Guardian Home Program
About the Guardian Home Program:
Here at Millie Billie Doodles, we believe that all dogs should live a life as someones 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 decided to establish a Guardian Home Program. We don’t believe that puppies or dogs are best served by spending their lives in a kennel. Doodles are social animals that adore their families and want to be with them. By placing a puppy in a loving home environment that will be their forever home we are ensuring their happiness and best start in life.
Our Guardian Home Program allows for local families to have our “pick of the litter puppy” for a reduced cost of the puppy, along with a monetary bonus after each litter. The puppy is part of the Guardian Home’s Family forever, while the breeding rights are retained by Millie Billie Doodles for a set amount of time based on each specific situation. Once the dog has completed his/her breeding career, he/she will be spayed or neutered at our expense, and the dog will remain a forever pet of their guardian Family.
WHAT GUIDELINES DO I NEED TO FOLLOW WHEN RAISING MY PUPPY?
- Guardian homes must feed the dog a high quality diet approved by us. It will be the same food the dog was raised on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skill and Stomach Salmon and Rice Formula.
- Guardian homes are responsible for keeping the dog up to date on all vaccinations.
- Guardian homes must keep the dog well groomed and matt free. You can keep the dogs hair the length you prefer. They will get a short hair cut and a belly buzz for having their puppies for their own comfort.
- We ask the family to practice safe handling of the dog. To not leave the dog outside if they are not at home. Don’t let the dog sit in the back of an open pick up. Use a leash in public. Provide basic obedience training so the dog has manners. Socialize the dog with other people, places and dogs. All things that should be done to protect the dog anyway.
- Guardian homes need to regularly walk and exercise the dog. Keeping the dog at an ideal and healthy weight is critical to both mom and puppies to have a healthy pregnancy, birth and whelping.
- Guardian homes are responsible for getting the dog to all breeding appointments on time. This is often one of the most inconvenient parts of being a guardian home. You can not plan when a dog will go into heat only have an educated guess. Which mean the blood work, insemination appointments will all need to take place quickly and based on the scheduling of our reproductive vet.
- Guardian homes with a female dog must commit to weekend/over night visits once a quarter. The reason is that we want the dogs to be comfortable with our home and the dogs who already live here. That way when they come to have their puppies they feel more comfortable. Along with quarterly visits if the the guardian family goes out of town or vacation the dog will stay with us if they were not planning on bring the dog on the trip.
- Female dogs will come to our home about 5 days before they are due to get comfortable in our home and familiarized with the whelping area. They will remain with us for 6-7 weeks until the puppies are fully weaned. Guardian families are only allowed to visit once while the dog is here with her pups as it is difficult on the dog when their family comes to visit and they are torn between going with their family and staying with their puppies. If the dog has an extremely difficult time with the family coming to visit for future litter the family will not be able to visit. The families will be able to enjoy all of the dogs puppies when they come to pick their dog up to go back home.
- The last three items on this list are often the most difficult for people. Please really think about these commitments and if you would be able to meet the requirements.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A GUARDIAN HOME?
- You must live within 60 miles of Highlands Ranch, CO and have reliable transportation. This is where our reproductive vet office is that all appointments will be at.
- You must own your home and have a fully fenced yard.
- You need to communicate regularly with updates on how the dog is doing, including updated pictures.
- You can not have any intact (unfixed) dog(s) in your home.
- Guardian homes with a female dog will be committing to the dog being breed up to 4 times based on the health of the female dog. Breeding will start on the dogs second heat cycle.
- Guardian homes with a male dog will be committing to the dog being used as a stud starting as early as a year old until they are 7-9 years old. They could be used multiple times through out the year.
IS THERE A COST INVOLVED TO BE A GUARDIAN HOME?
- The initial cost of the dog will be $2,000.
- General routine veterinary care and wellness (annual vaccines, feeding our preferred high qualify dog food, monthly heart-worm prevention, flea/tick prevention, etc.)
- Grooming
- Training
WHAT DOES THE BREEDER PAY FOR?
- We pay for all expenses related to health testing for breeding purposes, all breeding expenses and litter expenses.
- We pay for the cost of spaying or neutering the dog at the end of the breeding contract.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING A GUARDIAN HOME?
- The guardian home gets our pick of the litter for a Goldendoodle! This means that we choose our breeding girls/boys based on the best qualities that are outlined in our breed standard. This could be a puppy from one of the litters we have at Millie Billie Doodles or it could be a puppy from another breeder so that we can expand our breeding program.
- Your dog will be completely health tested by 18 months of age at the expense of Millie Billie Doodles. This included all genetic and OFA testing.
- Guardian homes get to enjoy the excitement of being part of our breeding program, and seeing the puppies of their very own dog be placed with loving families.
- One final benefit of being a guardian home for Millie Billie Doodles is receiving a monetary bonus after each litter. This bonus will often refund the initial $2,000 cost of the dog and more. The bonus structure is different for males and females.
GUARDIAN HOME APPLICATION
Please review our guardian home application thoroughly to ensure this program is a good match for the both of us. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.