RIP Buddy- Help me describe him!
Our beloved Buddy (14) passed away peacefully at home a few weeks ago after a morning of bacon and hugs. He entered our “family” with just me and my girlfriend living in a run down apartment and witnessed many moves, an engagement, a marriage, and our family grow to a total of six. Everyone misses him so much.
We are now doing some research in a potential new puppy. Buddy was perfect in essentially every way and we want a very similar looking and tempered dog this time around. I’m looking at breeders (in Wisconsin), I’m finding it difficult describe his “type”of golden. I’ve heard American Golden, Honey Golden, Traditional Golden. All the breeders I find have either English cream or the smaller darker goldens. Some breed those two together, but the puppies don’t seem to look like Buddy. Also, Buddy was 90 lbs and never really had a weight problem. I’m looking for a gentle giant as well. I’m rambling a bit here but….., a few questions:
How would you describe buddy? American Golden? As you can see, he had a broad head, course-ish coat, and was not essentially golden, not red or white.
Many of the breeders I’m finding have dogs that are $3,000+, with sires and dams that are “champions” and are show dogs. I’m not necessarily looking for this caliber of dog. I’m not going to show him, breed him, etc. I just want a family dog that’s healthy. Is this typical of golden breeders? In hindsight, we probably got Buddy from an irresponsible breeder, and I’m not suggesting we do that again, we just don’t need a show dog.
Does anyone have know of breeders in the upper Midwest that sound like a good fit?
Any and all advice is appreciated.