Adopting a Golden Retriever in Nottingham: the breed club route, costs and health

Under the short answer sits our live count of Golden Retrievers and Golden crosses with rescues in Nottingham or within about 25 miles. For this breed an empty count is common rather than a glitch, which is why the breed club below is the first call and our Nottingham Golden Retriever page is the backup. Other big dogs near the city are on our Nottingham large dogs page.

Golden rehoming in the UK runs largely through regional breed clubs and their volunteer rescue contacts. The Golden Retriever Club, the national club, says to approach your own regional club first and suggests contacting several club volunteers, not just one. For Nottinghamshire, its list points to the Midland Golden Retriever Club, the club for middle England. We found no registered Golden Retriever rescue charity covering the East Midlands.

The Midland club was founded on 2 August 1976 and describes itself as representing the breed across the Midland region, with rescue and rehoming among its services. Its rescue page asks anyone wanting to offer a rescue Golden a home to complete its re-homing questionnaire and email it in. Nothing more is published: no fee, no list of dogs and no further steps. Ask how matching works and what it would expect from you. Remember what it is: a volunteer-run breed club rather than a rescue or a charity, whose dogs never appear in our listings.

The national Golden Retriever Club frames rescue as finding new homes for Goldens whose circumstances mean they can't remain with the people who own them. The page gives no breakdown of reasons, so ask whatever you can about this dog's past routine, health and habits.

An adult from a rescue near Nottingham costs £275 to £450 or so, around the bottom of the £400 to £3,000 a puppy costs by Blue Cross's figures. With the Midland club, the money question has to be asked directly, as nothing is published.

A puppy is microchipped by law by 8 weeks, so the chip comes with it. Its vaccinations and neutering, which PDSA counts among a new dog's set-up costs, come after the purchase price. An adult, by contrast, arrives at its full size, with its energy level plain to see.

The breed is in Category 2 of The Royal Kennel Club's Breed Watch. A rescue dog's parents were probably never screened, so the useful question is what a vet has found in this dog. Start with:

• Hips and elbows. PDSA explains that in hip and elbow dysplasia the joints don't fit together properly, leading to arthritis, and says hips can be screened through the BVA/Kennel Club Hip Dysplasia Scheme. The Royal Kennel Club asks breeders to hip and elbow score as a minimum.
• Eyes. Breeding dogs should have their eyes examined and a DNA test for one type of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), a gradual loss of sight described by PDSA, on The Royal Kennel Club's list. PDSA lists cataracts and glaucoma as well.
• Skin and weight. PDSA describes ichthyosis, an inherited skin condition that leaves rough skin and greasy flakes in the coat, and warns that obesity brings other problems, so ask about the dog's weight and diet.

Be honest with yourself about time and room. The Royal Kennel Club's profile calls for over two hours of exercise daily and pictures the breed in a large house with a large garden, and Dogs Trust describes Goldens as typically high energy, needing daily walks, play and enrichment. Fencing matters to the rescues near the city: Doggy Dens UK Rescue, for instance, asks for at least 5 ft.

PDSA advises against leaving a Golden alone for long, and four hours is the most it suggests for any dog. If you commute into the city, sort out who covers the middle of the day before you apply.

Around Nottingham most Golden searches are for puppies. A rescue or a breed club doesn't sell: it matches a dog to your home and asks a fee or donation, and every Golden that reaches our Nottingham Golden Retriever page is there for adoption. Puppies seldom come up this way, so set your hopes on an adult.

Buying from a breeder? Insist on seeing the mother with her litter, along with paperwork for both parents: hip and elbow scores, eye certificates and DNA tests. Some vets offer a pre-purchase consultation, as Dogs Trust notes, and The Royal Kennel Club lists litters on its "Find a puppy" service. Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) takes reports of scam adverts.