"Boarding contract" for a purebred dog -- any thoughts pro or con?

Hello All -

I haven't posted in a long while, going through a tough time but starting to see light at end of tunnel. Seeking the wisdom of the group on a random issue.

My kids (12 and 8) and I have been looking to adopt a dog for a long time; we are taking our time to find the right one. We don't want a puppy -- I've had one before and am not up for the intense work of the puppy period right now. So, we are looking at young dogs, like about a year or so old, i.e., already housetrained and any other training a plus. We have been looking at shelters and rescue groups, but only considering dogs we can meet in person before deciding (some places ship them to you from far away and you basically just have to take the dog when it gets to you no matter what so I'm not willing to do that). So far no luck. Many of the smaller dogs we have liked based on information online, when we inquire about them they have been returned for aggression or biting, etc. Some are simply untrained but large -- my kids are still too small to control a big dog that has no leash training at all. I am ready to shoulder responsibility for care of the dog as needed, but I do want the kids to at least be able to walk the dog without me having to go along every time until it is dependable on a leash.

The other day, I saw that a breeder of Golden Retrievers had a one-year-old dog available, completely trained, knows hand signals, gorgeous dog, etc. I thought wow that must be a REALLY expensive dog and moved on. But I kept thinking about the dog, so I decided it couldn't hurt to at least call and ask about the price.

It turns out what they are really looking to do is find a "boarding contract" for the dog. I had never heard of this, but basically the idea is that the dog lives with your family but the breeder is allowed to take it to compete in shows once in a while, and then once it turns two, they have the right to breed it a certain number of times (I believe in this case it was 3 or 4) and the dog has to stay at the breeder's for about 8 weeks when the puppies are born. We would be welcome to visit, see the birth, etc. Once all the breeding has occurred, the dog is spayed and then we would keep it forever. Apparently the reason some breeders do this is as an alternative to keeping the dogs out in kennels. They would rather have them in homes living with families.

I have never heard of this before. What I like about it is that the dog is beautiful, beautifully trained, and seems so much more likely to be the happy addition to my family that I am hoping for rather than a problematic addition. The lady said many of the "boarding" dogs are with families that have kids with special needs, so these are very well-trained dogs, and I am also actually hoping that this dog will help my daughter to unlock emotionally so that was a plus to hear that information. Also, it seems interesting to learn about breeding and see the puppies, maybe go to a dog show, etc. I don't know anything about this, and the kids are interested too. I don't even mind the fact that the dog will occasionally be gone for a bit -- the lady said people often plan their vacations then, sounds like a win win.

As for the cost, she said she charges about $1000-$1500 but sometimes she has just waived that in special needs cases. To some extent, it almost seems like she should pay me to do this, but I can afford the range she is talking about and don't want to get hung up on that -- I really just want to successfully add a dog to the family, and even most rescue dogs have a $200-$400 fee. Her puppies cost $2500-$3000. I checked them out online and they seem very reputable, the dogs win all sorts of awards, etc. etc.

Has anyone ever heard of this or done this? Any thoughts pro or con? Appreciate any input you might have.

Mamalatte

I would Run away, far away.

i may write more later because I've gotta go someplace right now, but it's a Ponzi scheme.

While it's true that some high end breeders place their adult dogs in homes and reserve the right to take them to show and breed, I would not get on either side of that transaction whether as breeder or pet owner unless I was actively involved in the breed.

isnt it it true that goldrens don't calm down until about two years anyway?

Ps I can't imagine shipping a rescue dog. My rescue group does not adopt outside of a two,hour drive because too often we have to retrieve the dog.

That sounds off to me.

Thoughts off the top of my head.......having owned several dogs that i absolutely loved ......I have found that a simple breed research relative temperaments, sizes, breed tendencies, etc. is time well spent and all that is needed. Overthinking this by reaching beyond your local community is both unnecessary and asking for complications. You have so many resources locally which include reputable breeders, dog clubs, humane societies and animal rescue chapters.....why not rely on some of these to meet good trustworthy people and find the dog that matches your family.

Getting involved in a boarding contract invites frustration. Are you really wanting to worry about the dogs health and welfare in relation to another owner? And one thing is for sure, Im not obtaining a family pet on a contract that closely resembles an auto lease. Too many ways they can use legalese to screw you in the end. What happens if the dog runs out into traffic or gets lost or comes down with an undiagnosed illness? Who pays for the owners loss? Gets into too much back and forth on negligence, etc.

The golden retriever is one of the best family dogs I can recommend. The only downside is that they tend to come down with incurable cancers past the age of ten. The temperament of the dog couldn't be any better. My best friend was a golden retriever. Really !

I'm back. My original post was basically ok but I'll elaborate on it.

This practice you describe by breeders is carried out by both ethical and unethical breeders. For the unethical ones, it's a multi-level marketing thing that allows them to make money from dog flesh but not do the work of taking care of a dog. It also allows them to avoid kennel laws. If they farm out a a majority of their dogs, they have only a few at their house and they don't need to put up with kennel inspections and Dept. of Ag requirements.

