Adopting a Golden Retriever in Leeds: breed clubs, costs and health

Our live count, shown under the short answer, picks up any Golden or Golden cross that a rescue lists with us within about 25 miles of Leeds. On many days it shows none, so treat the breed clubs below as your main route. Other big dogs listed near the city are on our Leeds large dogs page.

The Golden Retriever Clubs run a rehoming service for Goldens that can't stay with their owners, staffed by volunteer rescue officers around the country. The Golden Retriever Club's rescue page lists the regional clubs by area and suggests going to your regional club first and then contacting more than one, to widen the search. Two of its clubs take in Leeds. We don't list either club's dogs.

For many different reasons, says The Golden Retriever Club, without listing them: its clubs exist for Goldens that can't stay with their owners. The Northern Golden Retriever Association's own appeal singles out older dogs and bitches, so ask any contact whether an older Golden is waiting.

Rescue fees carry vet work with them. Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity includes vaccinations, neutering, a microchip, worming, flea treatment and four weeks' Pet Plan insurance in its adult fee, and Good Life Dog Rescue covers vaccinations, a health check, a chip, flea and worm treatment and the full cost of neutering a male, half for a female.

Buy a puppy and the microchip is the one thing already settled: the breeder must chip it by 8 weeks. Later jabs, neutering and insurance are yours, over and above the puppy's price, which Blue Cross puts at £400 to £3,000. With a breed club match there is no published fee at all, so ask what the club or owner expects before you travel.

Paperwork on the parents is rare with a rescue Golden, so the useful question is what a vet has found in this dog. Four areas come up again and again in UK breed advice:

• Joints. The Royal Kennel Club wants breeding Goldens hip and elbow scored under the BVA/KC schemes. PDSA explains that a poorly fitting hip or elbow joint leads to arthritis in time.
• Eyes. The Royal Kennel Club's minimum also covers an eye test that includes gonioscopy (an examination of the eye's drainage angle) and a DNA test for one form of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). PDSA lists cataracts, retinal dysplasia, two kinds of PRA and glaucoma, and says screening should be yearly.
• Skin. PDSA describes ichthyosis as a skin disease that hardens the pads of the feet and coats the skin in sticky, greasy scale; The Royal Kennel Club recommends a DNA test for it.
• Weight. PDSA warns that Goldens easily become overweight, so ask the dog's weight and what it eats.

Think about space and hours together. The Royal Kennel Club rates the Golden as a large dog needing more than two hours of exercise a day and suited to a large house, and PDSA sets two hours as its minimum. PDSA also says Goldens like to chew, so someone around for most of the day helps, and that no dog should be alone for more than four hours.

The coat sheds: Dogs Trust suggests brushing a few times a week, daily while the coat is changing, and says many Goldens need professional grooming. PDSA calls Goldens gentle and says they can make a good first dog if you are ready for a larger breed, though young children must learn to treat them with respect.

Puppy searches lead the demand for Goldens around Leeds, but a rescue or breed club doesn't sell dogs: it matches one to a home, and any dog that appears on our Leeds Golden Retriever page is adopted for a fee. Puppies are rarely listed, so set your sights on a young adult or older dog.

If you buy instead, ask to see both parents' hip and elbow scores, eye certificates and DNA results, the tests The Royal Kennel Club lists for the breed, and speak to a vet before you commit; Dogs Trust points out that pre-purchase consultations exist at some practices. The Royal Kennel Club's "Find a puppy" service lists litters, and a suspected scam advert goes to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud).