Guardian Program
What is the Guardian Program?
In order to provide our customers with as much variety as possible when it comes to colors, sizes, and coat texture of our aussiedoodles, we must have quite a few adult dogs in our breeding program. We want these dogs to be able to live as happily as they can with the opportunity to go to a home that will be able to give them all the attention and playtime they need. This means that we must limit the amount of dogs that we keep here at our farm.
To meet both the needs of our customers and the needs of our dogs, we place adult dogs into a "guardian home". Families that live within an hour of Georgetown have the opportunity to have an australian shepherd or poodle of their own to love while Wagging Tails Farm keeps these dogs as a part of our breeding program. The family will also recieve payment for each litter that is born. At the end of his/her breeding career, the guardian dog will be spayed/neutered at our expense, and the guardian dog will continue to be a pet to their guardian family.
Our dogs are the very basis of our company, but each one is a part of our Wagging Tails Farm family. We would never want our dogs to be treated as expendable or to be neglected simply because they have stopped being able to produce. This is an unacceptable practice. The guardian program guarantees that our dogs will live the rest of their days being pampered and loved family members.
So a free dog? What could be better! Well not exactly. The requirements for a guardian family are strict in order to maintain the health of our dogs. A $300 deposit is required to reserve your guardian dog; this deposit will be returned at the completion of the guardian dog's breeding career. The guardian family will also be given the option of receiving one of their guardian dogs puppies (spayed or neutered) as a pet in lieu of the deposit refund.
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To be considered as a guardian home for one of our breeding dogs, we require that you live within one hour of Austin, Texas.
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Must be willing to do all the transporting of the dog to and from the breeders home. No anticipated job transfers, etc that would remove the dog beyond this drive from Austin while the Guardian Agreement is in effect.
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You must own your own home.
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You must have physical fencing to provide a safe and secure environment for the guardian dog/puppy.
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All dogs and pups placed in Guardian Families must be indoor dogs and never be left outside unattended.
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Willingness to feed a high quality pet food product of my approval.
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Grooming is an important part, whether you decide to clip her/him yourself or take it to a groomer, it should be consistent and she/he should be free from mats and debris in her/his coat, as much as possible.
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No intact male dogs (not neutered) should be residing on the premises to increase a risk of an unwanted mating (for females only).
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guardian families must provide regular exercise and socialization.
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A willingness to enforce basic obedience either though formal class training or qualified experience.
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You must have a willingness to accept and follow breeders recommendations for the dogs basic health care and veterinarian care, such as vaccine schedules, the use of certain medications, flea and tick prevention, heartworm prevention etc.
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A willingness to maintain an open line of communication with Wagging Tails Farm with any matter related to the dog.
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A willingness to allow me to visit your home (on occasion) and must be able to visit my home so the dog and I stay familiar with one another.
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The primary care giver must have a schedule that will allow for your dog to not be left alone for extended periods of time.
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Most importantly… all the love and care and attention possible!!
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Finally, it is imperative that your puppy/dog become a member of your family and not a backyard dog. We are looking for happy, well adjusted mothers and fathers who will pass on their good traits and happy lives to their puppies.
Any “breeding related” medical costs for the Guardian Dog are the expense of Wagging Tails Farm. Our Guardian Homes are responsible for routine maintenance and medical care just as they would if they had their own dog. We realize guardian families have a tremendous sacrifice to make, given the female breeding dog must be returned to us to be bred, deliver and wean her babies before being returned back to the guardians (approx. 6-7 weeks). Almost all of our dogs/pups available for our Guardian Program will be females, but occasionally we will have a male available.
If you are receiving a guardian puppy, we ask for monthly photos and updates during the first year, so we can watch him/her develop and update our website. We also will require a visit to our guardian family’s home every few months during the first year to assess the puppy and to 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 she can get comfortable with our home for when she will be here with us in the future having babies.
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If for any reason you will be away during your guardian dog's cycle, please contact us ahead of time. If for any reason you must move, please contact us immediately so that we can help to facilitate a solution that will work well for both of us or to receive the dog back into our home.
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Female Guardian Dogs
As stated above, female guardian dogs will be at our facilities for approximately 6-7 weeks for breeding, delivering, and weaning her puppies. Once she begins to show signs of being 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 5 days before her due date. At that time, the Guardian dog will come back to stay with us throughout the remaining of her pregnancy and will be returned once her pups are fully weaned (approximately 5-6 weeks later). Female puppies placed in Guardian Homes have a maximum of 4 litters.
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Male Guardian Dogs
If you are a guardian home for a male, from time to time we will be using the dog for breeding which will require him to be at our facilities about an hour or two in a day - likely every second day for a week with each female he breeds. If the male is located out of the immediate area, it will mean 1-2 weeks away from home. Males placed in guardian homes only require that I be able to access them for either a natural mating and or sperm collection.
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If you are interested in being considered for our Guardian Home Program, please complete the guardian application, and I will be in touch with you. Please know that not all applicants will be fulfilled as we only home a few Guardian Home puppies a year. Thank you!!