There are several pros and cons of being a guardian dog owner and a lot of responsibilities, and you should be sure of yourself before agreeing to take in any dog.
If you are looking to own a dog temporarily or even permanently, you should consider becoming a guardian owner. This is especially good for those people that are new to having dogs as pets, as it prepares you to learn how to love and care for a dog.
If you are unsure of how guardianship of a dog works, this article can help you gain some knowledge about the responsibilities of owning a dog.
Before we move into the pros and cons of being a guardian dog owner, let us try to understand what guardianship means.
What is a Guardian Dog Owner?
A guardian dog owner is someone who agrees to take in puppies or dogs from breeders to care for and give them a healthy environment to grow up in.
Breeders are those people that breed dogs in order to produce puppies, either for commercial purposes or otherwise. It is a very expensive line of work and consumes a lot of time taking care of the dogs. Due to this reason, breeders look for homes or people willing to take in dogs as pets.
The function of a guardian dog owner is to look after these dogs in their homes and give them the best living conditions so that they can grow into healthy canines.
What Are the Requirements of a Good Guardian Dog Owner?
A guardian dog owner has to meet specific criteria to be able to welcome these dogs under their guardianship.
The breeder will make a background check on your lifestyle, home, environment, family, etc., to determine whether you are fit to care for a dog. Once those factors are cleared, you will have to sign a contract stating that you will keep the dog in good health and allow for it to breed during mating seasons.
The reason dog breeders look for guardian dog owners is so that the puppies will have healthy and happy lives. They cannot just be given away to random homes and expect them to care for their dogs. The ability of a potential dog owner to provide love, care, and attention is most important.
After meeting the target of the breeder, these dogs usually end up being permanent family members of the guardians. The core purpose of a breeder is to breed dogs to produce puppies, which they can sell or give up for adoption.
After producing offspring a few times, it is common to let them enjoy the rest of their lives with the guardian dog family.
Pros and Cons of Being a Guardian Dog Owner
Becoming a guardian dog owner is a noble initiative that gives the puppies hope to live a good life. If you are new to pets, you should understand that there are both positive and negative aspects to owning a dog.
Owning a dog means committing yourself to its well-being for the entirety of its life. So, on that note, let us go through some pros and cons that come with owning a dog.
Pros of Being a Guardian Dog Owner
There are many reasons why you should choose to become a guardian dog owner. It benefits you immensely through various aspects. Let us look at some of them.
- You Get a Loyal Friend
Dogs have been coexisting with humans for centuries since time immemorial. They have adapted themselves to become man’s best friends and have helped the earliest humans hunt food and guard homes.
In most cases, these breeders will allow the dog to stay with guardian dog owners once their duties are fulfilled. This duty refers to producing healthy offspring in the comfort of a safe and loving environment, which you are providing.
Once the dog reaches a particular stage in her life, she can retire from birthing puppies and enjoy the rest of her life. For a breeder, her purpose has been fulfilled.
Since the dogs have gotten used to the environment where they grew up, they are usually left with their guardian dog owners for life. It is hard to relocate them to new settings after being with a family or an owner for many years.
This presents the opportunity for you to have a lifelong companion who loves you and is loyal to you. Having pets has so many positive impacts on our lives.
They always give us company whether we are depressed or happy. Having a pet by our side when we are going through tough times is a great help. They understand the emotions we are going through and cheer us up during such situations.
Keeping a pet keeps you healthy and improves your overall well-being.
- Not as expensive as having a pet
An upper hand in becoming a guardian dog owner is that you do not have to spend money on all the dog’s needs. Since a breeder uses your home space as a shelter for the dog’s healthy growth, they must pay for most of its expenses.
Most breeders come with a contract where they will charge a minimum to keep the dog. Once the agreement is met, the dog legally becomes yours.
In instances of medical necessities, the breeders will help to pay off the bills at the vet’s clinic. They also usually pay for the food and other nutritional requirements. However, all these responsibilities depend on what you and the breeder have agreed to in the contract.
Before you sign any papers, look at what you can provide and how much you are willing to spend to improve the dog’s life. Accordingly, you can either take the dog in or go for other less costly breeds.
- You are providing a healthy environment for the dog
The problem with breeding dogs is that a breeder needs a lot of space to rear the dogs. Making the dogs live in crowded, tight areas is detrimental to the dogs’ health and is a form of cruelty.
Some breeders only look to gain money from breeding dogs. They breed the dogs without having enough space to accommodate all of them. This results in puppies ending up in the streets or animal shelters where the standard of living is poor.
So, your decision to give these dogs a healthy environment to live and grow in is a noble deed. It elevates the life expectancy of the dogs and lessens the burden of the breeders too. You will be sparing her from all the miseries of life in the streets and animal shelters.
- Only healthy dogs are chosen to live with guardian dog owners
Another benefit of being a guardian dog owner is getting the best of the litter. It is common among breeders to select the best puppies to give up for foster care.
Since these dogs are meant to be bred for mating purposes, the puppies must be healthy and strong with a good temperament. Such dogs are more likely to birth healthy offspring.
There are no certainties when you adopt or buy a dog by yourself. You will not know whether the puppy you are buying or adopting is a healthy dog that will live for many years. This is not the case with dog breeders.
They will only bring you the best of the best puppies if you have the right environment to rear a dog. They will have a better life expectancy and produce better puppies.
- A great playmate for children
If you have children at home, they will have a wonderful friend to play with. Dogs love to play a lot, especially when they are young, just like human children.
