PrincessBonnie Golden Retrievers

14/10/2025

I was told I reek of being a puppy farmer today. Here’s more information on guardian homes for those wishing to educate themselves.

Here’s why guardian homes are generally considered more ethical than breeders keeping all of their dogs themselves 👇

🏡 1. Better Quality of Life for the Dogs
Breeding dogs are still pets first.
When a breeder keeps too many dogs, it’s hard to give each one individual attention, exercise, affection, and mental stimulation.
In guardian homes, each dog lives as part of a family — sleeping indoors, going for walks, getting cuddles, and enjoying daily life rather than being part of a kennel setup.
➡️ Ethical takeaway: Dogs deserve to be family members, not just breeding stock.

❤️ 2. Reduces Kennel Stress and Overcrowding
Even the cleanest, kindest kennels can’t replicate a home environment.
Multiple intact dogs can lead to social stress, territorial behaviour, and competition for attention.
Guardian homes keep the breeder’s environment calmer and ensure each dog’s emotional and social needs are met.
➡️ Ethical takeaway: Less stress = healthier, happier dogs and better-adjusted puppies.

👩‍⚕️ 3. Encourages Responsible Numbers of Breeding Dogs
Guardian programs limit how many dogs a breeder can responsibly manage — because the focus shifts from “how many I can house” to “how many I can ethically place in loving homes.”
This keeps breeding small-scale, intentional, and welfare-focused.
➡️ Ethical takeaway: It discourages hoarding or commercial-scale breeding.

🐶 4. Ensures Puppies Come from Balanced, Social Parents
Dogs that grow up in guardian homes are well socialised, confident, and used to normal family life — qualities that pass to their puppies.
That means the breeder produces better-tempered, more adaptable pups.
➡️ Ethical takeaway: Prioritising emotional health produces puppies that thrive.

🌿 5. Smooth Retirement for Breeding Dogs
When a guardian dog retires from breeding, they don’t have to be “rehomed” — they’re already living with their forever family.
That’s far less disruptive and ensures a loving, stable life for the dog from start to finish.
➡️ Ethical takeaway: Retirement is peaceful and planned, not an afterthought.

💬 In summary:
Guardian homes are more ethical because they:
Prioritise welfare over convenience
Reduce overcrowding and stress
Encourage social, emotionally healthy dogs
Provide lifelong family homes
Reflect a breeder’s genuine care for their animals’ wellbeing

For those wishing to throw stones, I’m not interested. Please educate yourselves and check references before making accusations.

13/10/2025

Would any of my NSW followers be interested in a female guardian puppy?

Must be within 4 hours of Sydney and willing to potentially travel to me/vice versa.

What is a guardian home? A family responsible for raising a female puppy (with no initial puppy purchasing cost) which remains in my ownership and returns to my care for health testing, servicing and whelping future litters.

A “guardian home puppy” refers to a young dog placed in a family’s care to live as a beloved pet, but is also part of a breeder’s program to become a future breeding dog.

The guardian family is responsible for the dog’s regular pet care, including food, grooming, training, and routine vet visits. The breeder retains ownership for breeding purposes and covers breeding-related costs, such as health testing and transport for mating. After completing its breeding career, the dog’s full ownership is transferred to the guardian home.

Female guardian dog owners must notify at the onset of a heat cycle whether we are breeding the dog or not that cycle. The dog must not have any contact with entire males.

Picture of Baloo for attention 😍💛

12/10/2025

She’s feeling this heat 🥵 15 days to go

30/09/2025

4 weeks to go 💛

I’ve been through everything I have and have started the shopping list for everything we need.

Willow has stopped playing with Gibbs so he’s sad but engaging with other dogs more when we’re out which is a nice change. He’s usually very nervous and unsure.

I’ve increased her food and added goats milk to her dinner bowl. She’s been taking Folic Acid since the day I decided to try for this litter, to prevent cleft palates in puppies.

