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Guardian- Home Program
Welcome to Our Program!
We created a Guardian-Home Program to grow our breeding program, while still providing each of our breeding dogs with a loving environment in a guardian family. By joining our program, you will have the opportunity to act as a guardian to one of our future potential breeding dogs. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits and responsibilities of guardian families, the obligations we will assume as the owner, and how the dog will become a permanent member of your family.
Benefits of the Guardian-Home Program
You will receive the Puppy at approximately 10 weeks old. The Puppy you will receive is “pick of the litter” with an estimated value of $10,000 to $15,000. Your initial cost is $0 that’s right, we don’t charge our guardian families a cent to take home our prized pups. We also pay all vet costs for health testing associated with breeding.
Obligations
In order to be considered for the Guardian-Home Program we require that guardian families:
1. Own their own home or provide confirmation from their landlord that the property accepts dogs.
2. Have physical fencing to provide a safe and secure environment for the pup. This also protects the Dog from any unplanned, unwanted pregnancies and is crucial!
3. Never leave the Dog off leash in an unsecured area. NO dog parks allowed!
4. Have reliable transportation and willingness to bring the dog to us when needed throughout the year for breeding purposes (i.e. testing, breeding, litters, etc.).
5. Obtain pet insurance and continue coverage for the duration of the guardian program.
6. Be responsible for transportation and expenses related to routine and emergency vet care (i.e. vaccinations, flea and heart worm treatment and prevention)
7. Enroll the puppy in an obedience training program
8. Maintain open lines of communication with us concerning any matter related to the Pup.
9. Keep the Dog on food approved by us or recommended by the veterinarian.
10. Understand that we may need to make decisions about the dog and you will have to respect those decisions. Examples may include, but are not limited to: keeping the female longer, additional vet care, etc. All decisions WILL ALWAYS BE for the betterment of the Dog.
Ownership
Ownership and all rights, titles and interests of the dogs remain with us. Any puppies born are our sole property. Guardian Families have no ownership or possession rights to any puppies. Once the dog is ready to be retired (usually after 3-4 litters) we will pay to have the dog spayed or neutered and transfer ownership of the Dog to the Guardian Family.
How it Works
We are big believers that dogs are forever. We feel that each dog should have the ability to grow up in one family and be a loved and FOREVER member of that family and our breeding program is a reflection of that belief. We never sell our retired dogs, they are our babies, our family and we couldn’t bare to part with them. Obviously, this poses an issue when it comes to breeding. As much as we would LOVE to have 20 Berners living with us We’re pretty sure our neighbours would strongly oppose and so we started our Guardian-Home Program.
The Guardian Home provides physical care and supervision of the puppy and the puppy is able to remain with his or her guardian family throughout its life. Once the Puppy reaches about 2 years of age they will undergo health and temperament testing to determine if they are a good fit for our breeding program. If everything goes well the dog will be returned to us for breeding and whelping activities including, but not limited to:
1. Veterinary appointments for general purposes and / or to monitor pregnancy – possibly two (2) visits. 2. Breeding - first sign of going into heat (blood) until a successful hook (usually 5-7 days). You can bring her to us every other day - three (3) times on average or leave her for the duration of the stay.
3. Whelping (7-14 days) days prior to the Dog’s due date and up until the puppies are weaned at approximately 6‐9 weeks after birth. This process lasts approximately 9-12 weeks total. We understand that this can feel like forever without your beloved pet however, this can be a great time to take that vacation you’ve been putting off. You can rest easy knowing your baby is receiving the best care possible. We also allow for visits once the baby puppies have reached 4 weeks old and you would of course have priority for any puppy sitting shifts you want (We LOVE our volunteers)
In the event we determine the pup is not a good fit for our program, they will be spayed or neutered and the guardian family will be able to take ownership immediately and at no cost.
If you have any questions or would like more information regarding our Guardian- Home Program please contact us