We covered a lot of ground and did a lot of research to find the right dog. We went to private breeders because the animal shelters did not have any dogs with Golden Retriever in them. Those institutions that deal exclusively with the adoption of Golden Retrievers did not appear to have a genuine concern for the dogs. They also often have the rejected dogs from inferior breeders. We found the breeders breed too closely within the exact specifications or no specifications at all. The results are not good. In my honest opinion only 10% of the breeders have good dogs. We were fortunate to find one of them out of about 20 visits. If you are not fortunate enough to find one of these breeders then you would be better off with a mixed breed dog where natural breeding eliminates man made problems.  While Koko and Brandy are registered Golden Retrievers I no longer put any value in registration. The breeder of Koko and Brandy is one of those gifted individuals who has the inherent intuition to know a good dog and he and his wife breed simply to bring happiness into the lives of others. Koko and Brandy have the best hip structure the veterinarian has ever seen. They do not have allergies of any kind. When I take them to the dog food store they are always the star attractions. It is not just their beauty but they have depth of character. Blondie also had tremendous character but she also had the worst hip displacement the veterinarian had seen. She also had serious allergies. She was put to sleep before the pain was severe. Blondie taught Koko very much and her character lives on through Koko. Phyllis and I miss Blondie. Blondie's love of life lives on through us. Blondie's time here on Earth was short but she lived a good life. She was also a graduate of Petsmart school.