I purchased a Shiba Inu back in 2008 from this breeder. Anya could not care less who she is selling the dog to, as long as she gets paid. Like others have said, you HAVE to purchase food/vitamins, and other nonsense before they release the dog to you. This breeder is more concerned about how many dollars they collect rather than who the people they are going to. This is more of a BUSINESS than a BREEDER. Make sure you understand that before committing. Personally, I would have rather dealt with a breeder, someone who cares more about the welfare of the dogs, than someone who is money hungry. read more

It is too bad people who don't know what they are talking about deem Icewind Farm as a puppy mill. I grew up in a home where we trained several dogs for the guide dog foundation which is located in Smithtown NY. The foundation had a very professional grade kennel where they kept their pups. Karen has the same type of facility. It is clean and efficiently run. My puppy is going to turn one year old on July 5th. She is healthy, happy, fun -- and as smart as any of the service dogs my family trained -- if not smarter. I consider myself very experienced in the Golden Retriever breed, and I knew quality when I saw it. Sure the dog food is a little bit expensive but I am still feeding it to my dog because it keeps her teeth white and her breath fresh. It is higher quality dog food than the junk you can buy at the supermarket. Since the food is not full of grains and junk that are bad for dogs my dog is happy and healthy. Karen was an excellent help even after my dog came home. My vet found a heart murmur in my pup too. Karen was ready and willing to take the dog back for a full refund if it didn't go away. After three weeks it was gone and my puppy is fine. We will go back to Icewind for another dog in a heartbeat. As soon as we have a larger yard we will. In honor of where my puppy came from her American Kennel Club (AKC) registered name is,"Anastasia's Hope of Icewind." We call her Hope for short. When our last Golden passed away after 12 wonderful years....I needed some Hope and my Icewind puppy has filled my heart with it! Keep up your good work Karen, Ana and Danielle!! Ignore the skeptics -- no matter what there will always be some no matter what we do. read more

We got our puppy from Icewind Farm back in August of 2010 and couldn't possibly imagine a better experience. We got a beautiful red Shiba who we had to take to obedience class, but he is the best dog anyone could ever ask for. He is so kind and gentle with everyone including with new people and loves to play with other dogs. The prices might be a little high, but my dog is a 10 out of 10 in the looks department and yout couldn't possibly get a dog with better temperment in this breed elsewhere. I keep bugging my wife because I want to get another one. read more

Well my other review was filtered for some reason and yelp won't help. In a nutshell I gave the place 4 stars...I have concerns but overall I was happy. Please view my profile for the full review. read more

UPDATE - we were walking our Shibas at Central Park today and met someone who also got their Shiba from Icewind. This person told us that they found out that Icewind had sold them a PUPPY MILL dog. They researched the papers Icewind provided and found out that their dog was from a puppy mill. Horrible! Their Shiba has a knotted tail, which means that he can never uncurl it or wag it, it it just always in a ball. Hopefully this place is closed or will close down soon. read more

Alright. The first review was a bit ridiculous. Karen and Anya do NOT run a puppy mill. I do however believe they breed dogs for the money, which is why they have several litters per year of Shibas, Golden Retrievers, cats and now I think they are getting into Malamute breeding. They definitely love the dog breeds - but it's a love that is also a business and in my opinion, has gotten completely carried away. I got my Shiba from Icewind in 2007. My brother also owns an Icewind Shiba and got her in 2007. The dogs are gorgeous and aside from a surgery my dog had to have (not life threating at all), he's been very healthy. My brother's dog has been healthy also. It's true that Karen is not too helpful. At least in my experience. But from what I understand she has some health issues that have prevented her from leading the ideal life. Her daughter is taking over the puppy breeding, sales, etc and she's probably what, 18 now? Young to be dealing with so many people. If you're looking for an in-home breeder that breeds a few litters a year then this is NOT your place. But I can't say that they are a puppy mill because honestly, they aren't. Do you know what a puppy mill is? The Shiba I got from Karen was clean, healthy and is an absolute blessing. His parents were not mistreated like they mistreat dogs in puppy mills. IF you want to know what a puppy mill is google "Madonna of the mills" - excellent newer documentary. Unfortunately- Shiba Inu's often end up in rescues and I do think it's because of the over breeding. There is NO reason at all that Icewind should be having 20 or so litters per year, or more. Especially considering the size of a Shiba Inu litter, which can be up to quite a few dogs. A true, reputable breeder who breeds dogs should do so to bring awareness to the breed and promote it's health and well being by breeding outstanding dogs and finding homes for them with people who truly know what they are getting into. That being said, if a breeder is truly trying to breed the highest quality of dog to carry on a great look/temperament, then that breeder usually has no more than 6. I currently reside in Colorado and have come to realize just how devastating it is that SO MANY SHIBA's end up being euthanized or put down because of the poor ownership. Breeders should NOT breed so much because these poor Shiba's are going to families who want a cute puppy or cute small dog, not because they truly know what the breed represents. Look into rescuing a Shiba OR buying from a breeder who breeds less than Icewind. I was only 21 when I bought my dog and now I've done plenty of research to come to the conclusion that while Icewind produced a wonderful Shiba for ME; i will not be purchasing from them again. read more

