Golden Acres Golden Retrievers

  SAMPLE ADOPTION AGREEMENT

This Agreement, between the Breeder and the Adoptive Family, is bound by the following conditions:

1. Placement of Puppies:  The Breeder will determine by eight weeks of age which puppies will be placed with which Adoptive Families.  These decisions will be based on the environments, experience, and expectations of the potential Adoptive Families combined with the Breeder's knowledge about the individual traits of each puppy, gained through both daily experiences and Puppy Aptitude Testing.  Puppies will be placed in their adoptive homes at or about 9 weeks of age.  If the Adoptive Family can not or prefers not to take their puppy home at 9 weeks of age, a boarding and training charge will be charged at a rate of $25 per day for additional care and training.  Such arrangements must be made prior to the puppies being 9 weeks old.   If there are no puppies with temperaments and/or trainability traits appropriate for the Adoptive Family, who are not being placed with other Adoptive Families, the Breeder will return any deposits paid by the Adoptive Family and consider this Agreement null and void or will place the Adoptive Family on a waiting list for a possible adoption from the next available litter, whichever option the Adoptive Family chooses.  

2. Purchase Price and Conditions:  [ ] The Adoptive Family is buying a [ ]Male   [ ]Female  [ ] Either Sex (to be determined by the Breeder based on personality and trainability traits best suited to the Adoptive Family) Companion Dog from the above litter for $1,000.00 plus Minnesota State Sales Tax.  Because Golden Acres strongly advocates responsible pet ownership and is committed to the enhancement of the Golden Retriever breed, all Companion Dogs must be spayed or neutered by twelve months of age.  Accordingly, Golden Acres offers this reduced price of $1,000 to Companion Dog Adoptive Families in order to compensate the Adoptive Family for the required sterilization procedure.  Although unable to compete in Conformation Competition, families adopting Companion Dogs are strongly encouraged to participate in Obedience, Field, Agility, Tracking and/or other 'dog sport' Training and/or Competition activities as a way of providing positive mental stimulation and physical exercise for the Dog and for the enjoyment of spending fun, quality time with their pet.;  

or,  [ ] The Adoptive Family is buying a [ ]Male   [ ]Female Working/Breeding-Potential Dog from the above litter for $1,250.00 plus Minnesota State Sales Tax.  An additional agreement, either a Working Dog Agreement or a Co-Ownership Agreement, is attached to and made a part of this Agreement.  

The Adoptive Family is required to make a $300.00 non-refundable (except as stated in Paragraph 1) deposit upon the signing of this Agreement in order to reserve a puppy, with the balance due at the time of pick up.

3. Legal Ownership/Registration Papers:  The Breeder will provide, on the day of transfer and upon receipt of proper payment, the following papers: 1)  Individual Health & Care Records for the first nine weeks of the Dog's life; 2) Veterinary and Vaccination Records; and 3) a Completed Application for AKC Registration of the Dog*.  *For all pups sold as Companion Dogs, the Breeder retains legal ownership and the Application for Registration until the Adoptive Family has provided a written statement by a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine that the spay or neuter procedure has been successfully completed, written confirmation from a 'Positive Reinforcement' Dog Training School that both Puppy Kindergarten with off-leash socialization and Basic Obedience have been completed (also see Paragraph 9), and the veterinary reports detailed in Paragragh 7, Hips, Eyes, and Heart, at which time the Application for AKC Registration will be completed and forwarded to the Adoptive Family, and legal ownership of the dog will transfer from the Breeder to the Adoptive Family.  If Puppy Kindergarten is not completed by the time the dog is five months old and Basic Obedience completed by the time the dog is 10 months old, if the spay or neuter procedure is not completed by the time the Dog is 12 months old, or if the required hip, elbow, eye, heart, and thyroid procedures are not completed and the reports delivered to the Breeder by the time the dog is 10 months old, this Agreement will be void, the Adoptive Family will be required to relinquish the Dog to the Breeder, and no monies will be refunded.  

