Gold-Rush Kennels Reviews

I was assured that the litter of Gold Rush pups had excellent hips and legs. 4 years on, the dog started to exhibit failure in getting up. In his 6th yr. it was very difficult for him to stand. At 9 I had to get expensive doggy cart to support his back so he could walk. He lived till his 13th birthday, had a heart attack. My complaint is even though he lived a long 13 yrs., more than half of it he was in extreme pain and could walk on his own. He was on pain killers and anti inflammation tabs, which took the edge off his pain, but he had less than 4 years of quality life. And I spent thousands with the vets in trying to help him walk painlessly. I paid $850.00 for him and about another 4000 without food.

In 2006 I purchased a beautiful Gold Rush Golden. Papers indicated "good" hip rating. The truth? My dog was born with severe hip dysplasia as well as numerous herniated discs. By the age of 7 the chronic herniated discs had fused to her spine. What sort of breeder would do this? This breeder falsified records and has only one goal in mind - Best in Show.

Having had two English Creme Goldens from Gold Rush, they are living long lives. Unfortunately those on this forum expect perfect animals and that is NOT life. Dog breeding has developed into expectations of perfection through "certifications" that somehow lull people into believing that they will get a perfect pup that will not have any health issues, ever. There have been attempts to do this with humans. It is called cloning and has all but been outlawed and shunned due to the (what should be) obvious moral issues. People, and animals, are NOT perfect people. They get sick. Yes, there are those that inbreed and cause most of the problems, but guess what, most of these are those "certified" dogs and have extensive inbreeding because they only want to breed those "perfect" dogs, to get "more perfect" dogs. People need to STOP expecting perfection for their pets. ENJOY them, in sickness and in health, whether for a few months, or 20 years.

We had a similar issue with Gold Rush. We purchased a great dog in 1997 from Gold Rush. Riley was beautiful and smart. When he was 5 years old, he suddenly became very ill within a matter of days. He also had cancer and died suddenly. When I contacted Gold Rush, they disclaimed other similar issues. However, I have spoken to many individuals in New Jersey that have gone through similar issues. I would never purchase another dog from Gold Rush. I have actually been in contact with breeders on the West Coast so that I can avoid any involvement with Gold Rush.

We have purchased two dogs from Gold Rush Kennels. The first puppy was a wonderful female, who lived a long and healthy life. At the time of the first purchase, Ann Johnson Sr. was CEO of the business, and she bred only for the betterment of the breed. She tried her best to breed out diseases. She was also a very discerning owner as she would interview for hours while the prospective buyers played with her puppies. When our female golden passed, we decided to buy another puppy and since the Gold Rush Kennel had a good reputation, we thought why not buy there again.

On August 9, 2001 we purchased two golden retriever puppies from the above-mentioned breeder. At the time of this sales transaction we requested and received an OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) report for both parents which read as "good".