At the current time, (Sept ’20) we have no litters of puppies listed with our Puppy Line. For the duration of the next few phases of the easing/tightening of Lockdown, we will not authorise posts on our social media pages looking for puppies.
The demand for Golden Retriever puppies has increased to a level that could not have been foreseen. Golden Retrievers are always a popular breed, of course we can understand why this is. However, right now the demand has increased so dramatically that there is genuinely not enough puppies to meet current demands.
As a Breed Club, we run both Rescue and Puppy lines to support and share information for both GRCS Members and the public in general. It is our duty to highlight to those seeking their first Golden Retriever to consider the following –
Most reputable breeders will only now be considering their planned litters and they may have recently mated their bitch, however many more are still concerned with regards to the Covid 19 situation and therefore may well be delaying their decision making until early next year.
There are a few other genuine reasons for good breeders to face difficulty in producing puppies at this time –
Vet appointments – Hips and Elbows scoring were not classed as essential during the Lockdown period and at this current time, many vets are still not been able to conduct these health checks, the official body that issues the scores for these X-rays have a considerable backlog to catch up on. Eye tests, which need updating yearly, have only just resumed.
For many breeders, the thought that during a whelping something might go wrong and the bitch may require urgent life saving surgery at a time when vets are still restricted due to Covid Guidelines is a reason many have decided to not have a litter in the current circumstances.
We are aware of unscrupulous breeders who seem to feel this is the correct time to increase the price of a Golden Puppy to around £2500 – £3000. GRCS do not condone this unscrupulous practice and would urge people not to be taken in by this kind of breeder. Making Golden Retriever Puppies a ‘commodity’ that flows and ebbs with supply and demand is not a situation anyone with the Breed’s welfare at heart would agree with.
We are also aware of litters being ‘promoted’ on other sites, large deposits being demanded and when it’s time to collect puppies – the images used stolen from responsible breeders websites, the address is a hoax, the deposit trail cold, and the genuine family looking forward to their new puppy is heartbroken. Sadly the scammers and puppy farmers can hide behind Covid 19, and come out the other side considerably more wealthy, which in turn keeps the horrific wheel of irresponsible breeding turning.
Most responsible breeders do not request a deposit for their puppies, However, if a breeder does request a deposit , please do not pay a deposit on a puppy that is not born yet. Ensure you get a receipt, if you do pay a deposit once the litter is born and you are absolutely sure the images being sent to you are genuine.
Good breeders rarely need to advertise, they usually have a list of interested homes for months before the mating takes place.
With all of this in mind – Please be patient.
Puppies are not sitting on shelves waiting to be collected, nor will they be in the next few months.
If you do get the chance to see a litter, please be sure to do your homework – check the health tests are current and official, best place to check this is the Kennel Club health results checker (Currently under review on the new KC website (Oct ’20)