4. Veterinary Care:  The Dog will receive routine veterinary care while at Golden Acres, including a veterinary physical examination at approximately 6 weeks of age, a Parvovirus vaccination at approximately 8 weeks of age, and natural herbal worming if necessary.  The Dog will also receive non-routine veterinary examinations and/or care if its health or physical development appear to be in jeopardy at any time. The Breeder will also administer, at no additional charge, a Distemper vaccination at approximately 12 weeks of age, provided the Adoptive Family brings the Dog to the Breeder for such administration.  The Breeder strongly encourages the Adoptive Family to wait until the Dog is at least 1 year old before having a Rabies vaccination administered, and further encourages the Adoptive Family to avoid all other vaccinations, all chemical parasite preventatives, and all allopathic drugs for which there are non-toxic, natural alternatives, for the lifetime of the Dog.  **Note:  If the Adoptive Family prefers to avoid ALL vaccinations in their course of natural care for the Dog, the Breeder will gladly amend the Adoption Agreement to reflect that option.

5. Socialization:  Puppies will be raised indoors, in a nurturing family environment and will receive diligent physical care, exposure to a variety of experiences, and the human interaction essential to emotionally and physically healthy puppies.  Puppies will have the opportunity to interact with adult dogs other than their dam, cats, children, and a variety of adults before leaving Golden Acres to ensure proper social development.

6. Health:  Golden Acres is committed to raising sound, healthy puppies.  While at Golden Acres, pups will be raised in a clean, healthy, chemical-free environment to protect them from disease and illness, and each pup will have its health and weight individually monitored on a daily basis and will receive supplemental nourishment when necessary in order to ensure optimum physical development during the critical first nine weeks of life.  Accordingly, the Breeder maintains that the Dog is in good health and free from communicable diseases at the time of transfer.  The Breeder encourages the Adoptive Family to have the Dog examined by a veterinarian within three business days of picking up the Dog from Golden Acres.  If, during an exam performed within three days of picking up the Dog, any health defect is discovered to have existed at the time of transfer, the Adoptive Family may return the Dog within 24 hours of the veterinary examination, along with the veterinary report stating the defect and the veterinarian's opinion that the defect existed at the time of transfer, all of the Dog's records, and the Application for Registration, and the Breeder will reclaim ownership of the Dog and refund the entire purchase price.  If the Dog is not examined by a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine within three business days after leaving Golden Acres, or if the Dog is not returned to the Breeder within 24 hours of such examination, no refund based on defective health will be made, except as stated in Paragraph 7 below.

7. Hips, Eyes, and Heart:  Golden Acres takes every precaution in the selection of dogs for breeding in an attempt to breed dogs that are free from genetic health problems.  In addition, every nutritional benefit known by the breeder to produce and raise optimally healthy dogs has been provided through a natural raw diet, appropriate supplements, and a combination of Holistic and General Veterinary care.  In order to continue making the best decisions possible regarding the genetics of the dogs being bred, the Breeder requires that the Adoptive Family have the dog's hips and elbows x-rayed by a qualified and licensed doctor of veterinary medicine, the x-rays submitted to the OFA for preliminary reading, and the OFA reports delivered to the Breeder, the dog's eyes and heart examined by a qualified and licensed doctor of veterinary medicine and a written report of the findings of such examinations delivered to the Breeder, and a blood sample sent to Dr. Jean Dodds at Hemopet, for a full Thyroid Assay Panel, and the reports delivered to the Breeder, all after the dog is 7 months old, but before the dog is 10 months old.   Accordingly, the Breeder provides a warranty against genetic hip, eye, or heart diseases as follows:

    (a)    This warranty is void if the Dog is fed any diet other than a natural, raw foods diet (click here to learn more), if the Dog participates in any agility, long-distance running, or other strenuous activity or sport before 18 months of age, or if the Dog has been or is at any time determined by a veterinarian or by the breeder to be overweight;

   (b)    If the Adoptive Family or the Adoptive Family's veterinarian suspect a problem, or if the Adoptive Family simply wants final confirmation of genetic health of the Hips, Eyes, and/or Heart, the hips of the Dog may be x-rayed by a qualified and licensed doctor of veterinary medicine and the x-rays submitted to the OFA for a final report (after the age of 2 years);  the eyes examined by a licensed and Board-certified ophthalmological veterinarian and reports submitted to CERF; and the heart examined by a licensed and Board-certified veterinary cardiologist, before the Dog is thirty (30) months old.  The Breeder reserves the right to verify the information by obtaining another set of x-rays, additional ophthalmological testing, or additional cardiological testing for comparison and second opinion in the event of a suspected problem.  In the event of a confirmed genetic problem with the Dog's hips, eyes, or heart that will prevent the dog from fulfilling the purpose for which he/she was purchased, the Adoptive Family may choose one of the following options to satisfy this warranty: 1) the Adoptive Family may return the Dog to the Breeder for replacement and within 12 months after return of the Dog and all AKC registration papers transferring ownership to the Breeder, the Breeder will replace the Dog with a pup out of a comparable litter selected by the Breeder for a reduced adoption fee of $500, or; 2) the Adoptive Family may return the Dog to the Breeder, along with all AKC registration papers transferring ownership to the Breeder, and the Breeder will refund $250, or;  3) the Adoptive Family may keep the dog as a Companion Dog and after the Adoptive Family has provided certification of having the Dog spayed or neutered, the Breeder will refund half the original purchase price.