STAY AWAY! My husband and I had an awful experience with this "breeder." Their website attempts to portray a caring, small family environment but that was not our experience whatsoever. They claimed to have four pregnant females when we were looking and the first email made it seem like there were only a few others on the waiting list so we went ahead with the deposit. Then they attempted the first bait and switch. There was a puppy that was available immediately but was more expensive; we passed as it wasnt the right time and we weren't going to spend more than their already high price. Soon after, we were informed that there was a puppy available and we agreed to terms. We received an email a few days later that we needed to schedile an appointment to "pick our puppy" which confused us as we assumed there was just one. We went back and forth attempting to schedule but somehow every appoijtment they offered was booked by the time we responded. This, to me, indicates they sell way more puppies then they let on! For a few weeks there was no further communication until we asked for update pics. All of a sudden, they claim our puppy was sick and jot for sale. They again attempted a bait and switch for older dogs for the same price. We had it at that point and knew something was up with this place. They offered a refund and we accepted but of course they didn't refund the entire payment, claiming "paypal fees" were almost $50 and our responsibility after the fact. They were unresponsive until we gor paypal involved and thankfully paypal did right by us. The whole experience was eye-opening amd smelled fishy from the start. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere, not worth the agony! read more

I was shocked to read the negative statements made about things being posted concerning Ice Wind Farms. I completely agree that unless you personally had dealings with them you should NOT post! When we were looking for a dog we considered a shelter dog, but I just felt we would never know what we would be getting. We did our research on dogs and found the Shebas . We had one Sheba prior to purchasing from Ice Wind Farms. When looking for our second we found Ice Wind Farms. Everyone there was very helpful, and willing to answer all the questions we had. I spoke to them several times, and never once felt they were rushed. In addition to the phone calls we contacted them through their email, and those were answered with in a day. We felt the difference the first time we held him, this little Sheba was different from our first. This Sheba is much calmer and well adjusted than our previous one. He was socialized, and not only with people and other dogs, but also with cats! That was a huge for us since we have four of them. Our vet was very impressed with the health of our dog, and the records provided by Ice Wind Farms. Our little Sheba came to a family with broken hearts, we had lost one family member and were in the processes of losing two family members to cancer. He did not know, but he came to heal our hearts through his love, and antics, and his loyalty. he was easy to train, and easy to love. He is our life boat, and I am so thankful to Ice Wind Farms for the love they gave him from the time of his birth, until he was ready to come o our home. It is wise to remember that all generalities are false. no one never does something, nor do they always do something. Life is something in between, with the focus on what is the best thing for all. Ice Wind Farms did their best for our family! read more

I had a very bad experince with Icewind Shibas. This is the first time I tried to buy a dog in the United States and got to know that AKC marketplace could be a good option. I found Icewind shibas profile and liked it a lot and was looking forward to buy a puppy from them. I went on their website , followed all the steps they mentioned to buy a puppy. I filled out the Puppy application form and then contacted them on their email given on the website. I waited two days for them to contact me back. I got no response even when their website says that 'Emails are checked daily'. Then i paid the deposit which was the second step to buy a puppy. I got the response the same day. However, nowhere on the AKC profile or their official website the price was mentioned. I could not afford the price at which they were selling the dog. I found better options elsewhere. It took the payment for them to respond and now the deposit is non-refundable. This is ridiculous. I have not heard back from them since 20 days on this issue. $500 is a very big amount for to let go. All other websites allow an option to change our decision. They charge some online paypal fees and return the remaining deposit. i'm still hopeful that they really care about their customers. read more

Awful experience. We drove 3 hours and were then told we wouldn't have the full amount of the deposit credited towards our purchase (that was never told to us until that day). This is definitely more of a puppy mill. They care only about the money. Little interest in the dogs, their welll being or their customers. I am so happy with our dog but would never recommend to friends or get another dog from this breeder. read more

First of all, I find it hard to believe that the negative reviews could possibly be true. Initially I had qualms about buying a puppy from Icewind farms based on these reviews, but I am so grateful that I trusted my own instincts and purchased a puppy from them. My shiba inu puppy is an absolute dream. Interaction between myself and IceWind farms was never anything short of professional. Anya always returned our calls and emails, promptly answering any questions we might have. When it came time to choose a puppy, Anya made sure she matched up our needs with the puppy's disposition. I cannot stress enough what a perfect match she made! Fiona is the most loving dog we could wish for. Healthy as a horse, kind, and friendly to all. We even had her stay at Icewind farms for boarding with Anya while we went on vacation, and once again, we were thrilled with the service. Fiona was well taken care of and seemed to have a wonderful time there while we were away. If you want to buy a puppy from a family who truly love their animals, value their health, and socialize them immediately, go with icewind. I cannot recommend this place enough! read more

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about my experience with Ice Wind Farms. We purchased a perfect little black Shiba in October of 2015 and brought him home in December 2015. He is healthy, happy and vibrant. We are constantly stopped in the street by people saying how beautiful and striking he is. Karen was an absolute pleasure to work with - she was very accommodating and helpful through everything. She truly loves the puppies and I stay in touch with her and send her pictures of our dog as he has grown up so much over the last year. I recommend making a site-visit prior to purchase to see their facilities and meet some of the dogs - they are all happy and roaming free. We are already considering (in the next few years) another Shiba and absolutely will be going back to Ice Wind Farm. read more

Not a fan of this breeder. My parents got 2 of their puppies in the late spring of 2009. One has no adult teeth on both sides top and bottom after her puppy teeth fell out so she only has front teeth and a few molars. Took her to vet to see if they were just late coming in but no adult teeth are present in X-rays . Vet said its just a defect from genetics. I got an adult male from the breeder when I saw how cute my parents puppy were and specifically asked if the male was good with kids and Karen said yes. When I picked up the dog Jesse, I was told to call immediately if we had any problems and they would take him back. He was an absolute gem until he met my 5 year old (who we call the animal whisperer for her ability to be amazing with any creature). He lashed out and lunged at her. I called ice wind that second and no answer. I left my daughter with my parents for the night and took jesse with me. Called the "farm" all night and the next day. No answer. Emailed, no answer. Had my father bring my daughter over to try meeting again and kept jesse on the leash. He lunged and snarled again toward her. I'm 140 pounds and could barely hold Jesse back. My parents took my daughter again while I tried to contact them several more times and left voicemails about the urgency to bring him back to them and surprise, no response. I ended up boarding him at the vet until I found a single woman with no kids to adopt him. He was a great dog but not ok with kids as Karen convinced me. He is now in a good home but the deception is awful. to this day never returned my calls. Do not recommend at all read more

