About us
Helen and Rob
Helen grew up with Goldens on her parents' farm near Evesham and has shown them since 1998. She judges Golden Retrievers at open shows, is on the committee of the Southern Golden Retriever Society, and does all the breeding decisions and most of the night feeds. Rob is a retired agricultural engineer. He built the garden run, weighs the puppies, keeps the spreadsheets, takes most of the photographs and writes the diary.
We registered the Meadowbrook affix with the Kennel Club in 2011, a year after Meg arrived, and had our first litter in 2013. In thirteen years we have bred eight litters, 54 puppies. Our three grown-up children have moved away, and two grandchildren visit most weekends. They are the main reason our puppies are so good with children.
What we breed for, in order: health we can show you, then a kind, steady temperament, then a dog that looks and moves like a Golden Retriever should. We show because the ring keeps us honest about type. We do working tests because a Golden should still want to carry things. We breed for family homes because that is where nearly all our puppies go.
Home
Registrations and memberships
Royal Kennel Club
Meadowbrook affix holders since 2011. All our litters are RKC registered. We meet the RKC Health Standard at Best Practice level, and since September 2026 we are listed in the RKC's Find a Breeder directory.
Breed clubs
Members of The Golden Retriever Club since 2001 and the Southern Golden Retriever Society since 2004. Helen is on the Southern society's committee. We follow both clubs' codes of ethics.
Licence
We breed no more than one litter a year and do not breed as a business, so we are not required to hold a dog-breeding licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The licensing threshold is three or more litters in 12 months, or breeding as a business. Cotswold District Council confirmed this to us in writing in 2019, and we are happy to show you the letter.
Where we are
Near Stow-on-the-Wold, North Cotswolds, Gloucestershire (GL54). 20 minutes from Moreton-in-Marsh station (direct trains from London Paddington, about 1 hour 30), 45 minutes from Oxford and Cheltenham. We give our address once we have spoken.
Meadowbrook in numbers
2011
The year we registered our affix
8 litters, 54 puppies
2013 to 2026, never more than one a year
Median hip total 10
Across 34 scored Meadowbrook puppies; breed median 11
5 generations
Meg, Clover, Hazel, Bramble and Wren