Guardian Family Program
Our Guardian Family Program ensures that all of our mamas and papas are cherished members of a family where they receive endless love and attention – FOREVER! As we are not a kennel and do not wish to be, our home can only accommodate so many dogs before we run out of space on our couch and bed. This is where our wonderful guardians come in!
Guardian home families receive a top-quality puppy at no cost to you. These puppies will become a beloved part of our guardian’s forever family. While the puppy resides with your family, we will retain breeding rights, and they will become a future mama or papa in our program once they are old enough and health testing is completed.
Our guardian families are responsible for regular vet visits, grooming, and feeding costs, just as they would be with any other dog. We offer free grooming for the dog while they are part of our program, provided we are available, you can pick up/drop off at our home, and they are mat-free! Additionally, when available, we are more than happy to watch our guardian dogs when their families go on vacations. We will cover all costs related to breeding, such as health testing, reproductive testing, whelping, etc.
If for any reason we decide not to have the dog become a mama or papa in our program, the guardian family will be required to spay/neuter the dog, and they will remain your family pet. Dogs that are used in our program will be spayed/neutered at our expense once they retire from our program and will continue to remain in the care of the guardian family. You must live within 3 hours of Cold Spring, MN. If you live over 30 minutes away, you must be willing to drive to meet us.
How it Works
Our Requirements for Guardians
Location
We only consider families for guardian placements who live within 3 hours of Cold Spring, MN. If you are farther than 30 minutes from us, you must be willing to meet partway. We prefer all male guardian homes to be within 30 minutes of our location. Additionally, you should plan on staying in the area for the next 5+ years.
Fencing
To be approved as a guardian family, you must have either a physical or underground fence. If you have an underground fence, you will need to accompany female guardian dogs outside during their heat cycles to prevent stray dogs from entering your yard.
Grooming
We require that you keep the dog well-groomed, with regular brushing to prevent coat matting. You can take the dog to a groomer of your choice at your expense or bring the dog to us for free grooming. However, if the dog is consistently brought to us with matting, we will discontinue offering grooming services as we are not professional groomers trained to handle severe matting.
Family
We require that there are no unaltered dogs in your home. All other dogs living in your home, both male and female, must be spayed or neutered.
Training
We require that you be consistent and committed to training the dog. We will enroll you in up to 4 training classes (24 weeks) at no charge. You must bring the puppy to each class and continue practicing the training skills at home.
Training is crucial for any dog, especially those in our program! At the end of their classes, the dog will take and must pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. If you wish to continue beyond this point and earn therapy dog certification, we will support you in doing so.