Christy Mikula Kinship Companions Buyer Beware of Kinship Companions Breeding Program. Pup Charlie came to us with poor genetics and has Kidney dysplasia, situs inversus! Breeder does not cover genetically sick pups unless they die! oostburg, Wisconsin

 I am a Very satisfied owner of a wonderful dog from Kinship Companions.  The owners were kind and took a lot of time with us before they presented any dog for viewing. 

Once it was established that we were safe potential customers, we viewed several dogs.  The dog that best fit our personality and temperament was chosen and we began the adoption process.  Again, everything was explained well, lots of information was shared, and we were told that we could call any time with any questions. 

Having loved this dog for a year now, we couldn't be more impressed!  He is healthy, calm and beautiful.  He came to us fully trained-come, sit, stay, down, etc at 16 weeks of age.  He has been a joy and everyone who meets him falls in love.  I would adopt another dog from Kinship and would recommend them as an excellent choice anyone wishing to adopt a golden or berner.   

 Charlie passed away Dec 30, 2009, only 11 months after the time of purchase/arrival! He died from complications arising from his kidney dysplasia. At the time of his death, we had to give him intravenous injections twice daily, to help his kidneys function. The Mikulas never reached out to us seemingly hiding behind their defunct contract we never actually even signed! That is how the matter with Charlie was resolved.  He died... and the Mikulas showed no sympathy nor appreciation of our attempts and financial burden caring for such a sick puppy.  His portrait hangs on our wall and he will always be remembered. While we paid an emotional and financial hardship, Charlie paid the ultimate sacrifice; losing his life! 

I bought a English Golden Retriever puppy from the Mikulas 4 years ago and my dog Aspen is the sweetest, most well mannered dog that I have ever owned. She is beautiful and has impeccable health. She is such a great dog that when a friend of mine met her, she decided to buy a dog from the Mikulas as well. They have been equally as happy.

The process of buying a dog from the Mikulas was great. They took the time to understand my personality, my needs, and helped to select a puppy that would best be suited to my needs.

I would not hesitate to recommend a dog from them and would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Some pups may make it out of the Kinship Companion breeding program healthy and well. There is always a percentage chance that could happen.  But there is also the ineveitable likelihood that you could bring home a sick pup. And based on the research of the posting above, the Mikulas have an even greater probabiltiy of that occuring since the Mikulas do not test for many genetic defects. If that occurs, take my word for it, because I have plenty of emails to back up this sad fact, these breeders are about $$ and do not care. You will have no recourse for returning the sick pup that you just received nor a promise for replacement when the sick pup passes. Furthermore, you will be stuck paying multiple thousands of dollars to vets only to have the Mikulas attempt to nullify the great level of care you provided the pup as a result of their poor breeding tactics.  Am I a hater? Absolutely not.  I am a realist and speak from experience. Now that I have two very healthy, normal goldens from a responsible breeder, I know the diffierence. Don't rely on low probablility and cute pictures. Choose another breeder; the Mikulas are not decent, empathetic people in my opinion. Once you sign those papers and receive that puppy, they wipe their hands clean of any responsibility. Why take the chance? 

Look, we bought our Golden from the Mikulas and while the dog is a gorgeous dog and well-manered, I would never buy from the breeder again.  Take a look at the contract - the number of restrictions placed on owners should be a *huge* red flag.  I suspect they have some issues with their lines given the number of problems they think one can "fix" by special diets, skipped vaccinations, and not spaying/neutering your dog.

If the genetics are good, if the lines are good, if it's a reputable breeder, then they should stand by the dog for the first two years.  Period.  Either the dog is good or it's not.  Protein percentages, lepto vaccination, and Galaxy brand vaccinations are not to blame.

Communication is spotty, and if you manage to get into the "in group" with the rabid fans you'll learn far too much personal information about the breeder than one would ever care to know.

We get compliments on our dog all the time, but when asked I either refuse to identify the breeder or, if pushed, preface it by saying that they are nuttier than peanut butter.

Learn the lesson I learned, and buy your dog somewhere else.

I, unlike the above re-complainant "Tubie", have done business with this breeder. As I researched the web for reviews, I noticed this "complaint", and thought it necessary to point out a few problems. Some of this data was gathered from a website the kennel no longer uses. Using website data as the sole reason for their complaint tells me the person must have a libelous intent.

It appears as though this person has used Ripoff Report not to share a consumer experience, but to slander the breeders and drive business away to the stated other club-affiliated breeders. For these reasons, I am suggesting that potential customers disregard the information contained, as there are clear indications of mischief and no actual business interactions noted. There was also no follow up to the original story of "Charlie", suggesting the problem was somehow resolved. 

