Meet Rebecca

Health Testing Within Our Golden Retriever Breeding Programme The health and welfare of our Golden Retrievers is at the heart of our breeding programme. We take health testing extremely seriously and believe responsible breeding means doing everything reasonably possible to reduce the risk of inherited disease and produce healthy, happy puppies with the best possible foundations for life. All of our breeding dogs undergo extensive health screening appropriate to the breed before being considered for breeding. This includes recognised screening for hips and elbows, current BVA eye examinations, gonioscopy and relevant DNA testing, alongside any additional testing we feel is appropriate to an individual dog or breeding combination. We do not believe that health testing should simply be viewed as a tick-box exercise. Results are carefully considered when planning each mating, alongside pedigree, genetic diversity, conformation, temperament, structure and overall health. Our aim is to make informed breeding decisions rather than focusing on one individual test result in isolation. We also believe that health testing is an ongoing responsibility. A clear result at one point in a dog’s life does not necessarily guarantee that the dog will remain clear or unaffected throughout its lifetime. This is particularly important with conditions where screening is age-related or where a dog’s status can change over time. For this reason, we maintain appropriate and up-to-date health examinations on our breeding dogs rather than relying solely on historical results. DNA testing is another important part of our programme. Where appropriate, our dogs undergo comprehensive genetic screening so that we can understand their carrier or clear status for recognised inherited conditions and make responsible breeding choices. Being a carrier of a recessive condition does not automatically make a dog unsuitable for breeding; what matters is using that information responsibly and ensuring appropriate pairings are made to avoid producing affected puppies. We are proud to breed on a smaller, family-based scale, where our dogs are much more than breeding animals. They live as part of our family and are loved, handled, exercised and cared for as family companions. Health, temperament and quality of life will always take priority over producing puppies. No breeder can honestly guarantee that a puppy will never develop a health condition, and health testing cannot eliminate every possible risk. What responsible breeding can do is identify known risks, make evidence-based breeding decisions and continually strive to reduce the likelihood of inherited disease. For us, health testing is not about having impressive paperwork — it is about taking responsibility for the generations we bring into the world and doing everything we can to give each puppy the healthiest possible start in life.