Our Story
Welcome to Summer’s Goldens!
We’re Chuck and Marta Wysong, a family Golden Retriever breeder located in Wawaka, Indiana.
Since 2016, our goal is to produce high-quality golden retrievers with excellent health and temperaments. Our goldens have plenty of fresh, country air and space to run, both of which are essential to their health and wellness. Goldens are known for their loving personalities and desire nothing more than to please you, their adopted owners. They are also superb dogs for families with children.
We firmly believe that if you are going to do something in life, do it the right way and do it as best as you can. We view our puppies as extensions of our family. The adoption process is an opportunity to blend our family and yours, and we keep in touch with many of our puppies’ families over the years. Our advanced health testing, cutting-edge socialization, and continual customer support provide the best experience possible for families who adopt our golden retrievers. We know purchasing a puppy is a huge decision in your life, and we invite you to join us.
The Summer’s Goldens Story
Learn more about our story, why we do what we do, and how we raise Golden Retrievers with integrity, compassion and love!
We prioritize Excellent Health.
Many breeders focus on a “show” quality dog or a certain look. At Summer’s Goldens, we focus on life-long family companions. While we carry many Champion bloodlines, we use careful genetic selection to lower the COI (Coefficient Of Inbreeding) of our dogs and improve the breed. Lower COI contributes to better long-term health and benefits golden retrievers as a whole. We don’t breed just for today; we breed with the future in mind to have healthy, happy golden retrievers for decades to come.
We follow the health-testing guidelines of the American Kennel Club and the Golden Retriever Club of America by examining our adult dogs’ hips, elbows, eyes, and heart through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). We also evaluate their hips using PennHIP, one of the most objective, scientifically proven hip exams for dogs. We only want the finest goldens to become mothers and fathers.
Not only are our adult dogs examined in these four key areas, but they are also genetically tested through Embark, one of the most reputable and thorough genetic companies. Embark partners with Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to research the latest developments in canine genetics. Although genetics are not fool-proof to guarantee healthy puppies, we recognize their role in allowing us to make the best possible breeding decisions to minimize risks and help our puppies live long and healthy lives. Pairing healthy, genetically diverse parents is especially important for purebred dogs like golden retrievers.
We also adhere to the USDA’s standards for raising all of our dogs in a high-quality environment with plenty of love and attention. We care about our adult dogs’ physical, mental, and social health. Check out our Adult Dogs to see pictures and information about our mothers and fathers.
All of our puppies are:
Socialization is key for friendly, well-adjusted Golden Retriever puppies.
Not only do we focus on health, but we also take extra care to socialize our puppies well. We strive to cultivate friendly personality traits in our Golden Retriever Puppies for sale. High-quality socialization during the first two months of a puppy’s life is one of the most critical components of its lifelong development. Socialization provides a strong foundation for emotionally healthy, well-adjusted adult dogs. This is easy to claim but hard to do. There simply is no replacement for quality time spent with puppies.
We follow the lead of Dr. Carmen L. Battaglia and perform early neurological stimulation (ENS) exercises when the puppies are 3-16 days old. Studies have shown that dogs exposed to these exercises at a young age have improved cardiovascular performance, stronger heart beats, higher tolerance to stress, stronger adrenal glands, and greater resistance to disease. You can read more about early neurological stimulation on the AKC and Breeding Better Dogs.
We continue thorough socialization until the puppies leave us. This includes exposing our puppies to a variety of different surfaces to walk on; human touch all over their bodies; temperature changes; different sounds like fireworks, doorbells, cats meowing, and car engines; children; baths and nail trims, and more. We want our puppies to be more than just physically healthy; we want them to be mentally and emotionally ready for their future families.
We screen all potential families through our Puppy Application. We are committed to finding a forever home for each puppy, so we want to make sure the puppy is a good match for each family.
From start to finish, we care about our Golden Retriever puppies and their families.
We include a personalized care package with every puppy to help you get started on the right paw. It includes the puppy’s individual baby photos, a blanket with the mother’s scent, a variety of toys, a bag of the puppy’s current food, and more to help your puppy transition as smoothly as possible.
As a breeder with integrity, we are members of the Golden Retriever Club of America and the American Kennel Club. We are also certified by the USDA, ICAW (Indiana Council of Animal Welfare), and BOAH (Indiana State Board of Animal Health). We are an A+ accredited business with the BBB (Better Business Bureau). You are welcome to read our reviews on Google and Facebook, as well as the Testimonials on our site. Our goal is to improve the breed of golden retrievers and provide outstanding companions for families. Raising Goldens is more than a hobby for us; it’s a way of life.
If you have any questions or would like to come visit us in northern Indiana, please email us at info@summersgoldens.com. We would love to meet you and help you get to know our beautiful puppies!
Sincerely,
Chuck & Marta Wysong
Our Certifications & Commitment to Excellence
At Summer’s Goldens, we have chosen to go above and beyond what most other breeders consider as normal. Our certifications reflect our commitment to ethical breeding practices, the health of all of our Golden Retrievers, and the trust we build with each of our puppies’ families.
The best part is the puppy we have is extremely well-socialized, and ready to be part of a family. She is everything we hoped for in a golden retriever and a family dog. We have construction going on in our house right now, and she has adapted to all the loud saws and drills better than expected. She handled her first nail trim like a champ, and she is quiet when held. To put it simply, our puppy is a joy to be around. We can't recommend Summer's Goldens enough.
From e-mailing Marta when I was searching for a reputable golden retriever breeder, to receiving photos when her litter was born and then visiting to pick out my puppy and then take her home...the entire process was seamless and enjoyable! My husband and I drove over 5 hours twice (once for the 5 week visit and then to pick her up) because Summer's Goldens felt the most honest and comfortable.
Nala was already so well adjusted and socialized when we brought her home. I did a fair amount of training with her as a puppy, but I felt like she already knew a few things when we brought her home and she caught on so quickly.
She has been the best dog for my husband and I! Nala is such a sweet girl, has a spunky personality and is such a healthy dog! I attribute those things to good long lines of health in the dogs that Marta breeds and the loving environment she provides for the puppies for the 8 weeks she raises them before they go home.
We will most definitely be visiting again once we decide it's time for a 2nd dog. I can not recommend Summer's Goldens enough!!!!
We’ve brought joy to hundreds of families. Keep reading to learn more about their experience in working with us!