Origins Goldens

05/31/2026

The research on this has been out for a while, but I know for sure some of the smaller rural vets, at least on our area, still recommend a blanket pediatric spay/neuter (6 months) of all breeds, regardless of current research. I hope to see more vet offices catching up with the research on this and guiding owners to responsibly manage large breeds who benefit from letting their growth plates close prior to spay/neuter, and making recommendations based on the dog /breed in front of them instead of the cookie cutter advice.

🚨 Because someone has to say it……

As a Golden Retriever breeder with 15+ years of experience we are begging you - STOP letting your vet spay or neuter your dog at 6 months. Please read this before you make that appointment.
We have watched this happen over and over again. A family brings home a beautiful, healthy Golden puppy. Their vet recommends spay/neuter at 6 months. They follow the advice,because why wouldn’t you trust your vet right?

Then at age 3 their dog tears an ACL.
At age 5 they’re diagnosed with bone cancer.
At age 7 they’re gone.
And the research is now screaming at us that EARLY spay/neuter is a massive contributing factor in Goldens specifically.
UC Davis studied this. The results were shocking. Golden Retrievers spayed or neutered before 12 months had SIGNIFICANTLY higher rates of:
🔴 Hip dysplasia
🔴 CCL tears (ACL equivalent in dogs)
🔴 Lymphoma
🔴 Hemangiosarcoma
🔴 Mast cell tumors

These are not rare conditions. These are the exact things Golden Retriever owners deal with every single day. S*x hormones are not just about reproduction. They regulate bone growth, joint development, and immune function. Cut them off too early and you are robbing your dog’s body of what it needs to develop properly. Yet millions of vets across America are STILL routinely recommending 6 month spay/neuter because that is what they were taught in school 20 years ago. The science has moved. The recommendations haven’t caught up. Find a vet who will have a real conversation with you about timing. If your vet dismisses this conversation entirely, get a second opinion.

Your dog cannot advocate for themselves. You have to do it for them.
Vets, we respect you and we know many of you agree with this. Speak up in the comments. Dog owners, what did YOU do? Did your vet talk to you about timing? Did you experience health problems after early spay/neuter?

***these are just personal opinions based off actual facts and scientific research- however we do understand that having and unfixed dog can cause problems and sometimes there aren’t any other options other than getting the dog spayed/neutered sooner rather than later!

05/31/2026

Nothing like those Sunday afternoon naps. 😴

05/31/2026

We started ENS today! This is the first piece of the socialization puzzle to raise confident puppies. Early Neurological Stimulation is believed to improve cardiovascular health, stress response, and the immune system. Each of these positions is quick, allowing the puppy to feel mild stress but being able to quickly recover, which teaches the puppies that novel experiences don't need to be scary and they will be okay. All of this regular handling is great for touch tolerance, too! I start nail trims every few days at this point as well, mostly for Kyra's sake but also to get the puppies acclimated to having their feet handled.

05/30/2026

A glimpse into the day Kyra's final litter arrived. 💞🐾

Her quickest and smoothest delivery! She's been amazing as always, and I'm so thankful to have them here safely.

05/29/2026

Introducing, our litter theme for KyraXBeau 2026, the Summer Fruits!
Strawberry • Blueberry • Kiwi • Fig • Mango
Blackberry • Coconut • Lime • Peach • Melon

05/28/2026

We had a busy morning. 🧡

Kyra gave birth to ten beautiful dark golden babies this morning between 6am and noon. This was her fastest and smoothest delivery - she did amazing. All of the pups took right to nursing and everyone is resting after all of the excitement. I'm so grateful and excited about this litter and look forward to all of the milestones to come.

[This is Kyra's final litter, and these puppies are already spoken for.]

05/28/2026

Was Kyra's litter bigger, smaller, or the same size as her previous two?

Kyra did, unfortunately, have one stillborn pup with each of her past litters - a common occurrence with such large litters. So while I state she had eleven in each of those, she had actually carried twelve in both of those. Thankfully, this time her labor progressed much quicker and everyone was delivered safe and sound and went right to nursing!

So, did you guess right?

* This is Kyra's final litter and her puppies are all spoken for.

05/27/2026

"Companion dogs share many of the same indoor environments, behaviors, and chemical exposures as their owners, making them highly informative sentinels for characterizing residential exposures and associated health outcomes (Wise et al., 2022; Wise et al., 2024). Increasing evidence demonstrates that dogs accumulate many of the same contaminants found in humans, often at comparable or higher concentrations, and may exhibit exposure-related disease patterns earlier due to their shorter lifespans (Matheson et al., 2024; Wise et al., 2025)."

Duke University, Dog Aging Project, & Morris Animal Foundation

  Pet Dogs as Sentinels of Environmental Exposures Companion dogs share many of the same indoor environments, behaviors, and chemical exposures as their owners, making them highly informative sentinels for characterizing residential exposures and associated health outcomes (Wise et al., 2022; Wise ...