I M P O R T A N T I N F O R M A T I O N A B O U T O U R G U A R D I A N P R O G R A M
We often have puppies available for our Guardian Program. If interested in being a part of our Guardian Program, please fill out the Guardian Program Application AFTER you've read the following information.
In our program, our parent dogs live in guardian homes for their whole life. For the first 5 years or so, guardianship of the dog belongs to the guardian family, but the breeding rights of the dog remain with the breeder of Golden Paws Fur Babies. This means that the guardian family raises the dog as their own, is responsible for keeping the dog loved, safe, fed and healthy, but the breeder retains the right to breed the dog. A female will give us 2 to 6 litters and will generally have her first litter between 18 to 24 months old, and then 6-10 months after that until she is retired and spayed at our expense. A male is usually ready to breed around 18 months old. When a breeding dog is retired, or if the breeder ever decides not to breed the dog, the dog will immediately retire as a breeding dog, be spayed or neutered at the breeder’s expense, and ownership of the dog will transfer to the guardian home. There will be no fee due from the guardian.
Our guardian home program is not operated on a first come/first serve basis. When we have a dog that we'd like to keep for our breeder program and place in a guardian home, we look at all of the guardian home applications submitted. We choose the best fit for that particular dog. Things we look at are distance, yard, male/female preference, and availability of the guardian(s).
BENEFITS OF OWNING A GUARDIAN DOG: On top of not having to pay an adoption fee, we also provide payments to our guardian homes for the litters their dog's produce for us. We offer free boarding when we can (this is a must - we want to always ensure our dogs are safe when you're away as well as cultivate a relationship with them)xf, and you get the best quality pup of the litter!
Guardian of a female dog will be reimbursed $500 each time the dog has a healthy litter of three or more puppies. This reimbursement is contingent on whether or not the guardian follows the guidelines listed as responsibilities below. If the dog has less than 3 healthy puppies, there will be 2 reimbursements due from her next litter. Reimbursement will not be due in the case of a false pregnancy. Reimbursement will be due to the guardian when all of the puppies go to their new homes, usually by 9 weeks old. The reimbursement for a female can go toward picking another puppy from one of her litters, but two reimbursements would have to be given up for a puppy. This puppy will remain a pet only and not for breeding purposes, unless breeder decides to retain breeding rights for the puppy and guardian agrees (a reimbursement will still be given if guardian decides to continue being a guardian home for their current guardian dog's puppy). This puppy will be second pick of the litter, unless the breeder decides to forego the first pick, in which case the guardian will have first pick.
Guardian of a male dog will be paid a $250 fee every time he produces a litter for us. This reimbursement is contingent on whether or not the guardian follows the guidelines listed as responsibilities below. This payment is for the inconvenience of needing him sometimes with very short notice, and also an incentive to make sure he stays happy and healthy enough to produce wonderful puppies. A male dog in our program will produce multiple litters a year, depending on females. A male dog that is placed in a guardian home will be placed with no adoption fee.
Guardian Requirements:
Live within 1 hour of Clinton, OK.
Have a fenced in yard.
Have no other intact dogs in your home or yard (spayed or neutered dogs are OK).
Have pet ownership experience.
Be OK with female heat cycles if becoming a guardian home for a female.
Guardian Responsibilities:
Take care of the dog.
Have a fenced in yard and protect the dog. The fence needs to be secure enough that the dog cannot escape.
Train the dog the basic commands such as "sit", "off", and "come". Teaching the dog not to jump on people is a must. Your dog will be expected to follow these commands when they stay with us for breeding, whelping, or dog-sitting.
Teach the dog manners. We will not have a good relationship with the dog if they are rambunctious and do not listen.
Potty train and crate train the dog. This is a must. When the dog stays with us for breeding, whelping, or dog-sitting, your dog must sleep in a kennel here and will be expected to remain calm and quiet while kenneled.
Make sure the dog remains socialized and is used to other people and small kids.
