Let's talk!

Since I can remember, I've had a love of animals.

In my teens, I bred rabbits and showed sheep in 4-H. Playing around with breeding the rabbits for certain color, coat type, and ear placement was something I greatly enjoyed, and I sold the rabbits as pets quite successfully.

Turns out this was an introduction to my 20s and how breeding dogs would take over pretty much all of the real estate in my brain!

I liken breeding to baking; you really need a recipe to do it right when you are learning. Over the years, you find that the best combinations are often made from years of experience and knowledge that cannot be placed in a recipe.

I bought Patti in my early 20s as a graduation present to myself. She was a wonderful first dog, and we went on to successfully compete in many different venues. I had not purchased Patti with the intent to breed and start Rosemary Goldens, but when I decided to breed her, searching for a stud dog and completing clearances sent me down a path there was no coming back from. 

Sweet Patti was a phenomenal mother to her two litters of puppies - I kept Winnie from Patti, and every dog I've kept out of Patti's lineage has been true to her sweet, kind, calm temperament.

I purchased Bailey in 2024 from Alubyc Kennels in Australia; when I decided to get really serious about showing my Goldens in Conformation (The Breed Rings!). Bailey has been so much more than I could have asked for - she is my little bestie.  I chose Alubyc as Karen Vowell has been breeding and showing Goldens for over 50 years. Karen has been a gracious wealth of knowledge. 

In 2026; I made another purchase of a girl puppy from Kelly Sisco of Show Me Goldens; Taffy. I knew when Kelly announced the litter that I wanted (needed!) a puppy.  I'm so incredibly lucky to have Taffy as Kelly has been a friend and mentor for years; and I have met and spent time with almost every dog in Taffy's pedigree. In true me fashion, I called and demanded a puppy, and lucky me - Kelly obliged!

Between Bailey, Taffy, and Patti, I've been very lucky with the foundation girls of Rosemary Goldens breeding program. 

I see dogs in my future, always. I plan to be 80 and still running around a ring with my Goldens. They are the love of my life.

It turns out, I also enjoy Baking :) 

My goal is to prepare you well before you take your new puppy home. I send out a "Puppy Parent Letter" when the puppies are about 6 weeks old with important dates and information you will need to prepare over the last couple of weeks before your puppy goes home with you.

Your puppy will be microchipped and AKC Registered by Rosemary Goldens prior to going home.

All of our puppies are sent home with a "goody bag". It will contain items like toys, puppy food, probiotics, a special appetite stimulant food to help your puppy adjust and eat the first couple days, all paperwork, etc. 

I highly recommend crate training your puppy; this helps with housetraining. Your puppy will be started on crate training prior to being sent home. Since all of my puppies are raised in the house, they are also started on the basics of house training. 

Once the puppies have had thier first vaccinations, focus is put on socialization and getting them around a variety of people and environments. We use ENS and the Avidog Puppy Protocol for our puppies early development, and we set a goal to meet 100 people before the puppies go home. Every litter is also evaluated independently using the Volhard Puppy Evaluation.

A question that is asked often is about the choosing process, and why I do not let puppy families come and choose a puppy themselves.

There are a few main reasons: I spend a lot of time with the puppies, and understand personalities plus the energy levels of each puppy. One puppy may be having an off day and be unusually cuddly and calm on the day you meet them; or may be just waking up from a nap. I have seen multiple generations behind the puppy you are bringing home, and therefore have background knowledge of what traits look like as the dog ages. 

The Volhard is the last step in choosing puppies. Often, my choices are made before we do the test, and I take the puppies to the testing site to see how they react in a situation without me present; and get input from my amazing puppy evaluator (who used to evaluate service dog litters!). Once in awhile, the Volhard testing changes a placement, so I do not let puppy families know before that happens at 7 weeks of age, but by the time they are 6-7 weeks old I usually have a very good idea of where the puppy should go.

A big part in puppy placements is getting to know the family! Tell me what you love about Goldens, what you enjoy, and if I'm asking questions about your lifestyle - yes, I am genuinely interested, but I am also stockpiling information about you as I think about puppy placements. 