We purchased a golden from Icewind about 6 months ago and we had a very good experience with Icewind and Karen, the owner. Our puppy is bright, crate trained in 2 mos, was fully house-trained in 4 mos and acclimated great to our family including 2 kids and another dog. He's a great family dog. Yes, scheduling apptmts to meet/pickup the puppy were a bit difficult, but once we were there, Karen was knowledgeable, spent plenty of time answering questions and letting us interact with the litter - no issues. Yes, they push expensive raw food and NuVet supplements in order to get the 'health guarantee' but ultimately, once we left, we changed the food (puppy wasn't thriving on it) and kept the NuVet - no issues. Never during the process did we get the sense they were a puppy mill. Both parents were onsite, delightful dogs, the pups were cleaned and well cared for and the facility was clean and well-maintained. I can't speak for the Shiba breeding as we had no exposure to that - however, on the golden side, we are thrilled with our puppy and while time will tell what he'll be like as a mature dog, but so far, he's healthy and a perfect family dog. read more

I've read through the reviews here before I start to write my own. Honestly, I don't quite understand, or I just didn't experience what other negative reviewers said. 1) Karen is great at dealing with buyers, even buyers like me, that changed my mind after making an commitment. We got put in the queue for a red male, and ranks #15. However my fiancé just can't wait that long since the first visit to their farm and actually got in touch with those shibas. So we also got put in the queue for a white male/female. Karen contacted us twice about newly born white puppies but we declined with apologies cause deep in our heart, we've always wanted a red male. During the process, Karen was patient and we appreciate it. ...5 months passed... Finally we got our GOOGLE(name for the puppy). He's healthy and good looking! 2) Karen takes good care of the dogs and provides more than enough information about how to take care of them in the future. Not only were we required to provide a proof of visiting a vet in 3 days, which confused me a little but assumed that she wanted to make sure we did it, the vitamins that we were asked to feed the dog also received positive comments from the vet. 3) The price of goodies are not expensive Compare to the price online, the crate sold here is nearly half the price we saw online, the food is about the same price, toys are among 5-15 bucks which is also the same in petco. In general, not expensive, period. read more

I bought a puppy from Icewind in 2006 and bought the vitamins and took him t the vet and he is the healthiest dog. Some people even say he is the biggest shiba they have ever seen. I agree hours should be more flexible but from what I seem they aren't a puppy mill. Pet Pourri at the Rockaway mall buys puppies from Puppy mills in Kansas. I bought a poor huskimo and after 5 days he died from Parvo and Corona virus. I have actual physical paper showing that the puppy came from a puppy mill. Icewind shows a lot of care in breeding their dogs and I hope to get another wonderful dog from there after the deviating tragedy my family just experience last month. read more

My family and I recently made the trip to Icewind from Virginia, to purchase a golden puppy. We had read mixed reviews but figured the most we would lose going there is a few hours of our time. We are so glad we took this trip. Our puppy is perfect. She is sweet, outgoing, and beautiful. Everywhere we go people ask where we got her. The employees were EXTREMELY helpful and knowledgeable. I didn't mind paying for the food or vitamins, considering my puppy had been eating that food and taking those vitamins before we got her. Small price to pay for health, in my opinion. We brought her to our vet and he gave us a rave review about her health. I would say that Icewind did not disappoint and I would recommend to anyone looking for a new puppy. read more

Just got a dog from here a few months ago, wasn't a puppy was one of the dogs used for breeding. First I'd like to point out the listing for the dog was entirely false, she was neither crate or house trained, and the dog has anxiety issues. We can't leave her alone out of the crate. Second, the dog is completely afraid of any human males, she is so afraid that she will flinch at any movement I make towards her almost as if she was beaten by someone. My only recommendation is if you do get a dog from these people it should only be a puppy for the soul reason that they haven't had a chance to ruin the dog yet read more

We recently purchased two female golden retrievers from Icewind Farms and couldn't be more delighted with our girls. Being breeders ourselves, we were very pleased with the way Karen and Anya took care of us. The health and gentle demeanour of both pups is as good as it could possible get. As we travelled from Canada to pick them up, Anya and Karen were extremely accommodating for our flight schedules. They also kept us up to speed with photos and regular updates throughout the eight weeks. If we ever need another puppy, we wouldn't hesitate for a minute to go back to Icewinds. read more

