Guardian Program

We have a selection of females aged 2-5 who we have decided to share with loving, like-minded homes. Our approach is holistic and natural, we want our girls to thrive and receive more love, attention, exercise and training than we can currently offer them due to large numbers. But we need them to stay intact, because they have a job to do. They are our family members first, but their role is to ensure the legacy of Daintree and Duck Tollers.

Ideally, the families we select for our Guardian homes will want to permanently adopt our girls when their breeding careers are over and will stay in regular contact with us about how the dogs are doing, if they are facing any challenges, and keep us up to date with their reproductive cycles.

Ryan and I fostered a Daintree dog Summer 2019.  We had recently adopted a toller through Trisha and wanted our new addition to have a familiar playmate to help her adjust to her new environment.  Our foster was an absolute delight - her sweet demeanor and playfulness was infectious amongst our pets and she was a joy to have around the house.  It was a very rewarding experience and we look forward to having her back this spring.

-Michelle Latosinsky

There is a screening process, a guardian adoption fee and a face to face chat (video call) to ensure we are a good fit for one another. If everyone is on board, then we would arrange the pick up or drop off date. That would be held over an afternoon so that we knew the dog was comfortable with you and vice versa. 

There are two options on the duration: 6 months renewable or semi-permanent with retirement option. The fee for short term foster is considered a deposit of $2000 with a $1000 refund when the dog is returned in good health as agreed. If the placement is semi-permanent with permanent retirement to your home at the end of her breeding career, the cost is $2000 with a $2000 refund at the successful completion of their breeding career. The dogs are available to start leaving throughout the spring.

Day to day expenses, routine medical care, grooming, pet sitting, dog walking, toys, treats, food, and extras are all the responsibility of the Guardian. Transportation to and from Nakusp will be decided on a case by cases basis at the time of the anticipated return to/from. These costs are considered to be a mutual/nil reimbursement and shared. Meeting places at halfway or locations en route with some notice will always be an acceptable option.

In early 2018, we got our first toller from Daintree (Archie, Woodland Litter) and I knew within days of bringing him home that we would one day get another. When Archie was about 9 months, we had an opportunity to short-term foster Mazie and had the best time with her! We were able to get a sneak peek at what life with two tollers would be like, had the opportunity to see how our dog would adjust to no longer being an “only child” AND were able to have our puppy learn from a well-adjusted adult dog 24/7. Mazie was a great match for Archie’s energy level, but also helped form his off switch when she was ready to relax with us.

By early 2019, we knew we wanted to welcome a second addition sooner rather than later. But life just kept piling up around us, we bought and were renovating a house, and had some big trips planned. We knew we wouldn’t be able to give a toller puppy the time and attention they needed. When Trisha let us know some of her dogs were available to foster, we jumped at the chance to have Breeze join us for a long-term foster. Having her with us for almost 5 months was a true delight. Archie had a companion when things were stressful and new, a playmate when he was bored, and a cuddlebuddy at the end of the day, and so did we! We didn’t have to worry about housebreaking, training, or socialization. She was a literal “Breeze” and came into our lives like she’d always been a part of it. She visited family with us, came on long camping trips, and joined our hikes like a pro. By fall, we were finally able to get ready to have our puppy join us and it was so bittersweet saying goodbye to Breeze. All of Daintree’s dogs are a joy to have around and will always be welcome in our place! ~ Sara, Wallace, Archie & Reggie