8. Guarantee of Satisfaction/Requirement of Return:  The Adoptive Family is required to return the Dog to the Breeder if, for any reason, at any time, the Adoptive Family decides they can not or do not want to keep the Dog.  After the Breeder has had the Dog's good health certified by a doctor of veterinary medicine, the Breeder will refund to the Adoptive Family a portion of the original purchase price according to the following schedule:  If returned in good health within 90 days, 50%, if after 90 days and by 1 year of age, 25%; if after 1 year of age, no refund will be made, but the Dog will be welcomed and cared for at Golden Acres.  If the Dog is returned ill, overweight or underweight, or injured in any way (except as stated in Paragraph 6 or 7), no refund will be made.  The Adoptive Family agrees never to sell or to give away the Dog, under any circumstances, to anyone other than the Breeder.

9. Lifetime Care:  The Adoptive Family agrees to provide exceptional care for the dog throughout its lifetime, including but not limited to: 

1) Indoor, interactive family living;

2) A securely fenced yard attached to a main entrance door to the home;

3) Positive Reinforcement obedience training using a Gentle Leader collar, at a facility approved by the breeder, to include no less than 8 weeks of classroom Puppy Kindergarten that includes off-leash socialization, to be completed before the dog is 5 months old, and 12 weeks of classroom Basic Obedience, to be completed before the dog is 10 months old;

4) Routine and illness- or injury-related veterinary care regardless of expense, including but not limited to annual physical exams, annual heartworm tests and appropriate natural/non-toxic preventative measures, and quarterly fecal tests;

5) Routine grooming, including no less than bi-weekly brushing, weekly teeth cleaning, weekly nail clipping, weekly ear cleaning, and quarterly visits to a gentle, caring groomer for bathing and trimming if not done at home;

6) Appropriate intellectual stimulation through regular training and intellectual play;

7) Appropriate emotional care through inclusion in family activities, daily petting and gentle interaction; and

8) Appropriate physical exercise through daily play. 

The Adoptive Family agrees to use a fenced yard or a leash for the Dog at all times when the Dog is outdoors until the Dog has been trained to be completely and safely reliable off leash outdoors, under heavy distractions, after which the Dog may be outdoors with responsible adult supervision off leash and without a fence in appropriate environments and situations.  The Adoptive Family agrees NEVER to allow the dog to be outdoors, outside a fenced area, without responsible ADULT supervision, and further agrees NEVER to give the dog access to an outdoor yard, fenced or not, when not at home.  The Adoptive Family agrees that the dog will be kept safely indoors at all times when the Adoptive Family is not at home.  

If at any time the Adoptive Family is unable or unwilling to continue providing a home and exceptional care as described above or if at any time the Breeder learns that the Adoptive Family is no longer caring for the Dog as described above, or believes that the Dog's physical or emotional health or safety are in jeopardy, the Adoptive Family agrees to immediately relinquish the Dog to the Breeder upon the Breeder's request and transfer all ownership and registration rights to the Breeder (See Paragraph 8 for applicable refunds).  In the case of disaster (Loss of Home, Family Death, Loss of Employment, etc.), Golden Acres will care for the Dog, free of charge, for a reasonable period of time, until the Adoptive Family is again able to provide exceptional physical and emotional care for the Dog.

10. Contract Fulfillment:  If the Adoptive Family chooses not to purchase the Dog after signing this Agreement or does not keep the scheduled pick-up appointment or make reasonable attempts at timely rescheduling should a conflict arise, this Agreement will be null and void, the Adoptive Family will lose all rights to the Dog as outlined in this Agreement, and no monies will be refunded.