We had a terrible experience with a ICEWIND breeders. We did a ton of research and found them as an AKC Heart breeder who gave life time health guarantee in northern Jersey about 3 hours away from our house. We spent $2,600. She did not give us the vet clearance certificate (we assume it was in the folder). We were so thrilled getting the puppy we did not notice under his neck was BALD! Paid an extra $50 for microchip. Vet said there is no chip. Vet said skin scrape On his neck and it came back with MITE larve. Contacted breeder. She said vet must not have International chip reader (he does). We sent her picture of his neck. Her answer "looks like beautiful healthy pink skin." We said "you mean where fur should be????" She told us to get a new vet. Said she would send us a chip to have vet insert (she hasn't). When we finally got it, it was in a #10 envelope and shredded by USPS. We complained and she finally sent it again in a USPS cardboard envelope. But too late, we got him chipped on our own. As of March 12, eight weeks after picked up our puppy, we have yet to receive his AKC paperwork. How can Icewind be an AKC HEART breeder recommended when they are more like a backyard breeder? read more

I am happy to write such a positive review for Icewind. From the first interaction with Karen through the adoption of our Golden puppy, everything was top notch! Danielle was also a pleasure to deal with. The facility was very clean and dogs were beautiful. You can tell that they care about all of their animals. We continue to receive emails with all of their research on continued care of the puppy. We brought home a beautiful English Golden with a great temperament. Our vet wholeheartedly agreed. She stated that the breeder did a great job. I would highly recommend Icewind. read more

We purchased a puppy from Icewind Farm last year and agree that there is no flexibility with the pickup and found Anya was quite phony. I took the entire transaction as a money deal, not that she had any concern over all of the beautiful puppies she was selling. My puppy was extremely timid, which I attributed to the extreme trama of leaving her litter mates. We took her to our vet the following day and they took tests and said it would take a day or two for the results, but the physical appeared fine. The following day our puppy became severely ill that night we took her to the emergency hospital (as recommended by our vet). She had a parasite (which was not covered in the warranty - we signed off on it). Although, taking our puppy to the hospital was not our issue with this breeder and we had no problem with paying whatever to bring her back to health...my problem was with how Anya spoke to me about this situation. I faxed the health report along with the hospitalization records so that she knew what was happening our new puppy. I never once asked for any money or criticized her on the health of my new puppy. She yelled at me that I should not keep her in the hospital - even though my new puppy required to be admitted due to her loss of fluids by the vet. She criticized my treatment of my new puppy, although I was following the hospital's advice. With all said and done, my puppy was in the hospital for 9 days and finally came to good health again. The cost of the hospital was 2x the price we paid to Anya...and that doesn't bother me so much as that Anya never once called me once to see how her so called beloved puppy was after I told her how sick she was. BTW - my vet told me to take her off the supplements and they were not necessary since I was feeding her a quality puppy food...Blue Buffalo. read more

We got an absolutely beautiful dog from them. A few months in we discovered my young son was allergic to her. I called and called to see if they had any tips or advice about how to control the hair shedding (which was making my son so stuffed up) but noone responded to me. At all. Fast forward 2 years later and our beautiful baby girl had a lump constricting her spine. Vet said it's most likely from a genetic disease that malamutes are prone too. I thought they would have been tested for diseases before being sold for a whopping $1000. I'm disgusted with this breeder and would never recommend them. read more

Our family purchased a black and tan Shiba Inu puppu from Icewind Farm in Spring 2015. The transaction felt less like business and more like a relationship and the start of a long-term friendship. The process was transparent, organized, with no hidden fees or requirements. Icewind answered all of our questions promptly before and for months after we took the puppy home. The animal we received is a gorgeous, happy, healthy dog that surpassed all of our expectations as first time Shiba owners. She has added so much to our lives and we are grateful everyday to have found Icewind Farm. We hope others experience the gift of an Icewind puppy as well!. read more

NEVER buy from them! Absolutely horrible experience for us. Anya told us we would be 3rd in line for a puppy from 1 of 2 pregnant females. Told us that the non-refundable deposit of $450 secured our place. After 2 months we found out after several unanswered phone calls and emails led us to notice that they had updated their website and taken down the "expected litters" part that the puppies were born. They finally told us that someone had offered an additional $1000 deposit and moved us down the list- so out 2 month wait was now a one year wait, and that we would not receive our deposit back- even though we were hesitant to leave one, and they insisted the deposit secured our place. Said they "don't know why the second pregnant female had no puppies" and that the first were all taken. No heads up, no refund- no nothing. Just that if we give an additional $1000 we'd secure our place- for sure this time. We're currently perusing legal action. read more

