When I worked as a nursing assistant in my early adult years, the neighborhood Golden Retrievers would make their rounds through the nursing home where I worked. I always admired their grace, temperament, and disposition. They would visit each room, offering comfort and joy to both the elderly residents and healthcare staff. Their visits brought smiles to patients, comfort to grieving families, and a sense of calm to the faithful staff.
Fast forward 15 years, and I am now a Hospice RN caring for the terminally ill. I have been blessed to witness the healing power all kinds of animals bring to those at the bedside and their loved ones. These experiences have inspired me to pursue the “God dream” of raising Golden Retriever puppies.
Here at Golden Acres, we offer healthy, happy, and confident Golden Retriever puppies. We are committed to breeding for quality, not quantity. We are a small non-commercial breeder, who places a high priority on the excellence and value of our program. Our puppies come from exceptional pedigrees and champion bloodlines, supported by responsible breeding practices and a nurturing environment. As a small family breeder, we provide attentive care to our puppies and breeding dogs. Our Guardian Home families also play a role in the care of our breeding dogs. You can read more about their importance here: Guardian Home — Golden Acres (goldenacresmn.com)
All of our puppies are born and raised indoors, where they are monitored closely. To support their development they enjoy their time outside for developmental growth and potty training when they are ready to do so. We begin Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) on day three and continue until day 16. You can learn more about ENS within this article: Puppy Socialization Starts with the Breeder: Early Neurological Stimulation – American Kennel Club (akc.org). After day 16, we focus on noise desensitization, socialization outings, and other various forms of training to sustain their growth and development.
In addition to researching the bloodlines we choose to breed; all of our breeding dogs receive health clearances to ensure we are producing healthy and sound puppies. All our puppies are American Kennel Club (AKC) registered and sold with limited registration (no breeding rights). We do offer a health guarantee that can be reviewed here: Health Guarantee — Golden Acres (goldenacresmn.com)
Our puppies are showered with love by our five children, who handle and socialize with them multiple times per day. They will experience outings to daycares, schools, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities that reinforce socialization. Weather permitting, our puppies will be introduced to the lake. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we place them in the tub for water exposure, and regardless have bath time with us which is always a fun (and messy) time!
Each puppy will have two visits to the veterinarian to ensure they are in sound health before going to their new home. We also begin crate training to make the transition to your home as smooth as possible.
We are honored to help you find your new forever friend.
Our Beloved Golden Retrievers
Meet our dogs
Here, you can catch a little sneak peek into our dog family. The dogs below are part of our current breeding program, and we hope you enjoy reading their bios to understand why we love them. Not all of our breeding dogs are bred every year, as we prioritize their health and our commitment to staying small and focused on quality, not quantity. Each dog brings unique qualities that contribute to the health, beauty, and character of the puppies they produce.
Occasionally, we incorporate sires from other exceptional bloodlines outside our program. This decision can further enhance and improve the breed.