Hope & Joy Acres

Kristen A.

Breeder of Golden Retrievers, Aussiedoodles, and Australian Shepherds

Pamplin, VA
Responds within a day

Meet the breeder

I'm Kristen A., the breeder behind Hope & Joy Acres located in Pamplin, VA. Our goal is to sell reasonably priced, healthy puppies. Puppies come with a health guarantee contract, are kept indoors until they go to their new homes, are exposed to other dogs/cats/kids/normal household activity, started on puppy pads, been dewormed 4x and have received their first puppy shots.

Q. & A. with Kristen

Why did you start breeding?
An Australian Shepherd named “Cali” started it all. She was Kristen’s first Aussie, and she fell in love with the breed. Kristen started breeding Australian Shepherds in 2011. Breeding Aussiedoodles starting in 2018 added another layer to the excellence the farm offers. Then in 2021, we bought an AKC Golden pup, to begin offering Golden Retrievers and Goldendoodles in 2025.
What makes your program special?
They do not sell to puppy stores, have no interactions with “puppy mills”, do not overbreed their females, keep all dogs living in their home as family members (puppies, too!), and keep prices in a reasonable range, so all families can afford quality dogs. At 4 weeks of age, due to focused study of their puppies, they can tell you what the puppy’s energy, talkative, and submissive levels will be.
What are the different breed sizes in your program?
Aussiedoodle puppies are standard size. Sizes will vary depending on the parent dogs.
What are the different breed coat colors in your program?
Our Golden Retriever puppies include golden and light golden. Aussiedoodle puppies include brown and white, sable, apricot, blue merle, red merle, black phantom, black and white, black tri-color, red phantom, and red tri-color. Australian Shepherd puppies include red merle, blue merle, black tri-color, and red tri-color. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.
Where do your breeding dogs live?
They live in my home.

Matched dogs

These dogs are already reserved or have gone home.

Rusty
Went home
Male
Lewis
Went home
Male
Clark
Went home
Male
Rocky
Went home
Male
Bethany
Went home
Female
Eddie
Went home
Male
Art
Went home
Male
Audrey
Went home
Female
Helen
Went home
Female
Snowflake
Went home
Female
Vixen
Went home
Female
Cupid
Went home
Male
Angel
Went home
Female
Dasher
Went home
Male
Comet
Went home
Male
Dancer
Went home
Male
Prancer
Went home
Male
Holly
Went home
Female
Blitzen
Went home
Male
Rudolph
Went home
Male
Cindy Lou
Went home
Female
Merry
Went home
Female
Donner
Went home
Male
Henry
Went home
Male
Lee
Went home
Male
Bill
Went home
Male
Carson
Went home
Male
Boy 8
Went home
Male
Jack
Went home
Male
Lucas
Went home
Male
Fiona
Went home
Female
River
Went home
Male
Forrest
Went home
Male
Brook
Went home
Female
Autumn
Went home
Female
Ridge
Went home
Male
Canyon
Went home
Male
Glenn
Went home
Male
Summer
Went home
Female

Getting a puppy from Kristen

Kristen has been certified by Good Dog's screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you're ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies.

Together, you’ll choose the puppy that’s right for you, stay in touch with regular updates, and plan how to bring your new puppy home.

Price

Puppy prices include a $500 non-refundable deposit and between $200 - $1,000 final payment, before taxes & fees.

"The price includes puppy, deworming (3 or 4x), first shots, and living in our home for 2 months (no kennels!) exposure training. AKC registration for Golden Retrievers. Australian Shepherds require and non-refundable $250 deposit. Doodles and Golden Retrievers require a non-refundable $500 deposit. Deposits go toward puppy purchase price."

Contract & health guarantee

Kristen may provide a written contract or health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you both have a clear understanding of the terms of your puppy purchase. If Kristen offers a contract or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them. If you have any questions or want to know more, don't hesitate to reach out to Kristen directly.

Always communicate and pay on Good Dog.Learn more

What's included

- From Good Dog
  - Lifetime support from Good Dog’s Care Team
  - 10% lifetime discount on Figo pet insurance
  - Puppy Training Program & private community
- Enrichment & socialization
  - Various sounds
  - Surface & tactile stimulation
  - Socialized with children
  - Socialized in new places
  - Daily handling
  - Socialized with other dogs
  - Introduced to people of different ages and appearances
  - Socialized with other animals
- Puppy health practices
  - Vet check
  - First round of shots and deworming
- Extras
  - Food & treats

Location & pick-up

You can drive or fly to pick up your puppy from Kristen.