Our family decided we wanted to add another 4 legged member to our family, and after hours of searching and searching through breeders, I'm so glad I stumbled upon Icewind. The farm was clean, and the animals are obviously well cared for and loved. We brought home a healthy retriever puppy who has been nothing but the perfect new member of our family! Karen and Danielle were nothing short of professional and friendly - answering any questions we had and always keeping us updated on the puppies (which my kids LOVED!). If my husband allow me (ha!) I will definetly be a repeat customer! read more

I went there to apply for a job as a kennel attendant.I did a search on the phone number in the paper & found out where it was.They have a outdoor kennel system,,that has about 80-100 dogs.They live off these dogs.They were not interested in talking very much & were very rude.They obviously lived fairly high on the hog off these poor animals.They owned 3 large V-10 New Pickup trucks & were doing well financially.I asked who their Vet is that checked on the dogs & they told me to leave. read more

My husband and I are currently in the process of receiving our second Shiba from Icewind Farm and I have to say both experiences have been excellent!! They are far from a puppy mill!! Anya and Karen love their dogs and care so much for their health and well-being that they do not put them in any unsafe situations or over breed, people who think they are a puppy mill are uneducated about what a breeder really is! Her facility is so clean with no overwhelming smells; the dogs are given plenty of room to play and nice large crates to sleep in. Also the property has large acreage so there is plenty of outside fields to run around along with covered runs and kennels for protection from rain and sun. These dogs are fully taken care of and are a part of their family. As far as being overpriced, I've done my research and comparison shopping between her store, PetCo, Petsmart and Amazon and here are some of my findings: 1. FOOD: The Iams can & dry food plus the NuVet vitamins at $60 is a steal. A 90 day supply of NuVet online ALONE is $65.00 with tax and shipping! SO this is an obvious savings. The reason she "makes" you purchase this is for her peace of mind that the new owner will give the animal the vitamins and properly wean the puppy off the food they started on to the food you would like them to continue with. Dramatically changing a Shiba's diet can cause serious upset stomach and diarrhea! 2. TOYS/Supplies: a puppy Kong Anya sells $1 less than the big pet stores and most of her toys are in the same price range of $5 - $25. Even the Fulminator is a couple dollars cheaper than at Petsmart - $45 vs $48. 3. DOG: As far as the price for the dog, it is sooo worth the money. The puppies are housetrained, crate trained, leash trained and up-to-date with vaccines and vet appointments whereas I have found other NJ Shiba breeders that do not provide this and because of that they are cheaper. I'd rather spend a little bit more to get a better trained and tempered dog. Also to complain about appointments is ridiculous! Don't you make appointments for your doctor, your hair, your car service, etc.?! Why would it be any different to see a puppy? We work too and have gone after 5pm or plan to go on a weekend! I know I like the one-on-one time with the dogs and Anya to know I have her attention and get all my questions answered without having to worry about someone else interrupting. Also Anya is super friendly and very smart for young women! She really knows her dogs, their temperaments, their health and how to care and make them happy. My husband and I could not ask for a better breeder and experience! Our 3-year old male Shiba is very healthy, even our Vet was shocked on how healthy and great of a specimen he is. Also to be negative about Anya requesting you make a Vet appointment right away is in YOUR & your dog's best interest, so again why is this a negative? I called my Vet a couple weeks prior to our pickup date, made our appointment and it only costs $75. Big deal! Do your research before purchasing any dog, make sure to ask questions and make multiple visits, this will be work! Without work and research you can't make an informed decision and that leads to unnecessary problems. Whoever said it's easy is lying, but with Icewind they do make the process as simple for you and your new addition as possible. I would be more turned off by a breeder if they didn't ensure that I was going to take the upmost care with the puppy as they do!! Or let me roam around unsupervised without an appointment or even overwhelm me with information and care instructions. Take negative feedback with a grain of salt on this site - people that complain about stupid stuff are either competitors or just anti-breeders! I've grown up with shelter animals and rescues, I volunteer my spare time helping/donating with organizations so don't think I am unsupportive either! I just know a good breeder when I see one, especially for a breed that is very hard to find in a shelter! Believe me I've spent months looking and visiting. Everything I have said is my god honest truth and experience, there is no need to sugar coat! I do understand other people's opinions but all I ask is you spend time doing research before purchasing any animal and really think to yourself - Would I get an animal from someone who doesn't really care to know how I'm going to care for and treat this animal when I leave their establishment? read more

