Introducing our Guardian Home Program
What is a guardian home program?  At Bailey’s Goldens we are committed to advancing the Golden Retriever breed in meaningful ways. For us, this means working with our bloodlines to continue to build future generations of Goldens that excel in terms of health, genetics, and temperament. Unlike large kennel breeders, we are hobby breeders, so our dogs are family members first and stay with us for their entire lives. This puts a natural limit the number of dogs we can have in our family. The guardian home program is the answer to how we can continue to advance our mission while still doing so with the health and happiness of the dogs as our priority.
We have a deep love for this amazing breed and have been honored to place puppies in their forever homes as family members, emotional support dogs, and service dogs. Our mission is clear to us: to give back to this beautiful breed that has given us so much love and happiness by raising the standard and improving the breed through partnership and ethical breeding. This is our drive and our passion.
Our guardian home program allows us to advance this purpose by choosing a "pick of the litter" puppy who is the best candidate to help us to continue to build our bloodlines and strong genetics for future generations, while prioritizing temperament and health of these beautiful dogs. We place the chosen puppy with a family in their forever home at no cost to the family. In this way, every dog gets to experience a home where they are surrounded by love, attention and grow up as a valued family member. Bailey’s Goldens retains legal ownership of the dog during the course of his/her breeding career. Upon retirement, full ownership is transferred to the guardian family.
How does it work?
Bailey’s Goldens retains breeding rights for the dog. At the appropriate times, we complete health and genetic testing (at the breeder’s expense) of the dog to determine appropriateness for breeding and potential mate pairing to work toward our goals. The guardian will be responsible for returning the dog to Bailey’s Goldens for the purpose of health testing and mating. Health testing generally can take 1-2 days at a time, while mating can take 1-2 weeks. Following a successful mating, females would need to return to Bailey’s Goldens one week prior to their due date and stay until pups are weaned at approximately 6-8 weeks. Once a female has had a minimum of two litters or a maximum of three litters, she will be considered retired and ownership will be transferred to the guardian with limited AKC registration. Male dog must be available 2-4 days at a time, up to a few times a year as needed. Stud dogs will be retired by 8 years of age and ownership will be transferred to the guardian at that time with limited AKC registration. No breeding should take place once the dog has been retired. What is the guardian responsible for?
The guardian raises and cares for the puppy in their home as a member of the family. They provide care for the dog, including regular veterinary checks, vaccinations, and all other health needs of the dog not related to breeding or whelping a litter. The guardian trains, socializes, exercises and grooms. The guardian follows all safeguards for ensuring that the dog grows up healthy and happy. Communicating with the breeder about the dog is an essential part of the partnership. The guardian communicates with the breeder regarding important events and responds to the breeder’s messages in a timely manner, generally within 24 hours. The guardian maintains reliable transportation and is responsible for transporting the dog back to the breeder as needed for health testing and breeding purposes. The guardian can visit the dog while it is in the breeder’s possession given advanced notice and following appropriate care precautions when puppies are present.
What is in it for the guardian?
The guardian gets a “pick of the litter” pup at no cost to raise as a companion and member of their family. They get to take part in helping build and protect the future of the breed through assisting with our ethical breeding practices. The guardian receives full ownership of the dog once the breeding contract is complete and the dog is retired. A successful guardian may also choose to become guardian to a second puppy from one of their dog’s litters or may purchase a puppy from one of their litters at a discounted price.   How does the guardian get chosen?
The process begins by completing both the puppy application and the guardian home application. Once those are sent in, Bailey’s Goldens will contact the applicant with a response to the applications or with further clarification questions. If approved, the person/family will be placed on the guardian home waitlist. Once a guardian puppy is available, Bailey’s Goldens will choose a guardian home from the waitlist based on “best fit.” An approved guardian home is not guaranteed to receive a puppy, as puppies placed in guardian homes will be limited and will be matched based on best fit.   If you share our goals and our passion for these beautiful dogs and feel that you would be a good fit for our guardian home program, please submit a puppy application and a guardian home application for consideration. We would love to hear from you!