Price of a Golden Puppy From Legend Golden Retrievers

It is not that we pass this cost on to our clients, it is only to help you understand why a well-bred puppy can be expensive.  

      If you are looking for a genetically healthy puppy, that is an excellent representation of the breed, with an excellent temperament, then you have come to the right place. 

       But, if you don't care what it looks like, or whether or not you incur thousands of dollars in veterinary bills, then please, consider rescuing a Golden Retriever from a reputable rescue organization.  There are far too many Golden Retrievers who are ill bred and poor representations, lacking breed type and soundness that still need a forever home.

Genetic testing is an integral part of our breeding program. The more informed we are about the genetic code on our dogs and their ancestors, the more responsibly we can breed. 

    We have our dogs hearts checked by a board certified canine cardiologist, have their Hips and Elbows certified by the Orthepedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and all dogs have their eyes checked for genetic defects and cataracts by a ophthalmologist, then certified by OFA, These are the health tests required by the Golden Retriever Club of America.  The national Golden Retriever club, breeders, and veterinarians are continually working to map genetic codes in the breed for other defects that may be heritable and genetically tested.  We applaud their efforts and continue to look forward to breeding the very best, and healthiest dogs we can.

We Don't Stop at what Golden Retriever Club requires we Do More Because we Care about the Breed!

We also have all of our dogs Thyroid levels run and Certified as normal by OFA Dentition evaluated by a Vet and Certified as normal, Patella's evaluated by a Vet and Certified as Normal

Echocardiogram on all parents before breeding and certified with OFA

while the golden retriever club doesn't require an ECHO We at Legend listen to the Cardiologists when they said "we can't hear everything and we are missing heart defects during a normal test and Need to be doing more ECHOs"... with an ECHO's we can See that the heart is normal with no defects.

Embark DNA health panel testing over 200 known health concerns and we only are breeding dogs who are clear and non-Carriers of all 200+ conditions

We are also continuing to test for more as new tests become available!

Having said all that, genetic testing is expensive, but critical to providing you with a puppy whose parents have been screened for known problems within the breed to the very best we can do.

How We Determine A Puppy Price (Please Read All) 

Dog breeding is becoming more and more difficult in today’s times. Food & Medical expenses top the list for breeders trying to keep puppies affordable on creating the perfect "healthy, long lived" family pet besides trying to be competitive in the dog show world.  

C-sections for a mom that has complications during delivery, vitamins and minerals to insure healthy dog and puppies, genetic testing for health, vaccinations, deworming, puppy vet checks, whelping boxes and supplies, emergency supplies and many more things that could come up. We cover these charges overall rather than apply them to the sale of one puppy.

We make it our responsibility to know what lines carry certain genetic tendencies and strive to do the very best we can to avoid problems. We also have to reflect on the day to day cost of grooming supplies, toys, high quality food, crates, crate pads, heating and air conditioning.

As you can see, breeding quality dogs is not a profitable venture.  We do it for the love of the breed and strive for integrity in health, genetics, temperament and breed type.  A responsibly bred dog by a reputable breeder can offer you years and years of healthy, happy companionship.

With all of this said here are the typical costs involved in raising a litter

Today, we map plan and plan our breeding's for months. We are forced to breed mostly by technology using Progesterone testing to target the perfect conception date, FedEx to ship the semen from point A to B and Ultrasound to determine pregnancy. This all costs money to do it right! Then once she is pregnant we wait the 63 days to see if she will be able to have them naturally or a caesarian section. Once the puppies are here are "dog mom" jobs begin…imprinting, laundry, sleeping by the whelping box so no one gets laid on, potty training starting at 4 weeks, more laundry, no rest for the weary and then socializing and more laundry. We finally get to have a full night sleep around the 4th week. It is a monumental task to do it right and keep everyone healthy and happy. Then back to the vets to make sure everyone’s heart is beating correctly and review their overall health.