First, this place is not closed. Unfortunately. Please listen to the warnings, I didn't. The short version of my experience is that most of her puppies are unhealthy and I bought a supposedly healthy puppy that wound up having a luxating patella that she not only lied about but refused on several occasions to take responsibility for. If you buy from her, accept that the health of your puppy will be the flip of a coin (at best odds) and if it's not healthy, you will not be compensated in any way. Keep in mind that yes, there are the select few that get one of the rare puppies that isn't unhealthy from her and there will always be some good reviews to pin hopes on. Even some of the five star reviews state their puppy was unhealthy. These do NOT excuse the plethora of unhealthy puppies and corruption from this breeder. Don't let your wanting to get a puppy faster interfere with your better judgement. I found several warnings online that she sells unhealthy puppies and is actually a puppy mill but I couldn't find as many personal examples readily accessible so here is mine. And if it's not enough, join the shibainuforum (it's a private forum) and read the hundreds of similar experiences of unhealthy puppies, corruption, forged paperwork, and even illegal actions. Oh, and research NuVet, it's a puppy mill ploy to get more money. I confronted her about the reviews and warnings and she came back with what seemed like a reasonable response, blaming other breeders of being gossipers and Yelp paying off people and so on. For some reason, I believed her and decided to stick to the deposit. Big mistake. I can't say she is a puppy mill because I didn't see the premises (we asked to see our puppy's dad and instead of letting us see the kennels, they went and got him and brought him to us) but I will say she is definitely not a reputable breeder and certainly not a respectable breeder. I knew several puppies she had when I got mine and all but one were unhealthy (heart murmurs, luxating patellas, abnormalities). The whole process was her plugging her products, even sending emails that was basically spam about buying her stuff. Buy my kennel, buy my leashes, buy my toys, buy buy buy. The first warning sign that all she cares about is money. Her puppies are also over $1000 more than most. The puppy I was supposed to get had a heart murmur and I was offered her sister instead. I decided to take her because the heart murmur made me nervous and her sister was supposedly healthy aside from an overbite that she said would never, could never be a problem. Of course, my vet dispelled that immediately saying it could very well cause several complications as she grows. That, however, was the least of the bad news. Turns out, my guaranteed healthy puppy had a luxating patella in one knee and the other was loose. IceWind states that they do not sell puppies with patella problems and in fact give them away so, naturally, she lied about this fact, refused to accept 2 vets' and several vet techs' diagnosis, and refused to do anything about it. I sent several emails that she blatantly ignored. I had to send emails multiple times to force her to answer me at all. She kept using her vet's "opinion" as her crutch and saying she didn't sell an unhealthy puppy despite the fact that I had proof that the puppy I got from her was unhealthy. She even at one point tried to blame me for her luxating patella even though we had her for 2 days before taking her to the vet, 2 days in which she was barely allowed to do anything in the house much less allowed to do something that could cause an extremely rare case of trauma induced luxating patella. On top of this, her vet stated that the puppy's knee "could be popped out of place but popped back in on its own. This is not a luxating patella". However if you are familiar you know it is and if not, simply Google it because that is literally the definition of a grade 1 luxating patella. She has, still to this point, refused to respond to that fact along with a dozen other questions I have asked. I tried to at least get answers to my questions, mostly about her vet's statement and wanting to know why she refused to make an offer and ignored all of my suggested compromises. She has refused. Of course I love my puppy but that doesn't excuse the breeder from responsibility or negate the fact that we will likely spend thousands on supplements for her patella and could possible have to pay for a surgery that's over 2 grand let alone the fact that she is going to have problems with her leg her whole life. The short truth of the matter is IceWind sells unhealthy puppies, lies about it, and refuses responsibility. I've made an anonymous account because I'm ashamed I allowed myself to get a dog from IceWind and don't want to advertise my email with them. read more

