About our Guardian Angell Program:

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Thank you for your interest in about our guardian home process. We, at Mythos Standard Poodles, hold dear the idea that we are here to give more than we take and out program exemplifies this notion. We are so thankful for our guardian homes and are always in need of others interested in the program so that we can continue our breeding program without ever needing to kennel raise a dog.

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The Basics!

 

The many benefits...

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1. We do not believe that puppies or dogs are best served by being kennel raised. Dogs are social animals that adore their families and want to be with them, involved in their daily lives and participating as loved family members. By placing them in a home environment that will be their forever home from the time they are puppies, we are doing our best to ensure their happiness and best start in life. This allows us to never need to rely on kennels!

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2. The majority of our current guardian homes were either families who could not afford to purchase a quality Standard Poodle, wanted the experience of raising pups for their family without the lifetime commitment to the pups they produce or simply liked the idea of how our programs works and wanted to take part! For those who could not afford to purchase outright, the guardian home option is fantastic as the family only pays for normal vet care when a dog is placed with them. There is an initial payment of $500 which will be used at the conclusion of the contract to alter the pooch. In essence, you get a top quality Poodle nearly nothing and all you invest is a little time for bringing the dog to us or arranging to have the dog picked up when we need it for testing or breeding or whelping.

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3. We benefit as a breeder because we do not need to have or utilize kennels. We do not have to care for more dogs than we are comfortable with or can manage easily in our own home. We know each dog has a forever home from the time they are young and a cherished member of a family until they pass over the Rainbow Bridge. There are always a lot of questions that people have about the guardian program, and we’ve tried to anticipate most of those and answer them below. Hopefully the info doesn't overwhelm you. We’d rather address all the questions right upfront than to have someone feel like they weren't really aware of how it worked. And, in all honesty, it's a very simple program even though it may seem like a lot of details. Let us know if you have any other questions after reading.

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4. Many guardian homes eventually decide they would like a puppy out of their dog. Normally most pets would be spay/neutered and the owners wouldn’t have this option. With the guardian program since your dog will be having pups you will have the opportunity to see these precious puppies and get a pup if you choose to do so. You can either foster another guardian “grandpup” or purchase from the litter.

 

FAQ’

 

Where can I live and still be in your guardian program? We ask that you live within a one hour drive from St. Pete Beach, FL.

 

What guidelines do I have to follow when raising the puppy or dog?

1. The family needs to feed one of the foods off of the Premium Dog Food list we will provide you. These foods are high quality and not necessarily expensive. We are advocates of health nutrition for dogs, and for feeding foods that will not cause health issues down the road, things like cancer or tumors or allergies, etc. The foods are easily found at most pet stores or online. We would recommend all dog owners to consider these foods for the lifetime health of their pet.

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2. We ask the family to avoid all chemicals unless necessary, and to not give supplements or medicines unless approved by us.

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3. If the dog becomes sick or injured, we need the family to notify us right away so we are involved in all decisions regarding the treatment of the dog. In many cases we can save the family a lot of money if it is a simple issue, and in other situations the treatment may need to be specific if the dog is going to be bred soon.

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4. We ask the family to practice safe handling of the dog. To not leave the dog outside if they are not at home. Don't let the dog sit in the back of an open pickup. Use a leash in public. Provide basic obedience training so the dog has manners. All these things should be done to protect your dog.

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5. The guardian home is responsible either for the transportation of the dog to us or arranging for us to pick up the dog for breeding, or for the initial health testing at between 1-2 years of age.

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6. If, for any reason, the guardian home moves more than 2 hours away from the Tampa area, the dog shall be relinquished back to us unless other arrangements are made. If the dog is relinquished, the initial deposit is refunded.

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What age do you start breeding the dog? We do not breed males until over 12 months old and females over 18 months.

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How long is our Guardian Pet with you when you breed? We prefer to bring our girl to you so that the male is comfortable and confident within his own environment, but we understand that may be difficult so, if we need to bring him here, he will be in our home about 3-5 days for a mating.

