in Idaho. Our breeder has been breeding them as a family for nearly 60 yrs and has had the current line for at least 6 generations. I agree that no one in Utah is worth buying from - especially at the prices they want for unpapered animals.

Also depends on whether you are getting an American Golden Retreiver or a British Golden Retreiver.

I wanted an AGR, and got extremely lucky maybe. I’ve had multi-champion lineage Goldens in the past and still never paid more than $800 for them. Granted I lean towards the hunting lines, but I’m just saying that it is possible to find top-flight dogs without paying through the nose for them.

Regardless, getting a Golden means you will get a dang good dog. The papers and recommendation don’t matter much past certified lineage and OFA. For a family dog you won’t go wrong if you realize that the quality of dog is directly linked to the quality of the owner and not the quality of breeder.

Teach the pup right and make sure they get socialized correctly and you should have no worries about getting the right dog for your family.