They will also learn a lot from having a dog at the house, like respecting all kinds of living beings. Children who have had pets in their lives tend to be kinder and more understanding than those who grow up without one.
Introducing the dog to an environment with children also helps them become more sociable. The dog starts to understand human behavior and build trust with humans.
The best part is taking the dog for walks along with the children. They can have a runabout at the park and teach the dog new tricks.
Cons of Being a Guardian Dog Owner
There are also some setbacks that you will face as a guardian dog owner. Let us see what they are.
- It can be tedious
By becoming a guardian dog owner, you commit your valuable time and energy to the dog. This means that your priority should be the dog for most of your time.
You have to teach specific manners and activities using commands. Training a dog to do these things takes time, so you should be patient. You also have to take the dog for daily walks to give them the minimum required workout to stay fit.
Before you decide to take in a dog, you must consider how much time you can invest in the dog in one day. If you think you can give her enough attention, you can become a guardian dog owner.
- Impossible to relocate your home for a few years
A guardian dog owner needs to consider everything properly before making commitments. You cannot look to move to another city or state before the dog’s purpose is fulfilled.
There is a need to live close to the dog breeders since they will need to check on the well-being of the dogs every now and then. Since you have taken the dog in under a contract with the breeder, you cannot avoid meetings with them.
It is a huge responsibility to take up, so it is best if you know yourself first. You will need to cut down on your travels during vacations and give more impetus to the dog.
The reason breeders come to you with the offer to become a dog guardian is that they do not have the best environment for the dog. Hence, it is your sole responsibility to give the dog undivided attention.
- Giving her away before birthing
Guardian dog owners go through an emotional rollercoaster when the time comes for the dog to give birth.
This is because the breeders come and take them away for a couple of months so that they can give birth and look after their litter. This period will negatively affect you when you get emotionally attached to the dog.
The breeders need to have the dog give birth under their supervision. They invest a lot in dog breeding, and their primary purpose is to have healthy pups at the end of the day.
However, you can trust the breeders to bring the dog back to you once the puppies do not require the mother’s milk and guidance.
- Handling the dog in heat
Since the dogs are female, you will have to accept the physical complications that come with them during their heat cycle.
She will be restless and can be attracted to any male dog when in heat. There are also blood discharges and swelling of the vulva in this period. You should be able to cope with all these symptoms if you plan to become a guardian dog owner.
If you are scared of a little bit of blood, dog guardianship is not for you.
How to Get Out of a Guardian Dog Contract
Getting out of a guardian dog contract requires careful steps to ensure both parties’ rights and responsibilities are addressed.
To get out of a guardian dog contract you should review the contract, chat with the other party, consider legal advice, fulfill any obligations, document conversations, and finalize termination in writing. Always prioritize the dog’s well-being.
Here’s a brief guide:
- Review the Contract: Start by reading the contract thoroughly. Understand all terms, especially those related to terminating the agreement.
- Open Communication: Reach out to the other party involved (breeder, organization, or individual). Explain your reasons for wanting to exit and see if a mutual agreement can be reached.
- Seek Legal Advice: If the contract is complicated or the other party is uncooperative, consider consulting with an attorney familiar with pet or contract laws in your state.
- Fulfill Obligations: If there are conditions for ending the contract early (e.g., returning the dog, paying fees), ensure you’re prepared to fulfill them.
- Document Everything: Keep a record of all communications and actions.
- Formal Termination: If both parties agree to terminate, get it in writing, ensuring that all obligations are clear and fulfilled by both sides.
Most importantly? Remember it’s about the doggo. Always aim for what’s best for the furball!
Conclusion
Guardian dog owners are great for dogs as they are provided with the best environment to grow and be loved.
It is beneficial to both the owner and the dog. The dog gets a healthy environment to stay in with the best nutritional food, while the owner also gets massive emotional support and a loyal companion.
The guardian dog owner also does not have to spend a lot on food supplies and other medical necessities. Most of the expenditures are done by the breeder since it is their responsibility to provide the best care in return for healthy pups.
There is some downside to being a guardian dog owner, but those are just tiny sacrifices you make in return for a loyal friend.
Some of My Favorite Products For Dog Owners
I hope this article has helped you just a bit in everyday life as a dog owner. Being a dog owner for more than 25 years, I’ve tried many different products with varying success, but these products below are some that I can highly recommend to every dog and their owner without hesitation!
These links are affiliate links, so if you do end up using the links, I will earn a commission. But it’s products that I use daily myself, and I have the utmost praise for.
Dog Food: Every dog needs to eat correctly, and finding the best food for your dog can be challenging, as the market is absolutely flooded with products. But since 2015 when the company was founded, I’ve been using Ollie Petfood. With their product being tailor-made to suit every dog’s specific needs, and as my dogs absolutely love the product, I’m pretty sure I’ve found a product I will continue to use for many years more. If you use my link you can get 50% off your first order.
Dog Training: If you’ve ever owned a puppy, you know that it requires a lot of training to grow into a well-behaved adult. Brain Training for Dogs has helped me immensely with the mental training part of raising a dog, and it’s something I strongly recommend you consider.
Grooming: If you have a dog in your home, you’re going to need a brush, and for this, I recommend a Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush. For that price, you simply can’t beat this brush for everyday grooming.
If you’re looking for the most up-to-date recommendations, check out my recommended products section that I’ve created to help every dog owner!
