Why We Require Deposits at Activ Goldens

There's a very good reason why we require deposits for our puppies, and unfortunately, it comes down to a rather interesting experience when I first ventured into breeding Golden Retrievers.

Before breeding Golden Retrievers, I bred working Kelpies. Back then, I never took deposits. People were genuine, they committed to a puppy, and everything worked beautifully. There was simply no need for deposits.

When I ventured into breeding Golden Retrievers, I initially took exactly the same approach.

My very first litter consisted of seven beautiful puppies, and I had seven people lined up to take them home. Everything seemed perfect.

Unfortunately, six of those seven people turned out to be fake.

Yes, six out of seven!

Six people who had expressed genuine interest in purchasing a puppy suddenly turned out to be anything but genuine.

Now, I can't prove who was behind those enquiries, and I'm certainly not going to make accusations. But let's just say that I quickly discovered the Golden Retriever breeding world was a little different from the working Kelpie community I'd come from.

Apparently, the welcome committee in the Golden Retriever world operates a little differently! 😂

I certainly have my suspicions about where those fake enquiries originated, but I'll leave that one to everyone's imagination.

What I can say is that the experience taught me a valuable lesson and completely changed how I operate.

Why Deposits Are Necessary

At Activ Goldens, I don't breed puppies hoping I'll eventually find homes for them.

I only plan litters when I have a genuine waiting list of families wanting one of our puppies.

I'm very passionate about responsible breeding, and the last thing I want is to produce a litter without knowing there are committed families waiting to welcome those puppies into their homes.

Requiring a deposit helps me achieve that.

It gives me confidence that the people on my waiting list are genuine, committed and serious about welcoming one of our UK Field Golden Retrievers into their family.

It also makes life considerably more difficult for anyone who might have a little too much spare time and an unusual interest in interfering with someone else's breeding program!

My View Is Pretty Simple

If someone genuinely wants one of our puppies, I don't believe paying a $600 deposit is an unreasonable request.

Our puppies are planned well in advance, and there's an enormous amount of time, effort, expense and love involved in producing every litter.

A deposit is simply a commitment from both sides.

I know some breeders and breeding organisations are strongly opposed to taking deposits, and that's absolutely their choice.

Ironically, if everyone in the Golden Retriever world had been as straightforward and genuine as the people I dealt with when breeding Kelpies, I probably wouldn't need to take deposits in the first place!

But experience is a wonderful teacher.

For me, deposits aren't about making money. They're about protecting our breeding program, ensuring our puppies have committed homes waiting for them, and preventing dishonest people from disrupting something I've worked incredibly hard to build.

And after that rather memorable introduction to the Golden Retriever world, it's one policy I have absolutely no intention of changing.

Rhys — Activ Goldens