The OFA has lead research on dog genetics since 1966. In 2023, out of over 175,000 Goldens evaluated for hip dysplasia, 19.6% came back dysplastic. Ranked 48th for commonality of dysplasia out of 154 breeds, Goldens are not quite the worst! Yet without care, the incidence rate will keep growing. Out of 67,000 Goldens, 12% had elbow dysplasia and were ranked 39th out of 154 breeds for amount of cases. Less than half the amount of evaluation for elbow dysplasia over hip dysplasia. I own a dog that has both elbow and hip dysplasias that caused early arthritis at less than 2 years of age.  Hopefully this information denotes how important genetic testing is for purebred dogs. Bad breeding practices create problems, which is ultimately unfair to the dog.

Read about OFA's CHIC program here:
https://ofa.org/chic-programs/ 

All of our breeding dogs are evaluated for hips, elbows, eyes and hearts, which gives them a CHIC number. 

Dogs must be 2 years old to complete their OFA's and get a CHIC number.

Read more about OFA and selecting a breeder here:

https://www.naturalstategrc.org/finding-a-breeder

Good temperament and health are the main concerns.

We only consider breeding the dogs who pass all health tests as recommended by the GRCA.

This includes completing an OFA CHIC which involves: Heart, Eyes, Elbows, Hips, and a DNA panel. I take it a step further by doing Dental, PennHip; and the HCM test. 

HCM is new research, read more about it below if you are interested. Results for HCM are not listed on OFA, since it is not officially required for Goldens, but I do have results to share on all my dogs. They are all clear.

https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/services/small-animals/genetics/golden-retriever-hcm/

 All stud dogs we use will have the same standard.

I strongly believe that good breeders do not contribute to the shelters; so I screen every future puppy family. At the end of the day all of my dogs can come back to me, regardless of age or circumstance.

None of our dogs or puppies live outside, and I work from home so dogs are with me constantly. Goldens rely on a loving relationship with their family to be healthy and happy.

You can learn more about our daily life with the dogs and see current pictures on our Facebook page, Rosemary Goldens.

I do choose studs from other breeders and pay for the "service" at times. I am picky about the studs and the stud owners. I want great hips and elbows, a CHIC number (see OFA) and a DNA panel. I also want to see that the stud dog is regularly tested for STD's and is kept as a pet, similar to my own dogs. Often the stud owner will want the female to come stay at their place for the breeding to happen, so this aspect of vetting stud owners is very important to me. I need to trust that my dog is going to be cared for and treated well while away from me. 

I also want to see titling on the stud dog; as I believe this shows investment in the relationship with the dog and I want to support other breeders who hold similar values to my own.

Outside of the basics, I look for studs with physical and mental traits that complement my girls.  I'd love to talk to you about whatever litter is upcoming.

Titles are important to me because I feel they are a visual representative of the time and effort that is put into the dogs, as a breeder. I also feel that showing my dogs is proof that they are worthy of contributing to the breed gene pool.

Most importantly, I greatly enjoy working with my dogs, traveling with them, and competing with them. It's a hobby and a lifestyle choice I'd make all over again!

The American Kennel Club is the organization that regulates dog sports.  The regulation of dog sports involves individual local clubs being able to put together a show in thier region, so that AKC registered dogs may compete. If your dog is AKC registered, you may compete in an AKC dog show anywhere in the US.

There are a few different venues, but the ones Rosemary Goldens dogs primarily are involved in are Obedience, Rally, Scentwork and Conformation.

Titles in performance sports (Obedience, Rally Scentwork) include a dog completed the judged tasks a minimum of 3 times. Each time, the dog is competing against other dogs and will recieve a placement of 1st - 4th, and past that, just a qualifying score. 3 qualifying scores are required to earn a title, regardless of placement.

Conformation is a lot different. This involves a dog being judged on how well they adhere to the Breed Standard compared to all of the other dogs in the ring. There are placements, (1st - 4th) Usually these do not count towards a title, and there are no qualifying scores in this venue. Best in Show, Best of Breed, etc. will earn points towards a Championship title.

Conformation wins are rare and we are over the moon when we recieve one!

Check out the Golden Retriever breed standard here:

https://grca.org/about-the-breed/akc-breed-standard/