Magnolia Hill
Golden Retrievers
What is a guardian home?
Our Guardian Home Program allows for local families to have our “pick of the litter puppy” or top-notch adolescent/adult breeding dog for a very discounted fee. The Guardian Home puppy or dog is part of the Guardian Home’s Family forever, while the breeding rights are retained by RVA Doodles & Retrievers for a set amount of time (each situation is slightly different, so we prefer to work out specific details with each family on an individual basis.) Once the Guardian 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!
Is there a cost involved to be a guardian home?
Our Guardian Home Families are responsible for the general routine veterinary care and wellness of the Guardian puppy/dog placed with them. This means annual vaccines, feeding them a high quality dog food, grooming, monthly heartworm prevention, flea/tick prevention, training, regular exercise and socialization, and most importantly all the love and care and attention possible.
Any “breeding related” medical costs for the Guardian Dog are the expense of Magnolia Hill Goldens. Our Guardian Homes are only responsible for routine maintenance and medical care just as they would if they had their own dog.
What Are the Requirements to Become A Guardian Home?
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Guardian will provide a loving and safe home to their new dog/pup
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Guardians must not allow a female in heat near intact males or get loose from the home.
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Guardians must not allow puppy around other unvaccinated dogs. Vaccinated dogs can still carry the Parvo virus if exposed to an affected dog and its feces.
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Will only socialize new puppy once he/she has had all round of vaccinations by 16 weeks. Must limit puppy's exposure to the outdoors.
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Guardians must not allow a male guardian to breed with unapproved females
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Guardian Families must have reliable transportation, and a willingness to bring the Guardian dog/pup to us when needed throughout the year
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Prior experience with dog ownership is a must
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Be willing to crate and house train the puppy
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Able to afford required high quality food, heartworm/flea/tick prevention, regular grooming, as well as regular vet checks, including vaccines (distemper, Parvo, hepatitis, Bordetella, Lepto, Lyme, and Rabies) and any emergency vet checks
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Fenced backyard to contain the puppy or dog, or be willing to adequately exercise and supervise puppy/dog while outside
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All dogs and pups placed in Guardian Families must be indoor dogs and never be left outside.
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Have a schedule that will allow for your dog to not be left alone in a crate for extended periods of time
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Keep us updated on the dog’s progress
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Guardian will check the dog for signs of beginning heat cycles as per instruction by Magnolia Hill Goldens.
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Live within 20 miles of our home, (we live in Powhatan, VA)
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Guardians must communicate, cooperate and coordinate with the breeder regarding testing, mating, whelping, and other breeding related activities
So How Does it Work?
Most all our dogs/pups available for our Guardian Program will be females.
When the Guardian dog is in season, the Guardian Family is required to contact us immediately. An intact female usually has a heat cycle that will last between 14 and 21 days. During this time, we will need access to her for breeding related appointments. Once she has been bred, she will remain with her Guardian Family until one week before her due date. At that time, the Guardian dog will come back to stay with us throughout the remainder of her pregnancy and will be returned once her pups are fully weaned approximately 7-8 weeks later. Guardian Families are welcomed and encouraged to visit with scheduled appts while their Guardian Dog is at Magnolia Hill.
If you are receiving a Guardian Home Puppy, we ask for monthly photos and updates during the first year so that we can watch her develop and update our Facebook page. We also will require a visit to our Guardian Family’s home every few months during the first year to assess the Guardian Puppy, as well as build a relationship with her for the future. Occasionally, we will ask our Guardian Families to bring the puppy to us for a visit so that she can get comfortable with our home for when she will be here with us in the future having babies.
How Many Litters Will A Guardian Female Produce?
Each dog is individually assessed before determining their required litters. Most of our Guardian dogs will have between 2-4 litters for us. Female Guardian Puppies placed in a Guardian home will have up to (and no more than) a total of 3-4 litters. The health and wellbeing of our breeding dogs is a priority to us. Occasionally we may decide to have fewer litters if we have accomplished our goals in development of our Guardian dog in a shorter period of time.
Please note that we are very selective and only highly qualified families will be approved to foster our breeding dogs. We will conduct a telephone interview and will conduct a home visit. Our breeding program depends on the quality of care provided by our guardian families – we expect the best home life possible for our dogs.