Breeder's location

Meet in Pamplin, VA

4199 miles away

Other pick-up locations

Flexible meeting point

Kristen can meet at a location that works for both of you

More about Kristen

Kristen has been a member of Good Dog for 9 months
Kristen was screened for responsible practices and has been a member since 2025.
Kristen’s links
- Website

Kristen is a trusted Good Dog breeder

Hope & Joy Acres meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:

Responsible breeding practices
Health of breeding dogs and puppies
Puppy environment and enrichment
Buyer education and policies

Parent dogs

All breeds

Australian Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Liberti, mom
Australian Shepherd
About Liberti
Liberti is a very loyal and very people focused beautiful, blue eyed, standard sized, purebred Australian Shepherd. She loves to run, play fetch, and is very intelligent. She is 100% attached to her people and a total cuddle bug. She is an alpha female and is confident.
Great health testing
Multiple Drug Sensitivity (MDR1), Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI), +1 more.
Maddi, mom
Australian Shepherd
About Maddi
Maddi is a very sweet, outgoing, loyal, obedient, and super easy to train red tri, standard, purebred Australian Shepherd. She is registered with American Stock Dog Registry (ASDR).
Great health testing
Multiple Drug Sensitivity (MDR1), Orivet Genetics, Full Breed Profile, +1 more.
Belle, mom
Golden Retriever
About Belle
Belle is a sweet, easy going, laid back, easy to train, lower energy girl.
Good health testing
Full Embark Panel, Cardiac Evaluation (registered with OFA), +3 more.

Parent health testing

Aussiedoodle

Australian Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Hope & Joy Acres reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Aussiedoodles.

Full Embark Panel
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).

Verified owner stories

Hear what other owners say about working with Kristen to bring home their puppies.

Becky G.
Verified owner · Mar. 2026
Kristen was excellent to work with. We liked the way she raised the puppies and trained them on basic commands. Kristen was quick to respond to all of our questions. Ginger is 3 months old and has become a member of our family. We would highly recommend Kristen and Hope & Joy Acres.
Aadarsh K.
Verified owner · Feb. 2026
Kristen was so responsive and great about sending updates and photos of our pup. She helped answer all the questions we had. After an easy pickup process, we met our little guy who took a quick liking to us, quickly adapting to our home and being a generally energetic bundle of joy. We would definitely come back to Kristen for another dog in the future!
Rylie N.
Verified owner · Feb. 2026
Kristen and Paul were FANTASTIC to work with!!!! When we picked our golden retriever puppy up from Paul, you could absolutely tell they were bonded and well cared for. In the future - when we get another puppy, they will absolutely be our first choice! Our puppy is so perfect and was mostly potty trained when we picked him up at 7 weeks! It has been the most pleasant experience for first-time puppy owners... LOVE LOVE LOVE them & would HIGHLY recommend chatting with them :)
Ben L.
Verified owner · Mar. 2026
Hope & Joy acres was a pleasure to work with. Although a long distance away, we had very specific features we were hoping to find, and their puppy looked perfect. They worked with us picking him up, saving us 5 hours of driving! The puppy was healthy, and so tiny! We gave him a new name, Luke, and he has his second appointment with our vet in two days. Such a smart dog, he knows sit and “high five”, and is such a happy pup. We are most pleased! Thanks again Kristen!
Mia G.
Verified owner · Feb. 2026
Kristen was very helpful and had great communication throughout the whole process. We had to take a short roadtrip to pick up the puppy from New Jersey to Virginia, and when we hit traffic and time was delayed she completely understood. She is very knowledgeable and helped to go over any questions as well as all of the information when it comes to having a puppy. I was so happy to find someone that is dedicated and helpful. I would definitely recommend working with her!
Melissa E.
Verified owner · Aug. 2025
We were very impressed with Kristen and Hope & Joy Acres. I was unable to find a reputable and reliable breeder anywhere close to me in Ohio, I finally found Kristen on Good Dog. She was very knowledgeable about the breed and answered all the questions that I could come up with. She was about to meet us and we brought our little Millie Belle home on July 19th. We had a visit with our vet and was told Millie was the perfect example of a healthy golden. Would absolutely work with Kristen again, she was a pleasure! Thank you so much!!