Guardian Family Program

Become a Guardian Family!

As responsible and caring breeders, we work hard to provide the very best for our dogs and we want all of them to have a loving home with their forever families! So, like a lot of other reputable breeders, we offer the Guardian Family Program, where families can receive a FREE “pick of the litter” puppy that we want to add to our breeding program. Guardian Families must live in the Northwest Missouri area (within approximately one hour from St. Joseph, MO and/or Kansas City, MO/KS) and they must qualify for this program. They would have an additional contract agreement that the Guardian Dog could visit our home on occasion in order to maintain familiarity with our home and family, and to be a part of our breeding program for a specified period of time. This program enables each of our dogs to get the individual love, attention, and care that they deserve from their forever families, while also allowing us to provide a variety of beautiful, unrelated puppies.

What could be better? The Guardian family has the opportunity to have a wonderful companion and new family member at no cost, in exchange for working with us over the course of the Guardian agreement. For being a part of our Guardian Family Program, our Guardian Families will also receive added benefits and bonuses as a way to help with off-setting the day to day costs of caring for their new family member! If this sounds like something that might be of interest to you, please keep reading for more details!

The Guardian Family Adoption Process

Guardian Families generally follow the same adoption process as our other families do, except that their reservation fees would be refundable after fulfilling the Guardian Family contract agreement. They would begin by completing and submitting our online Puppy Application. If their initial application is approved we would then schedule a time to visit with the potential Guardian Family in their home. This is a time to get to know each other better, discuss the details and expectations of the Guardian Program, answer any questions that anyone may have, etc. If, after meeting, everyone feels like the Guardian Program is a good fit, the family would then move on to our Master Waiting List and Puppy Waiting List after submitting their refundable reservation fees for each waiting list ($250 + $250). On occasion, we may also have older puppies that we are waiting on placing in Guardian Homes until after all of their genetic and health testing has been completed.

Guardian Families are still asked to pay the reservation fees in order to show a commitment to both being a part of our Guardian Program and the puppy that we would be reserving for them. However, the reservation fees would be refunded to them after successfully fulfilling the Guardian Family contract agreement and they would then end up not owing anything for the puppy. Although some applicants may not qualify as Guardian Families, they may still be approved and have the option of moving on in the adoption process along with our other puppy families for a pet/companion puppy. If they end up either not qualifying for the Guardian Program or deciding not to become a Guardian Family, but also choose to continue with the adoption process for a pet/companion puppy, the adoption process would then proceed in the same way as it does for our other families and any reservation fees would not be refundable.

Our Guardian Families receive priority placement on our waiting lists over other applicants as they would be receiving “Breeder’s Choice” puppies. However, this also means that our Guardian Families would need to be more flexible in their preferences regarding coat color, coat type and gender because Guardian Dogs are chosen by the breeder. During the Guardian Family’s contract period, the puppy immediately becomes the Guardian Family’s forever dog, but we would temporarily retain all ownership, registration and breeding rights throughout the duration of the Guardian Family contract period. At the end of the contract period, the Guardian Dog would be spayed or neutered at the breeder’s expense, and all ownership and registration rights would be permanently transferred to the Guardian Family.

Financial Responsibilities Related to Guardian Dogs

The Guardian Family would pay a total of $500 ($250 + $250) in reservation fees as a part of the adoption process to be added onto our waiting lists. However, the reservation fees are refunded to them after successfully fulfilling the Guardian contract and they would then end up not owing anything for the puppy. The Guardian Family would be financially responsible for any day-to-day expenses that they would normally have when owning any dog, such as providing quality food and supplements (chosen by the breeder during the contract period), supplies (food/water dishes, crate, bed, leash, collar, collar ID, brush, comb, etc.), regular veterinary visits and vaccinations (as recommended by the breeder during the contract period), flea/tick and heartworm preventatives (chosen by the breeder during the contract period as some affect fertility), any expenses related to illness or injury, city/county license, regular grooming, obedience training, etc. We, the breeder, would be financially responsible for all breeding-related expenses, such as genetic and health testing, all reproductive veterinary costs and the spaying/neutering after the Guardian Dog is retired from our program. For being a part of our Guardian Family Program, our Guardian Families will also receive added benefits and bonuses as a way to help with off-setting the day-to-day costs of caring for their new family member!

Requirements of Being a Guardian Family

Guardian Dogs would be temporarily returned to us for a variety of reasons and time frames, including, but not limited to, veterinary visits, health screening appointments, short periods of time while females are in season for progesterone (ovulation) testing and breeding/stud service, the whelping (females giving birth) and raising of the puppies (for approximately 8 weeks), and short visits in order to maintain a relationship with our family and the other dogs. Guardian Families would need to let us visit the Guardian Dog in their home. The Guardian Family also agrees to provide transportation to us and/or for any necessary appointments as needed, unless other travel arrangements are made and agreed upon in advance.

There are other things that Guardian Families also need to consider prior to making this commitment. Guardian Families would need to own their own home and have a securely fenced-in yard. They should have previous experience owning dogs and be willing to provide at least basic obedience training, either on their own or through professional trainers. They must be willing to socialize the Guardian Dog. The Guardian Dog must be an indoor pet and should never be left unattended outside in an unsecured area. The Guardian Family would need to provide quality food and supplements, which would be determined by the breeder during the contract period, in order to maintain the Guardian Dog’s nutrition and health for breeding. The Guardian family must maintain proper grooming and upkeep of the Guardian Dog. All other dogs in the home must be spayed/neutered if they are the opposite gender. The Guardian Dog would need regular exercise. We would need to be contacted immediately in the event of a serious illness or accident. Guardian Families would need to provide veterinary care when needed and provide a copy of all vet visits and procedures to us that take place during the contract period. We will also ask for regular updates and pictures of the Guardian Dog during the contract period.

The Guardian Dog must not be allowed to mate with any unapproved dogs. Guardians of females would have to deal with several heat cycles and keep her protected from unwanted males. Guardian Families would need to learn the signs of a heat cycle and be willing to communicate, cooperate and coordinate with us to ensure successful breeding. It can sometimes be hard to predict the timing of cycles and other breeding-related events, so the dog would need to be allowed to be with us as needed for the reasons mentioned above.

While there are a lot of necessary details involved, it really is not as complicated as it may sound! We truly consider Guardian Families a part of our own family and we want the very best for them and their pet! In addition to receiving a free, fully health and genetically tested “pick of the litter” puppy, our Guardian Families also receive added benefits and bonuses as a way of thanking them for being a part of this program! If this sounds like something that might be of interest to you, please feel free to contact us!