Here at River Ridge, we believe a strong guardian home is a critical part of a well balanced and healthy breeding program.  These precious families help us to ensure our dogs have the best life possible with all the love and snuggles they deserve. When chosen, the family will enter into a contractual relationship with the breeder and received a top quality French Bulldog puppy/young adult that will become a FURever part of their family while River Ridge Frenchies retains the breeding rights for a short time. These frenchies will be the best of the best as they will be a part of our breeding program where our goal is to produce future litters of high quality, well rounded pups.  Guardian Homes allow us to ensure all our dogs can be given the individual love and attention they deserve to grow up happy, healthy, and well-adjusted.  

Yes. There is a cost involved when you become a Guardian Home. There are a number of reasons for this cost as it is indicative of the guardian family's capability to fully provide the BEST home our dogs. First and foremost, we must ensure the safety of our dogs. This process allows us to find the caliber of home that is necessary for maintaining the quality of dog they will receive. A relationship between us and the Guardian home is mandatory as we entrust a loved part of our program to live with and become a part of your family.  

The Guardian Program allows a family to purchase a “breeding quality” Frenchie for significantly less. Therefore, there is still a cost for adopting a puppy/young adult as a Guardian. When purchasing a breeding quality French Bulldogs as a pet, you can expect to pay anywhere from $4,000 - $8,000 and sometimes more. If breeding rights are purchased, the cost would be significantly higher (approximately 2-4 times higher).

The guardian family is responsible for all routine veterinary care including vaccines, breeder approved food, grooming, heartworm prevention, training, collars/leashes, and monthly insurance (we will help you set this up). These are all mandatory expenses that you would expect to incur for any dog you bring into your home and since this is essentially your dog, they exist in the guardian program, too. 

Once approved, you will be matched with a puppy (ages can range from early as 8 weeks to 1 year old) who will become a beloved part of your family. As mentioned above, this puppy will be your family pet while we retain the breeding rights as outlined in our individualized contract. During the timeframe of our contract, there are things that are required of the Guardian Family. 

During the first year, all genetic testing will be conducted at the expense of River Ridge Frenchies (RRF). When the females goes into estrus (heat), the Guardian Family must notify RRF IMMEDIMMEDIATELY. Females are in heat from 10-21 days every 6-8 months. During the heat cycle, the female will be returned to RRF Headquarters where she will be bred. This usually lasts between 5-7 days. After that time, the dog will be returned to the Guardian Family until she reaches 57 days gestation. This will begin with her second heat. Each dog will be assessed individually to determine the number of litters she will have. Most females will carry 3 to 4 litters and then retire. This is fully at the discretion of RRF and our veterinary team. This means some dogs will have 4 litters while others will retire after only 1 or 2. This is based on the health and well-being of the dog as that is our #1 priority. 

Dogs placed will be predominantly females. However, there will be instances where a male needs to be placed with a Guardian Home. Males may start studding as early as 8 months and can continue to do so as long as he remains healthy and produces healthy puppies. Again, this will be at the discretion of RRF and our veterinary team based on the health and well-being of the dog. The Guardian Family must make the male dog available for studding whether it is for our breeding program or for our stud service. Males are needed for a much shorter time and can sometimes return home the same day. 

Additionally, River Ridge Frenchies will require 2 to 3 in-home visits annually at the Guardian Home. Because the goal of this program is to ensure the well-being of the dog, we want to monitor the puppy’s growth for the safety of the dog as well as to ensure the puppy is eligible for breeding. Video check-ins will be on a monthly basis to see how the family is doing and any updates on the dogs health/training/etc. Pictures and videos will be shared with the breeder by the Guardian family monthly as an additional means of monitoring as well as to update our webiste and social media platforms.  We encourage frequent communication between the breeder and Guardian family - even if it’s just texting us the pictures you took to show your work friends or tagging us in your social media posts that feature the dog. With females, some of these visits will be at RRF Headquarters so she can become comfortable with us and the surroundings since she will spend 7 to 8 weeks here following delivery. 

• You MUST live within an predetermined distance from RRF Headquarters. 

• You must notify us if you move but it cannot be more than 150 miles from us 

• If you move further than 150 miles away from RRF Headquarters, you are to pay the remaining balance of the dog's cost in order to retain possession (total cost outlined in contract, minus the adoption fee).

• You must have, or be willing to accommodate for, a dog-safe home, as it is outlined in the contract.

• You must be open to building a trusting relationship with River Ridge Frenchies and maintaining communication.

• You must not allow the female to be around intact males during heat cycle. Accidental impregnation of the dog will result in an immediate return of the dog to the breeder and the contract will become null and void. 

• You must not allow a guardian male to breed with other females without breeder permission. If this occurs, the dog will be immediately returned to the breeder and the contract will be null and void. Guardian Family will be responsible for paying the breeder the equivalent of the dog's stud fee minus their deposit. 

• You must socialize the puppy with other dogs and people - especially children. 

• You must be flexible in sharing the drives to/from the visits during the first year.

• You must feed the prescribed diet and supplements for the dog. This is important once she is in estrus.

• You must be willing to follow the contract and abide by all of our mandated policies (ie, insurance is NOT an option and we do require proof of ongoing insurance).

• You must be open to an in-person interview, at your home, before you can be accepted as a guardian home. 

Additional Information

• We will choose their registration name but you get to choose a name they go by in your home. 

• All breeding expenses are the responsibility of River Ridge Frenchies.

• River Ridge Frenchies will cover the cost of food for the pregnant dog and her puppies during their time with us. 

• You are encouraged to visit your dog and her puppies after the puppies have been weaned and vaccinated. 

• By the time female dogs are 1 year old, they have at least entered into their first, if not second, heat cycle.