I have been quite pleased with this business, and should note that they were the only breeders in the state who were willing to have us over, meet the litter and parents, and spend some time with the puppies to get a good fit for our newest family member. All the other breeders expected a hefty up-front payment to get on a "selection list" of sorts but did not allow any other interactions with our family and their dogs. I find that to be a bad practice, and I appreciate this kennel's willingness to really interact with us. We are very happy with our dog, and are aware of many other happy dog owners who have done business with this kennel. 

Imapups Quintessential Puppy Girl - "Legacy" (dob 4/8/2009) - no verifiable hip, elbow, eye or heart clearances
Cprfld Imapup's Happily Ever After - "Ever" (dob 7/15/2008) - no verifiable hip, elbow, eye or heart clearances
Imapup's Gnothi Seauton - "Delphi" (4/24/2008) - no verifiable hip, elbow, eye or heart clearances
CPRFLD Imapup's On My Honor I Will Do My Best - "Scout" (01/06/2008) - no verifiable hip, elbow, eye or heart clearances
Imapup's Chasing Rainbows - "Rainey" (11/15/2007) - no verifiable hip, elbow, eye or heart clearances
Sires:
Imapup's Hoalie Alaskan Asher - "Asher" (06/21/2005) - cardiac clearance done by practitioner, not cardiologist, no verifiable hip, elbow, or eye clearances
Imapup's Pistus Elpis Agape Dieu Parmi Nous - "Nous" - (01/28/2008) - no verifiable hip, elbow, eye or heart clearances.  Sired 1st litter at approximately 17 months of age. 
Chien D'Or's Cprflds Easy Money - "Cache" (1/29/2007) - no verifiable hip, elbow, eye or heart clearances.
CPRFLD Imapups Duck. Duck. Goose! - "Goose" or "Jagger" (07/14/2008) - no verifiable hip, elbow, eye or heart clearances.

Not ONE of the Goldens listed on their website has complete and/or verifiable clearances.  The same can be said for their Bernese Mountain Dogs.  They have had several dog records locked on the Golden Retriever database, k9data, for removing the registration number, breeder and owner name from their dogs after it was shown that their dogs were either bred under the age of 2 or bred without verifiable clearances.

At a minimum, Goldens that are being bred should be 2 years of age (the age when FINAL clearances for hips and elbows can be done), have final clearances which are printed on colored paper from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and have an OFA number starting with GR-XXXX, have a cardiac clearance done by a cardiologist (practitioners have received no specialized training in listening to hearts), and a YEARLY eye exam.  Since they are breeding "Imported" "European x Nordic Blend" Goldens", these "breeders" should also be testing for Icthyosis, a skin disease that causes a dogs' skin to flake like fish scales which is more prevalent in European-type Goldens. 

To top it all off, this breeder is now breeding their non-health tested Goldens to non-health tested Bernese Mountain Dogs.  Berners have a HIGH incidence of elbow dysplasia (ranked #6 with the OFA) with 21% of all Berners tested having dysplastic elbows and these "breeders" don't even check for that.

This "breeder" says that they have had no issues with genetic problems.  Well, it's easy to say that when you haven't TESTED your dogs for those issues to see if they have them and their puppies are not being tested to see if any problems has been passed on.  Most genetic/health disorders cannot be diagnosed without testing (x-rays, specialized eye exams, etc).   Many dogs with hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, & cataracts show little to no outward symptoms.  Dogs with heart conditions usually show no outward symptoms but can suddenly drop dead and the owner may be too distraught to get an exam done after the fact to see what caused it.  The breeders who are testing their breeding dogs can eliminate or reduce the risk of the pups having these disorders.  The ones who don't test could be passing on serious and sometimes fatal genetic disorders and not even be aware of it.

Do your homework before you buy - go to the Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) website if you are looking for a Golden.  Go to the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America (BMDCA) if you want a Berner. In either case, make sure that the breeder that you are looking at is doing the best that they can to insure a healthy puppy - by doing the appropriate genetic and health testing!

And they are upfront with that!!  Read your contract!  I had NEVER had an issue with Kinship Companions.  I will stand by them.  I bought two beautiful Goldens.  One belonged to Asher, and according to my vet he is just fine.  Please if you are considering buying a Bernese or Golden Retriever, give Christy and Chuck a chance.  Go meet them, they have always been open and encourage meeting perspective clients. 

You can listen to the "haters" but you'll miss out on some wonderful companions.   I know I have two of the best dogs.  One is going on 5 yrs old the other is just 1.  

Overbreeding of father Asher, may be cause of our dog's multiple genetic issues. Buyer beware of this breeder and their loosely worded warranty!