Winterhill Farm & Kennel

I dodged a bullet and found a real breeder after my first encounter with Winterhill Farm and Kennel. This will be my first puppy purchase, so I'm a novice at finding a breeder. I know enough to stay away from pet stores and was attempting to do just that. I found Winterhill on Facebook, probably my first mistake. Long story short, I had contacted Leah about her two 11 wk old goldens available. I did not know the questions to ask at the time. We were supposed to drive the 1.5 hr trip at the end of the week to meet the puppies and hopefully come home with one. Excited, I started reading up on golden puppies. Through that process, learned more questions to ask, and red flags to make you run away. I thankfully also googled Winterhill and found all these bad reviews. Her fb reviews are glowing, I now know why. She immediately blocks people from her page as soon as a hint of dissatisfaction crops up. She did it to me WHILE we were having a fb chat. This was the conversation.
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Hi Leah, checking in and I have a few more questions.
Is the sire/dam onsite? Are they akc registered? Can you provide me with their information?
I did some research and I have to say that I have read some things that concern me. Like I said before, I am interested in a healthy pet, not a show dog. And I realize that online reviews are subjective and I don't always believe them. I just want to make an informed decision. I don't want to buy a puppy that was brokered from elsewhere and shipped to you.

Also, Is there a reason that the two males are still available after almost 11 weeks? I'm asking because it seems that most breeders have wait lists and so I feel I have to ask.
Please understand I am not trying to attack you, I would like to present you with the chance to reply to my concerns.
thanks
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Her reply:

I appreciate your concerns. I do not like to sell dogs to people who are doubtful to begin with. There is no doubt in my mind that you will be able to find someone who you are comfortable with from the onset. I am only answering one of your questions as I don't think our dogs are what you are looking for. I don't begin to sell my pups at eight weeks. I also do not keep waiting lists. I am able to pick out the people who seem to be a good match for my babies and me as we will be having an ongoing relationship throughout the dog's life. There are several people whom I am considering for the last two pups and I am sure they will be placed by the week's end. This decision not to sell you a puppy is not made out of disrespect and I am sure you will find the right puppy and breeder for you soon. God bless and have a Merry Christmas.
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Well then I guess in a roundabout way you answered my questions.

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If that is what you have to say to make you feel better, that is fine. I will not sell pups tom people who are doubtful from the start no matter what. You may assume whatever you want. There are lots of people attesting to the integrity of my breeding program on this page.
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And then she blocked me.
It's RIDICULOUS to call yourself a responsible breeder if you are unwilling to answer these hugely important questions.

So in the end I went with Twin-Beau-D our of Swansea. Nancy is the real deal, she has champions in her lines and is willing and happy to answer your inquiries.
Google how to buy a puppy and educate yourself BEFORE you fall in love with a cute little face!

How is this place still operating?

Says OFA tests are not important on retrievers hips ! Hello ?
VERY BAD policies.
OBVIOUSLY do not care for or about their animals.
Move onward and upward.

I took home my second Bichon Frise from Winterhill Kennel last night and am absolutely ecstatic at how healthy, friendly and well adjusted my newest little girl is.



This is the third time that I've worked with Leah and Winterhill Kennel and I would highly recommend her and her business if you are looking for a new addition to your family. I'm thrilled that the puppies are socialized with other dogs as well as children/family members. It makes the whole process less intimidating and makes for a well rounded puppy. I especially love the fact that Leah does not rely on commercial/processed dog food but makes fresh food daily which ensures healthy puppies. If the pups are eating well, they gain weight, when they gain weight they have healthy eyes, coats..... When you put in all of the hours and TLC that Leah does you see that it really does make all the difference in the world. I've seen first hand how excited and happy these little fur babies are and will sing Leah's praises and promote her business. As with any living thing, whether it be babies, puppies, kittens.....there may be problems on occasion which is not unusual and you need to remember that there are always solutions.....



Great job Leah!



Sadie and I thank you! :)

I recently purchased a 7 week 4 day Labradoodle from Winter Hill Kennel (Leah Shattuck). On the way home from picking the puppy up he began pooping blood. We took the puppy to the vet less than 24 hours later. We soon found out the puppy had Coccidia which is a parasite infection. In addition, the puppy soon developed a green runny nose and cough which was diagnosed as a respiratory infection. Puppy also had a yeast infection in his ears. In addition to all of this, the 8 week old puppy was very thin and I could feel all of his ribs and vertebrae as he only weighed 4.1lbs at 8 weeks which is very low for a dog that will mature to 50 – 65 lbs. I notified Leah of all of this and she informed me it was “normal” for puppies to have these issues and that “all breeders” have these issues (I don’t believe this). She also said that regarding the weight, the puppy was so underweight because of the “Standard Poodle” side. I don’t believe it and think this puppy should be about twice the weight he is. I have looked at a few growth charts, both standard poodle and Labrador puppy weights, and even our veterinarian commented that he is underweight. I would be interested in hearing from others who also purchased a Labradoodle from the April 24th litter or any other puppy in general. I can be emailed at imasupercoolchick@gmail.com. Also you can report the sale of sick puppies here: http://www.mass.gov/agr/animalhealth/petshops/index.htm