What is A Guardian Home?

 

We believe that all dogs should live a life as someone's beloved family member, whether they will be used for breeding or not.  In an effort to continue to expand our breeding program, and to ensure all of our breeding dogs live a pampered life with their very own forever family, we have implemented a Guardian Home Program.  Here at Grateful Doodles, all our dogs live in our house as our family dogs.  In order  for us to continue with our breeding program, all future breeding dogs need be placed under our Guardian Home Program, since we never want to house our dogs on our premises in a kennel environment. We just don't believe dogs should have to live that way.  Our Guardian Home Program allows for local families to have a “pick of the litter puppy”, or top notch adolescent/adult breeding dog for just a fraction of the price. The Guardian Home puppy or dog is part of the Guardian Home’s Family forever, while the breeding rights are retained by Grateful Doodles. Once the Guardian Dog has completed his/her breeding career, he/she will be spayed or neutered at our expense, your Guardian adoption deposit is returned in full, and the dog will remain a forever pet of their Guardian Family! We do not just give our Guardian dogs or pups away. History has proven that this MAY attract some people wanting to be guardians for the wrong reason.  The cost of a Guardian Home dog/puppy requires a deposit of $500.00 regardless of the gender, color, or size of the puppy/ dog. You will also be paid a gratuity for each litter born, which is in addition to the reimbursement.  When the Guardian puppy/dog has completed its breeding career for us, we will refund the entire deposit back to our Guardian Family as a way of saying “thank you” for participating in our Guardian Home Program.  The guardian family will also be given the option of receiving one of their guardian dogs puppies (spayed or neutered) as a pet in lieu of the deposit refund and gratuities.

 

What Are The Requirements to Become A Guardian Home?

 

- To be considered as a Guardian Home for one of our breeding dogs, we require that you live within one hour of Jacksonville, Florida.

- Must reside within a 1 hr drive of Jacksonville, FL. No anticipated job transfers, etc that would remove the dog beyond this 1 hr drive from Jacksonville while the Guardian Agreement in effect.

- You must own your own home.

- It is necessary that you have physical fencing to provide a safe and secure environment for the Guardian dog/puppy.

- All dogs and pups placed in Guardian Families must be indoor dogs, and never be left outside unattended.

- Willingness to feed Life's Abundance dog food.  Feeding LA makes for a smooth transition while the dog is in my care.

- No intact male dogs (not neutered) should be residing on the premises to increase a risk of an unwanted mating (for females only).

- A willingness to provide regular exercise and socialization.

- A willingness to enforce basic obedience either though formal class training or qualified experience.

- You must have a willingness to accept and follow breeders recommendations for the dogs basic health care and veterinarian care, such as vaccine schedules, the use of certain medications, flea and tick prevention, heartworm prevention etc.     

- A willingness to maintain an open line of communication with Grateful Doodles with any matter related to the dog.  

- A willingness to allow me to visit your home (on occasion) and be able to visit my home so the dog and I stay familiar with one another.

- The primary care giver must have a schedule that will allow for your dog to not be left alone for extended periods of time.

- Most importantly… all the love and care and attention possible!!

- Finally, it is imperative that your puppy/dog become a member of your family and not a backyard dog. We are looking for happy, well adjusted mothers and fathers who will pass on their good traits and happy lives to their puppies. Grooming is an important part, whether you decide to clip her/him yourself or take it to a groomer, it should be consistent and she/he should be free from mats and debris in her/his coat, as much as possible. 

 

Any “breeding related” medical costs for the Guardian Dog are the expense of Grateful Doodles. Our Guardian Homes are responsible for routine maintenance and medical care just as they would if they had their own dog. Female Puppies placed in Guardian Homes would have a maximum of 5 litters.  We realize guardian families have a tremendous sacrifice to make, given the female breeding dog must be returned to us to be bred, deliver and wean her babies before being returned back to the guardians (approx. 6-7 weeks). Almost all of our dogs/pups available for our Guardian Program will be females, but occasionally we will have a male available. When the Guardian dog is in season, the Guardian Family is required to contact us immediately. An intact female usually has a heat cycle that will last between 14 and 21 days. During this time, we will need access to her for breeding related appointments. Once she has been bred, she will remain with her Guardian Family until one week before her due date. At that time, the Guardian dog will come back to stay with us throughout the remainder of her pregnancy, and will be returned once her pups are fully weaned approximately 6-7 weeks later. We do encourage your visitation while your "precious girl" is staying with us.

 

If you are a guardian home for a male, from time to time we will be using the dog for breeding which with close proximity will be about an hour or two in a day - likely every second day for a week with each female he breeds. If the male is located out of the immediate area it will mean 1-2 weeks away from home. If for any reason you will be away, please contact us ahead of time so that we can make alternate arrangements. If for any reason you must move - please contact us immediately so that we can help to facilitate a solution that will work well for both of us or to receive the dog back into our home. Males placed in guardian homes only require that I be able to access them for either a natural mating and or sperm collection.

 

If you are receiving a Guardian Home Puppy, we ask for monthly photos and updates during the first year so that we can watch him/her develop, and update our website. We also will require a visit to our Guardian Family’s home every few months during the first year to assess the Guardian Puppy, as well as build a relationship with her for the future. Occasionally, we will ask our Guardian Families to bring the puppy to us for a visit so that she can get comfortable with our home for when she will be here with us in the future having babies :-). 

 

If you are interested in being considered for our Guardian Home Program, please complete the following application and I will be in touch with you.  Please know that not all applicants will be fulfilled as we only home a few Guardian Home puppies a year.  Thank you!!