My friend who is an ethical breeder, a hobby breeder (meaning she doesn't make money from dogs because it's a net negative activity for her) has placed a couple of her bitches over the years with this kind of arrangement. But--and this is a big but--those who take her dogs are very well known to her. They are people who have been involved in rescue for many years. There is NO WAY she would hand over a breeding female to someone she doesn't know well.

I would be skeptical of this deal for several reasons:

1) I don't want to deal with an intact female dog through several heat cycles, both the bother and the responsibility isn't something I want in a pet

2) I don't want a contract being the dominant structure of any relationship I have with a breeder.

Williamsmith's idea about negligence is good.

I have seen so many relationships between breeders blow up in the past 25 years, I want no part of it. Once a bitch is spayed, they cease to have much value to a breeder and hotheadedness seems to calm down.

One should maintain a relationship with the breeder of their dog. An ethical breeder will have a contract that calls for the dog to be returned to them in any situation, but that's for protection of the dog and it covers the lifetime of the dog whether intact or spayed.

3) I would be worried about my kids getting attached to a dog and then something goes wrong and that dog leaves our home

In summary, I personally would take a breeder retired dog, but one that is ready to be spayed. Sure that dog will be older, but well worth fewer strings attached to her.

That sounds troublesome. Your dog becomes a member of your family, and I wouldn't want someone having control over their life.

I think golden retrievers are lovely. Most breeds have rescue groups. You could try looking for "golden retriever rescue" in your area. There is often a higher fee than at the pound because the rescue groups usually individually foster each dog. We have got 3 dogs in the past through a breed rescue group, and they were great - though they can be a little picky! They have a big application and often a home visit - almost like adopting a child.

Here is a link to a national rescue for goldens.

Thanks Williamsmith. We have been looking off an on for over a year in the usual places, our local shelters and rescue societies and word of mouth. My impression is that a dog with the profile we are looking for -- gets along with both kids and cats, not too huge, and also not a puppy -- is just a relatively tall order and hard to find. Breeders only seem to have puppies, as far as I can tell. The fact that this one breeder was offering a one-year-old dog was what got my attention in the first place . . .

Thanks for your thoughts on what might go wrong, hadn't thought of some of those possibilities. A friend also told me about someone in our neighborhood who did this a while ago with a different breeder and breed (Bernese Mountain Dog). They apparently really enjoyed it but ultimately had a big disagreement with the breeder when the family thought the dog was tired out from all the breeding and wanted her to rest, but the breeder bred her anyway and she had nine puppies and a very difficult birth and her health was never the same. So, there do seem to be a lot of things that can go wrong.

irislilies - Thanks for your thoughts also. I am surprised how many rescue societies do these truckstop adoptions where dogs are transported from far away and given right to a new owner who has never met the dog. That is not for me, but apparently is working for many people. The dogs are coming from "high kill" shelters where their time was up, so it seems certainly worth a try vs. the dog being destroyed . . .

Sounds like I would be better off sticking with my search at the shelters and local rescue groups, and/or possibly reconsidering whether to get a puppy . . .

Dont get a puppy!!! They are so much trouble, ack.

What you need to do is zero in on a few breeds you like, make yourself known to breeders, and get on their waiting lists for retired breeding dogs. Ethical breeders breed their bitches only a couple of times, then th y need to find homes for them.

Where do you live? I find it really hard to picture a place that doesn't have thousands of shelter dogs. But then I live in the puppy mill capital of the US so we have lots of,dogs though not necessarily from mills.

Thanks, Gardenarian. Yes, we have been doing the rescue group thing. They all have separate applications and processes. So far we have been approved by one group, but in the end we all did not think the dog we had initially inquired about was a good match for our family. We are hoping maybe another dog will come up with that same group so we don't have to do the whole application process again.

Golden Retrievers very difficult to get. One Golden rescue society that works in our area does not let you apply for a specific dog -- apparently if you meet their criteria, they choose one for you. They have volunteers in our area who will do home visits and check you out, etc., but most of the dogs are in another state far away and it is the same deal where they ship it to you sight unseen. I'm not set on a Golden though. This one thing that came up just happened to involve a Golden. I have always had mutts, and the other dog we applied for but decided not to get was a mutt.

I love goldens, too; my first dog with kids was a golden, and we have one who is turning 2 this month. She has NOT calmed down however. She believes in her heart she is a border collie, and she herds everything. If you throw a ball, she looks at it and says, "Homie don't do that."

For what you want, I would take a retired breeding golden. I know there is a breeder up her in Michigan who sometimes sells her retired breeding dogs. She has one now, 5 years old, for 1800 dollars:
http://platinumgoldens.us/Availablepuppies.html

I don't know if the description would work for you, but I would look for something like this with a golden breeder, like IL said.