Guardian Home Program

What the heck is a guardian program and how does it work?

A Guardian Home is someone who houses one of our future breeding dogs and works with us in exchange for a heavily reduced puppy price. Our Guardian Home Program allows us to expand our breeding program while giving our parent dogs the opportunity to live full, happy lives as beloved family pets and have a wonderful home (with you) once their breeding careers are complete. The arrangement begins with a co-ownership structure, and once the dog retires from breeding, their full ownership is transferred to the guardian family and the breeding dog is either spayed or neutered. We believe this program is a wonderful way to ensure our dogs get the love, attention, and family environment they deserve throughout their lives.

Benefits of becoming a Guardian Home:

Guardian puppies are chosen for their outstanding qualities — we prioritize health, temperament, and overall excellence in the breed. After someone completes an approved application and has a few conversations/meetings with Krista & Mike at Desert Ridge Doodles, a male or female puppy or an adult dog will be placed in their home for a highly discounted holding fee under our Guardian Home Agreement. This fee will be returned to you at retirement from the program!

We do offer monetary compensation for our guardian families when the dog is used for breeding purposes.

Once our contract is complete, the male/female will get neutered/spayed by Desert Ridge Doodles and the guardian family will become the sole owner of the dog!

Requirements to be a Guardian Home:

Guardian families are expected to maintain open, clear and consistent communication with us throughout the contract period. In return, we will make sure to clearly and accurately communicate and provide ongoing support — teamwork is essential to the success of the program.

Guardian families should have prior dog experience and be confident in training, including crate training, teaching house manners, and basic obedience. If not, please be willing to work with an accredited dog trainer to help you through this process. Socialization must remain a top priority to ensure the dog grows into a well-rounded adult and can thrive when with us in public situations like vet visits, breeding appointments, etc. Guardian families must also be willing to work closely with our veterinarian and follow any health and wellness guidelines we provide to keep the dog in excellent condition. This is easily done and our vet is wonderful!

Guardian families must live within an hour of Maricopa/Stanfield for males or females. Guardians must have a fenced yard and must not plan to move out of Arizona for up to 6 years. If you do plan to move, we will have a conversation to discuss our options moving forward.

Guardian families must be willing to drive to our house when a dog is needed for breeding purposes. Occasionally we may opt to pick up the dog if their appointment is closer to your house.

The guardian must care for the puppy responsibly and completely, making sure the puppy is up to date on any and all vaccines, veterinary healthcare, deworming, etc. INCLUDING EMERGENCIES. We will cover all breeding related vet costs.

Guardian families must be responsible for keeping the puppy’s coat maintained with regular grooming appointments, brushing at home, ear cleaning, nail trims, etc. We recommend sticking to a 6 or 8 week schedule with a groomer.

Guardian families must be willing to send quality photos to be used on social media and online. We like showing our adult dogs living their best lives in addition to breeding. Our dogs are so much more than breeding dogs, they are lifelong companions who deserve days at the lake, trips to the beach, pup cups from starbucks, and endless snuggles and attention. This care is often lost in the breeding world and we love showing off that we are different!