that money, how about a rescue Golden?  Seems a whole lot more worthwhile than feeding a puppy mill somewhere:

Arizona Golden Rescue

I know two AKC breeders here, but I'm in the Memphis Metro area.

A buddy of mine had an awesome golden that he got from a breeder in the SLC area.  Is that too far?

If you are buying from a breeder, don’t cheap out. Go to a responsible, ethical preservation breeder that performs health and temperament testing and makes sure their dogs are worth breeding. Remember that this is a dog you are hopefully going to have for 12-14 years. If you don’t have the money in hand, spend a couple months saving while you build a good relationship with a quality breeder.

A little long, but an excellent read.

$2K for a Golden Retriever?  that's insane.

I just paid $2K for a Portuguese Water Dog puppy.  But those are actually reasonably rare (I needed an allergy free dog, and my 2 year old portie needed a friend).  Golden's are one of the most common dogs, should be cheap.

It’s not about rare or common. It’s about what a breeder invests in producing the dogs. Goldens have a lot of health testing they need done, cost a lot to show, and should have temperament testing as well. A quality dog from a responsible, ethical preservation breeder isn’t going to be a couple hundred dollars, regardless of how common poorly bred specimens are.

Apparently OP ain’t coming back- I’m out.

@Naamah as usual NAILS it.

Goldens have shit tons of health issues when poorly bred.  Finding the right breeder and dog, paying several thousand dollars, having it shipped to you, these are all WORTH IT.

Comet came into my life as my wifes dog that she got as a puppy.  He was from an informal (backyard) breeding, no health testing.  He developed food allergies midway thru life.  He was neutered way too early (didn't know better back then) and towards the end of his life he tore both his CCL's about a year apart.  Dogs neutered early are much more prone to this, again, didn't know better.  He developed osteosarcoma and we said goodbye to him last May at ten years old.

He was a sweet wonderful dog, as most Goldens are.  I'd have more Goldens tomorrow if we had the space for them (now we've got 3 GSDs), but I'd make for damn sure they came from breeders with generational health testing, like we did with our sheps.

My wife estimated that Comets health issues over his lifetime cost about $20k in medical bills.  Buy from a breeder that is adamant and transparent about health testing.

Attached File


These three all came from the same breeder.  The male on the left has passed all of his health screenings and with a few more titles he will very likely sire a few litters.  These tend to be higher drive performance dogs but there is always a few mellower "pets" that come about.
HighRoller Goldens

If they don't have something to suit your needs they may be able to connect you with better options.

Don't cheap out on an animal that will be a part of your family for many years.

EDIT: Good breeders will not let you just walk in and grab a puppy off the pile.  They should spend the first 8-10 weeks getting to know the puppies and their personalities.  They will narrow it down to a puppy or two that meets your desired needs and temperament.

Sorry everyone.  We did find a decent home breeder, and low and behold, this is Sadie!  We got her at 7 weeks, she is now 10 weeks, and quite a good girl.  Already fully potty trained, it helps she has big sisters to show her the way.

Thanks to all who gave input.  I do appreciate it!