Here at Golden Retrievers of Idaho, we believe that all of our dogs should live as part of a family, and not in a kennel. Because we have our original mamas that will be ready to retire before long, but will still live with us, in order for us to continue our breeding program, our future breeding dogs need to be placed in our Guardian Home Program. We are loving the idea of a Guardian home for our girls, because as much as we love all of our dogs, we realize that it is important for us to limit how many dogs we keep here. The point of the program is to provide our girls with their forever homes while they're young. Many breeders sell off their retired mamas and we do not want to do that. By finding them Guardian homes, they stay with their forever family throughout the entire process, except when they come back to us for breeding and when they have their puppies. And we will be so excited to see them again!
So here's a basic overview of the program: We place our up and coming breeding females in their forever homes while they're young, for a small upfront deposit amount (usually about half price) and we retain ownership & breeding rights. The dog stays with guardian home as their family dog except during the time she comes back to stay with us while breeding and while she has puppies. When she has completed her breeding career, we will pay to have her spayed, and turn over all rights and ownership to the guardian family. The guardian home will get a hand picked, top quality, health tested puppy for a highly discounted deposit amount that will be completely refunded once she has her first litter. She only needs to come back to us when she is ready to be bred, and when she is ready to have her puppies.
At the birth of the dog's first litter we will refund the entire deposit amount back. And we will pay the guardian home a set amount as a "thank you" for being part of our program for each additional litter. We don't breed more than once a year, and we would only breed her 3 or 4 times max. Then we will pay to get her spayed, we will end our short-term contract and she will be the guardian home's golden girl alone for the rest of forever. This program allows local families an opportunity to own one of the best Golden Retrievers available without the big price tag. We take care of all breeding and breeding costs. We pay for all breeding related health testing. The guardian homes are responsible for all other medical costs and care. We do expect our guardian homes to keep in contact and give us updates and pictures during the time we are working together. (Of course we would love for that to continue, but we will leave that up to the guardian home)
I believe that our guardian homes will become an important part of our program and that it will benefit everyone involved including the dog, the breeder, and the forever family.
How to qualify as a Guardian Home: -Live within an hour of us here in Emmett, Idaho -Must be willing to transport dog to and from our place for above mentioned breeding and whelping. -Must keep dog's vaccinations, worming, and general health checks up to date -Fully fenced yard -Must be easy to work with -Must keep us updated including pictures on personality, health and care of dog. As well as notifying us when she starts her heat cycle, etc.
If you are interested in becoming a Guardian Home or have any questions about the program, don't hesitate to let us know!