Guardian Homes
What is a guardian home?
Our Guardian Home program provides a permanent home for one of our breeding males or females with a family of their own. We place some of our puppies with a guardian family to one day use in our breeding program. We want to ensure that our dogs all have a loving home and are getting the necessary love and attention that they need and are not displaced when they are no longer part of the program.
- How does it work -The Guardian Families adopt the puppy as usual and the puppy will live in your forever home. For the first years it is co-ownership and once the pup is no longer in the breeding program 100% ownership goes to the guardian family. During the first two years we complete health tests on the puppy (at our cost) to ensure the puppy is eligible for breeding. We will stay in regular contact with you and ask for updates on the puppy.
- Costs - There is no cost for the puppy, the guardian home adopts the puppy for free. We pay for all breeding related costs including health testing, Pennhip, breeding related x-rays and tests, etc. You are responsible for everyday expenses of owning a dog including annual exams, flea/tick prevention, vaccines, food, training, socialization and providing a safe loving home.
- Male puppy- at approximately 12 to 18 months he would be eligible to breed if he has passed all health testing. You would need to make the dog available from a few hours to a few days at a time when we require him for stud services. Male dogs will breed for up to 4 years (age 5).
- Female puppy- Around her second heat cycle she would be eligible to breed if she has passed all health testing. You need to inform us whenever she goes into heat. If being breed, she will come to our house for around a week and will be returned to you after breeding. Approximately 2 months later, she will come to us again to whelp and raise the puppies (~8 weeks). We will only breed a female maximum of 4 times, usually only 2 or 3.
- Who is eligible for our Guardian Home program? - In order to be eligible for the Program, your family must:
- live within 150 km of Almonte although the closer the better!
- have a fully fenced yard
- be willing to visit/meet up 2-3 times a year so the pup gets to know us
- agree to provide a healthy, loving , safe environment for the puppy