Keep the dog brushed (line brush to get the root as well), nails trimmed, and ears clean.
The guardian agrees to bring the dog to the breeder anytime the guardian owner needs a dog sitter or boarding while away. The guardian agrees to make the breeder aware of this at least two weeks ahead of time. If the breeder cannot take the dog during this time, the breeder will allow a dog sitter that has been approved by the breeder to care for the dog. This is our way of not only knowing that our breeding dog is safe and taken care of, but also retaining a loving relationship with him/her.
Allow the breeder to keep the dog for two (3) day periods, annually, for the life of the contract. Dog-sitting will count toward this two (3) day period.
Allow the breeder to pick-up the dog for mating visits and veterinarian appointments, upon demand. The breeder shall have the right to exercise temporary custody of the dog during breeding cycles, upon demand and as long as necessary (usually no longer than a week).
For a female dog:
If the dog is female:
Notify me when the dog is in “heat”
Bring the dog to the breeder one week prior to the dog’s due date and allow the dog to stay with the breeder until the puppies are weaned, usually around 6 weeks old.
Only feed the dog a healthy diet while she is pregnant. This means no table food and only a dog food approved by the breeder.
Assume exclusive and continuing financial responsibility in paying expenses associated with: food, breeding friendly heartworm medicine, breeding friendly flea prevention, veterinarian care, vaccines, and etc.
Only administer heartworm prevention and flea and tick prevention to the dog that has been approved by the breeder.
Feed the dog the breeder’s choice of dog food during the life of this contract. There are certain ingredients in dog foods that have been known to cause fertility issues in both males and females, so we are picky about what our breeding dogs eat. We will always make sure the dog food is a healthy one and causes no other issues with our dogs.
Allow the dog to get enough exercise needed to be a healthy breeding dog.
Do not overfeed the dog. If the dog gains too much weight too fast, this will put pressure on the dog’s growing hips and joints and cause issues.
Pay for travel expenses related to breeding, whelping, and veterinary visits if the guardian owner moves more than two hours away for any reason. If the breeder agrees to travel in this case, guardian will pay for gas and/or plane tickets.
Provide the breeder with prior-notice before having the dog groomed between the age of 12 and 18 months old. The breeder maintains the right of discretion to have the dog groomed or groom the dog him/herself during this time for photography purposes.
Notify the breeder of any and all aggressive behavior by the dog, against any household pet or resident. The breeder shall have the discretionary right to have the dog spayed or neutered and/or retire the dog, since aggressive behavior can sometimes pass down to offspring.
If any lawsuits are placed against the owner of the dog for an incident that occurred on the guardian's property, guardian will take full financial responsibility.
There will be fines due from the guardian if the following occurs:
The dog was bred without the breeder’s prior written consent.
The dog was spayed or neutered without the breeder's prior written consent.
The dog is unable to breed anymore due to the guardian's negligence.
If the dog dies due to non-treatable or genetic health issues, or an accident beyond the control of the guardian, the guardian will not be held responsible in any way and the contract shall terminate. In this case, the breeder shall provide the guardian with a replacement puppy from the next litter as pet only, unless the guardian decides to stay in the Guardian Program and the breeder agrees.
Give the dog back to the breeder at any time the guardian family cannot take care of the dog anymore. In this case, this contract will terminate.
Breeder Agrees To:
Pay for the purchase of the dog, the cost of microchipping the dog, health & genetic testing expenses, and any other breeding related expenses.
Pay for the spay/neuter of the dog when it is time for the dog to retire or if the breeder decides to not breed the dog.
Replace the dog if the dog dies while in the breeder’s care.
Keep the dog anytime the dog needs a dog sitter, or approve a dog sitter in the case that the breeder cannot keep the dog.
Reimburse the guardian for each litter set to terms above.
PLEASE SEND PICTURES OF YOUR YARD WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION.
*There is a contract written by our lawyer that will be signed by the breeder and the guardian when the guardian receives the guardian dog.*