My mother and I are very experienced dog owners, and have had many rescue dogs over the years. However, we never had a Golden Retriever before. When we decided that we wanted a large breed dog, we considered Goldens. I didn't know about the English Cream, and thought they were gorgeous. In my research I found Icewind Farm. Karen responded quickly to my request to visit. Upon our arrival we found the home to be lovely, and the kennel area to be extremely clean and well-maintained. The dogs, both Goldens and Shibas, all looked healthy and well cared for. We had planned to visit a few breeders, but once we met our pup's mother and father, we were sold. All of the early puppy care provided by Karen and her family has definitely paid off. We received a healthy, confident, well-behaved puppy that has been a joy to train. He has been excelling in obedience and at 5 months old already earned his AKC Star Puppy certificate. Karen has always presented as friendly and professional, and I have been maintaining ongoing contact with her to keep her posted on Teddy's progress. I would definitely recommend Icewind Farm! read more

You must be careful with this breeder. I purchased a Shiba Puppy from them in May. He is a lovely male Shiba. Amazing disposition and handsome beyond belief. However, at the 7 month mark, he showed hip dysplasia. After talking to the orthopedic specialist she said it was quite common in the breed. Also, the thing that bothered me is when I picked up the puppy is the paperwork was incorrect. Meaning the the vet certificate had his sister's name and not his. They just crossed it off and told me to call the vet. I did follow up and till this day I still do not have the right copy. Also, on the breeding certificate the mother and father do not match the other materials they gave me. I've heard that other people have bought dogs from Ice Wind and have had no problems. My first vet bill for my dog to get diagnosed with hip dysplasia was $800. Spend more money on your dog and go to a more reputable breeder. There is also one other thing you should know. They say the guarantee for the dog only stands if you buy their vitamins. Which, btw I do use not because of them, but because I did research and the vitamins have a great reviews. This is actually not iegal to require to use the vitamins in the state of NJ. I do love my Shiba to bits. He is an amazing dog.......however, buyers beware. I made a mistake... I put a deposit down then read the mix reviews. read more

Don't buy from this Breeder. Not a good golden Retreiver temperament. I got our English Cream Retriever back in Nov 2013, Very cute but something was amiss. The personality wasn't like a Goldens's. I called and emailed over the next month and Anya said I was letting the dog control my home. At that point the dog was 11weeks old. We took the dog to training,he could sit, and listen to the commands but his biting constantly was terrible, I emailed and called again-nothing. I have had numerous dogs all my life, He never showed remorse ever, no sensitivity, didnt back down when someone yelled out pain, 'would just keep coming. time outs, crate nothing mattered. Two months ago a whole new set of crazy things started happening. He became really aggressive, barking,demanding,eating shoes, taking food off counter. humping and growling and nipping hard. If it lighten out he would just freak out. He was terribly afraid of the water. Dig holes within 2 seconds. He became a full time job for the entire family. Barked all night long. We took him for more walks and played more, gave more chew toys . We now know for sure that he has a very aggressive side. He bit my hand so quick and hard he severed the nerves in the palm and finger. I paid $2,000 for this dog 10 months ago and the vet and trainers say it time for the dog to go too unsafe. Yes he is a gorgeous looking dog,silky hair but clearly not a Golden Retreiver temperament. I am waiting for Icewinds/Anaya to respond and get a refund. They give you a warranty on health and clearly something was wrong with his mental health from the beginning. I didn't agree to purchase a dominate aggressive golden retriever. I'm looking at surgery to repair my hand and my family is very upset and heartbroken. Ten month and thousands of dollars invested in a member of our family. I feel very deceived. I will repost gladly if Icewind goldens stands behind their warranty. read more