Guardian Program

If you’re interested in a high quality puppy and live in Central Illinois, our Guardian program might be for you! Our guardian program is where we place breeding prospect dogs and puppies in local families, at minimal upfront cost to the family and we retain the breeding rights on that specific dog. We view our Guardian Home Program as a true "win-win" situation. Our Guardian Families receive a "pick of the litter" quality puppy and we have the satisfaction of knowing that our breeding dogs are living life as cherished family members.

What is a Guardian Home?

The guardian program allows us to grow our program and continue to better our breeds, without sacrificing any of our dogs happiness and need for love and attention. While we want to keep all of our dogs with us, we understand that they will be happier with more one on one attention than we can give them.

As a guardian home, you are the permanent home for one of our breeding dogs while they are in our program. Once they are retired (and spayed/neutered at our expense), full ownership transfers to the guardian family and they get to keep the dog forever.

By offering the guardian program, we are able to ensure that our dogs get to live the best possible lives in a loving, caring home where they receive as much one on one attention as possible.

Guardian Benefits

Guardian’s receive a high quality dog! Once retired and spayed, full rights and ownership are transferred to the guardian and the deposit is returned, so the dog essentially is given to the Guardian for free!

We will pay for the dog’s spay/neuter when the time comes for the dog to be retired.

Guardian’s receive lifetime support from the breeder, including education on training, dog care, and grooming.

There are opportunities to make extra money by helping with breeding related appointments/travel, whelping/raising puppies, etc. if desired.

Guardians can plan vacations and travel while the dog is in our care without worrying about boarding.

This arrangement helps save the Guardian some costs associated with keeping the dog as we will be feeding her for the time she lives with us - several months out of the year! After having puppies, the dog will be returned to the Guardian home bathed and groomed - another cost that the Guardians will save on!

Guardians don’t have to say goodbye to their dog while in our care! We welcome planned visits and puppy play times!

Guardian Requirements

Guardian homes must be within an hour or 30 miles of Eureka, IL. This is not a good program for those who do not have plans to stay in one place for a while.

We’ll need Guardians to cooperate with transportation plans to and from our home or veterinary appointments. This might mean we’ll drive one way and the guardian drives the other, etc.

Guardian homes need to have an appropriate sized yard and ways to keep the dog from escaping (by fence or leash). The dog must be kept in a comfortable living situation.

Guardian will be responsible for regular vet visits and agree to keep the dog up to date on vaccinations, flea & tick prevention, and heartworm medication. We will pay for any veterinary care or testing that pertains to breeding.

Guardians are responsible for properly maintaining, containing, training and caring for the dog; this includes grooming, basic training, and socialization.

Guardian agrees to feed the dog a food approved by the breeder. We want to make sure all our dogs receive proper nutrition so they are in optimal health.

The dog must be kept away from other intact dogs at all times. Intact dogs cannot live in the same home as a guardian dog under our program.

We ask for a $500 security deposit which will be returned when the breeding contract is complete, so at the end of the day, you’ll get an amazing, high quality dog for free as long as you abide by the terms of the contract!

Timing

Puppies may start living with their guardians after they are 8 weeks old. We may also have older dogs available for the Guardian program, in which case, they’ll be able to leave anytime.

Female dogs within the guardian program may be bred a maximum 4-6 times (but it could be less). Their breeding career will begin after their second heat or around 12 months old.

We will need to know every time the dog comes into heat - even the first time because that helps us plan for the future. Once she is old enough for breeding, the guardian will deliver her to our home 7 days into her heat cycle. We will keep her her for about a week or after at least two successful breedings.

Dog’s gestation lasts 63 days. She’ll live with the guardian through her pregnancy until about 10 days before her due date. We want to make sure she has plenty of time to get comfortable in her whelping space before she goes into labor.

She’ll need to stay with us and the puppies until they are around 6-8 weeks old.

Dogs cycle about every 6 months, so, as long as she maintains optimal health, she could have two litters in a year’s time.

Questions and Information

  • We’re delighted to have you as a part of our Joley Aire Family! To join the Guardian program, we ask that you fill out an application at the link below:

    Apply for the Guardian Program!

    Once you’re approved, you’ll be sent an invoice for the $500 security deposit.

  • We may have Bernese Mountain Dogs, Bernedoodles, or Poodles available for our Guardian Program.

  • At this time we are only offering females for the Guardian program.

  • If we have selected puppies or dogs for the guardian program, they will appear on the Guardian Puppies page on our website.

    We also may purchase a puppy for a guardian home after receiving your application. So, if you don’t see an available Guardian puppy, you may still submit an application and we’ll start looking for a puppy specifically for you once approved.

  • You’ll end up saving money on a high quality dog! We do ask for a $500 security deposit to join the program which will be returned to you when the dog retires from breeding.

    This arrangement helps save the Guardian some costs associated with keeping a dog as we will be feeding her for the time she lives with us - several months out of the year! After having puppies, the dog will be returned to the Guardian home bathed and groomed - another cost that the Guardians will save on!

    Other costs are only those associated with normal pet care.

  • We do not require you to keep a specific groom or cut, but we do require that the dog’s coat is well maintained and does not get matted. This includes regular brushing and grooming.

    While the dog is with us, we reserve the right to groom and bathe the dog to ensure cleanliness, especially after whelping.

    Our dogs are ambassadors for our breeding program. They should be well maintained as we will likely be taking pictures of them while they’re with us. We also love to receive updated pictures from our guardian families that we can share.

  • Becoming a guardian home for one of our dogs is a huge commitment and a decision that should not be made lightly. Please keep in mind that we are retain full legal ownership of the dog until they are retired from our program and guardians have a legal obligation to follow the contract. Our dogs are very high quality and have been hand selected to benefit and improve our program further.

    Becoming a guardian home is not for everyone! Please consider this commitment carefully.

  • If your dog is deemed unsuitable for breeding by either us or one of our veterinarians, then the dog will be retired from our program. You will not be required to pay any fees, the deposit will be returned to you, and we will pay for the dog to be spayed/neutered. After that, full ownership will transfer over to you.

  • While the dog is in the guardian's care and home, any illness or injury that happens is their financial responsibility. We must be involved in treatment plans and know what is going on and determining medications, but the family is responsible for those expenses. Health insurance is recommended during the breeding years/contract period. This insurance is for your protection because these dogs are extremely valuable as breeders.

    If the dog dies due to negligence by the Guardian, the Guardian owes the breeder a fee of $3000 and will not receive their deposit back.

  • We will pay for medical costs if the dog falls ill or is injured while in our care.

    If the dog dies while in our care, we will return the $500 deposit and the contract will be terminated.

  • The dog may be returned to us, but the security deposit will be forfeited. Our aim is for this arrangement to be permanent for the benefit of the dog and it requires the serious commitment of dog ownership.

  • For any relationship to enjoy success and benefit all involved there needs to be trust and communication. It’s no different for a Guardian relationship!

  • No! We will provide you with all the information you need!

If you have questions that are not answered on this page, please reach out by emailing me at rebekah@joleyaire.com!