While we seldom place our females in Guardian Angell homes, they would be with us during their heat cycle. We return them home until the week before they are due. They are with us for a month or so, until the puppies are weaned.

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How long is a female pregnant? Dogs are pregnant for 63 days give or take 4 days and we require them to be in our possession a week before they are due. We do not usually guardian home our girls.

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How long do you wait between breedings? We are flexible about when breedings are done. The dogs generally cycle every 6 months. As long as your dog is healthy and up to having a litter we are very flexible as to when the breeding will be done but don’t want to wait more than a year between breedings unless there is a medical reason to do so.

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What happens if the puppy gets sick or injured while in the guardian home's care? While the dog is in your care and home, any illness or injury that happens is your financial responsibility, just as it would be if you had a non guardian pet. We need to be involved in knowing what is going on and determining medications, but the family is responsible for those expenses. We have your dog’s best interest at heart so it is good to have us to consult with. If you are negligent and your dog is lost or dies when in your care we will ask for you to be responsible for our financial loss. If your dog is injured or dies and can no longer participate in the program and you were being responsible we will not hold you liable for the loss. Bad things can happen to anybody. Fortunately, we have never had a serious injury or loss to any dog in our guardian program.

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What expenses do we pay for and what things does the breeder pay for?

1. The guardian home pays for any normal care items for the dog. Food, dishes, leashes, beds, normal vaccinations or wormings, toys, etc.

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2. We pay for all expenses related to health testing for breeding purposes, all breeding expenses and litter expenses.

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How many litters do you usually breed before retiring the dog? We contract for up to 5 litters. Sometimes we don’t breed at all. So the number of litters depends on each individual case. We consider a litter 2 or more pups so if a mom has only one pup we don’t count it as a litter. A female averages 3 litters in our program. If the puppies are exceptional quality their could be 5 litters (usually once a year).

 

Who pays for the spay/neuter surgery? That is where the initial payment comes in. We use that to alter pooches at the appropriate time. This is usually about 2 months after her last litter of puppies is weaned or for male dogs on or before their sixth birthday (usually before).

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What happens if the dog doesn't pass a health test like you want them to for becoming a breeding dog? Our standards are very high. We adhere to the quality requirements of the AKC & UKC as well as our own quality ideas. Remember that breeding quality and pet quality are two different things. Just because a dog may not be the best breeding candidate doesn't mean she/he isn’t the perfect pet. Your dog can pass all the tests and we still may decide to remove it from the program. We aren’t bashful about removing dogs from our program. If we release your dog from the breeding program, we will spay/neuter your dog. You will still have gotten a quality dog for only the normal costs of having a pet.

 

Where can I board my dog? If you ever need boarding we would love the opportunity to watch your dog as long it fits in with our family schedule. Otherwise you would board your dog as you would any pet when you vacation. It is always great to have the opportunity to play with one of the dogs we produced. We love the additional opportunity to interact with the dog and family.

 

What happens if we join the guardian home for a quality breeding dog but don’t intend to honor the breeding contract? We make a great commitment emotionally and financially to our owners and guardian dogs. We ask that you only enter into our guardian program if you are willing to make the same level of commitment to your dog and to us. Unfortunately, we have been forced to put a penalty for those who break our contact as we find some want the discounted dog but have no intentions of honoring the contract. We want to work with you and for this to be a win, win for all involved. We work hard to select the best of the best of our dogs for our guardian homes. We have a financial penalty to discourage those that would want to get a discounted dog and break the contract by using the dog for their own breeding program. If you are willing to make an honest commitment to us and our breeding program we will be very flexible and will do all we can to make this program work for you and your dog. We don't want to be controlling or intrusive into a family’s life. We consider our dogs and owners like extended family and enjoy the extra interaction we have with them in the guardian program. We are very fair and reasonable and want to work with you to make this a win, win and win situation for all of us. We hope that you will consider partnering with us.

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If you are interested in applying for our Guardian Home Program, contact us at shearmadnessgrooming@gmail.com or apply below.