This week she’s realised she’s pregnant, she’s slowed down, showing me her belly a lot and starting to notice the reduced room to curl up and snuggle.

27 days til we meet the little potatoes 💛

27/09/2025

Great literature from the Border Collie Club of SA Inc which applies to all pedigree dogs.

24/09/2025

💛💛💛💛💛

18/09/2025

Please take care when researching and buying puppies.

This germ was a registered breeder with Dogs WA, an esteemed organisation that dedicate their resources to ensuring breed standards are maintained, dogs are bred for temperament and in good health. This one slipped through the cracks, and so can others.

Always seek references from previous puppy families and do your due diligence 💛

12/09/2025

Would any of my NSW friends be interested in a guardian puppy?

Within 4 hours of Sydney and willing to potentially travel to me/vice versa.

What is a guardian home? A family responsible for raising a female puppy (with no initial puppy purchasing cost) which remains in my ownership and returns to my care for mating and whelping future litters.

A "guardian home puppy" refers to a young dog placed in a family's care to live as a beloved pet, but is also part of a breeder's program to become a future breeding dog.

The guardian family is responsible for the dog's regular pet care, including food, grooming, training, and routine vet visits. The breeder retains ownership for breeding purposes and covers breeding-related costs, such as health testing and transport for mating. After completing its breeding career, the dog's full ownership is transferred to the guardian home.

Female guardian dog owners must notify at the onset of a heat cycle whether we are breeding the dog or not that cycle. The dog must not have any contact with entire males.

Picture of Baloo for attention 💛

11/09/2025

Tick season has started 😞

Get onto your pet’s tick prevention if you haven’t already

10/09/2025

GOLDEN RETRIEVER HEALTH STATUS UPDATE by Dr. Karen Hedberg BVSc

I would like to congratulate all the Golden Retriever breeders for their constant and ongoing efforts to improve the overall health of their breed. When I started in this area some 30-40 years ago, the breed average for hips was over 22 (probably closer to 25 relative to current scoring), there was no elbow screening for the breed and any heart and eye testing was negligible. It takes considerable time to shift entire an breed’s averages for a disease, but this is made much more effective once LRL’s (litter registration limitations) are applied.

Hips - LRL first applied after 2002
Despite the hip scheme having been slightly tightened up over time, the current overall breed average for hips as of 2024 is sitting at 9.8, well down from 2016 where it was 13.75. The current median is sitting at 8.0 - this is a strong indicator of where the breed average is heading. Any breed with a hip average that is under 10 is a very healthy place for a breed to be.

Elbows - LRL first applied 2020.
The overall % with a result greater than normal is sitting at 17.9%, down from a 25% incidence in 2016. Currently for 2024, the average is sitting at 16.46%, slightly up from 2023. Elbow dysplasia is an insidious disease, causing much pain to both affected dogs and owners as well as considerable costs.
Breeding from Grade 3 dogs should not occur and Grade 2 dogs should only be used with great care to unaffected partners if absolutely needed. With German Shepherd Dogs when we have removed the Grade 2 dogs in 2016, this was highly significant in lowering our affected levels of 42% in 2016 down to 7.4% affected in 2024. The Rottweiler breeders have not been as vigilant with the 2016 figure being 57.18% having only dropped to 41.67% in 2024.

Eyes - overall the eye results are going well with most conditions having an incidence of less than 1.5%.

Hearts - have not been able to get any current stats, but from a personal veterinary perspective, the incidence is relatively low. But it is an area that needs constant attention such that parents should be tested prior to breeding.
Breeding healthy dogs requires constant ongoing commitment in many areas, not all directly disease related. Areas such as temperament, testicles, teeth etc are also selected for. In these areas, again, the results are excellent with few problems in these areas.

Dr. Karen Hedberg BVSc
Dogs Australia CHWC Chairperson
(Canine Health and Welfare Committee)

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