Guardian home Program

Click here to apply!

What is a guardian home?

Guardian Homes are a great opportunity for the right pet owners. Guardianships enable pick-of-the-litter breeding dogs to live one-on-one with their forever family. As a Guardian home, the dog lives with you as your family dog, while we retain breeding rights. Our breeding dogs are never kenneled! The use of guardian homes allows us to further our breeding program, without having too many dogs in our home!  When the dog completes his/her breeding obligations, we pay for spay/neuter and your dog comes home to enjoy the wonderful life you have provided for him/her since puppyhood. Females may have up to four litters prior to being spayed. Males are typically neutered between 7 - 8 years of age. 

GUARDIAN HOME REQUIREMENTS:

To qualify as a Guardian Family, you must live within one hour of Dracut, Massachusetts, or within 30 minutes from one of our reproduction veterinary clinics:

  • Slade Veterinary Hospital, Framingham, MA

  • ICSB/ Central Ave Veterinary Hospital, Seekonk, MA

  • Own your own home and have no plans to relocate during the term of the contract.

  • Agree to the keep dog in a fenced in area or on leash at all times.

  • Have a schedule that will allow for your dog to not be left alone for extended periods of time.

  • Have dog professionally groomed every 6-8 weeks to breed standard.

  • Provide high quality dog food approved by us and be willing to feed additional recommended food when dog is pregnant.

  • Be flexible and willing to accept and follow Draycot Meadow’s recommendations for the dog/puppy’s basic health care and veterinarian care, such as vaccine schedules, the use of certain medications, etc. during the contract.

  • Commit to socializing the guardian dog by completing puppy classes, providing enriching experiences for the dog and completing adult obedience. Draycot Meadows will reimburse guardian families $300 for obtaining their Canine Good Citizen Certification.

  • Provide transportation to and from Draycot Meadows or our reproductive vet for breeding. We are flexible and will help with transport when necessary.

  • Provide Draycot Meadows with regular pictures and updates.

    ***All other dogs in the household must be spayed/neutered unless it’s one of our breeding dogs.

How our Guardian Program works

Your Guardian Home puppy will come to you at 8 weeks of age. During the first year, Draycot Meadows will have the pups preliminary health testing completed. Once we receive all of the results, we are able to assess whether or not the pup will enter our breeding program.

Guardian families are responsible for normal expenses, such as routine veterinary care, vaccinations, flea & tick prevention, heartworm prevention, high quality dog food, basic grooming, socialization, and most importantly love and attention. Any "breeding related" medical cost are paid by us.

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. We are flexible and will assist with transportation when we can! Once she has been bred, she remains with her family until about 1 week before her due date at which time she will come to us to prepare for the births. During her pregnancy, you get to enjoy watching the dog’s pregnancy progress, feel the kicks of little puppies growing, and experience the miracle of life! Don’t worry, we will provide guidance to you through this process!

Females typically stay with their pups for about 7 weeks. When the weaning process is completed, the dog returns to her guardian family. Guardian families are strongly encouraged to visit with their dog and her puppies during her time away.

For males, we need to have access to him for short periods of time for their honeymoons! We will ask that you transport him either to our home or to our reproduction vet. We generally know in advance when his services will be needed.

An initial deposit may be required but will be returned once the dog has completed their breeding career, at which time we pay for the spay or neuter and they become your forever pet.

We are always looking for suitable guardian homes. Sometimes, we will have a puppy. Sometimes, we will be looking to place an adult. Our guardian home program is a win-win for all. A guardian home ends up with a pick of a litter, fully health tested dog after fulfilling the breeding contract. At the same time, we know that our dogs  are receiving the love and attention they need and crave. 

If you are interested in this program, please click here to submit an application and check Yes in the “Guardian Home Applicant” box! We will follow up to further discuss and if we feel it is a good match, you can become part of our Draycot Meadows Guardian Family! 


Questions? Contact Us!

Or apply here!