Retirement & Guardian Homes at Wonderland: What to Expect

From time to time, we have a beloved breeding dog ready to transition into a retirement or occasional guardian home. These placements are incredibly special to us—they’re not just dogs we “place,” they are dogs who have lived, trained, worked, and raised families here at Wonderland. They’ve been raised alongside our own children (ages 5 and 8), our livestock, our other dogs, and our daily routines.

Because of how deeply we love them, we take these homes very seriously and want families to understand exactly what to expect.

Retirement Homes — What Families Need to Know

Our retirement homes are free adoption placements, with one main responsibility:

🩺 Spay/Neuter Requirement

The dog must be spayed or neutered within 45 days of going home.

The dog itself is free; your only out-of-pocket cost will be the surgery.

Many of our adults are already up-to-date on vet care, but if they have not had a dental in the last two years, we will require you to have this completed along with the spay/neuter. Most dogs don’t need extractions—just a clean and polish every few years to keep everything healthy.

💉 Vaccines

Most of our dogs are on a three-year vaccine schedule.

If a vaccine is due, you’ll have the option to update it at your vet during the spay/neuter appointment.

Guardian Homes — Rare but Important

Guardian homes are far less common, but when they do occur, the placement itself is also free, with clear expectations:

🏥 Required Pet Insurance

All guardian homes must carry active pet insurance for the lifetime of the dog, to ensure emergencies and unexpected issues are covered.

📋 Routine Care Is Your Responsibility

This includes dentals, annual exams, heartworm and flea/tick prevention, and any emergency care.

We continue to cover all breeding-related costs.

Temperament & Socialization — What Makes Our Adults So Special

Our dogs are raised in a very unique environment:

👧👦 Raised With Children

Our dogs are socialized heavily with our 5-year-old and 8-year-old, who are hands-on daily.

Because of this, our adult dogs:

• Are friendly

• Are tolerant and respectful

• Have no behavioral red flags

• Understand boundaries

• Are used to affection and daily interaction

They may give the occasional bossy shoulder bump to a rambunctious puppy (normal adult dog behavior), but any dog showing repeated aggression would never remain in our program.

🐓🐴🐇 Comfortable Around Livestock

Our adults grow up around horses, chickens, and rabbits.

They understand farm life and coexist well with a variety of animals.

Lifestyle Expectations for New Families

🏡 Indoor & Outdoor Acclimation

Most of our dogs have grown up rotating between:

• A secure outside kennel

• Our indoor kennel

• Time inside our home

• Structured crate time

• Free play and off-leash yard time

They are NOT dogs who have lived 24/7 inside the house, so there will be a normal transition period as they adjust to:

• More indoor time

• A new routine

• New people

• A quieter environment

They settle beautifully with patience and consistency.

❤️ Many of Them Are “Needy” in the Best Way

Our adults are used to a big family, lots of companionship, and a buddy system.

If you don’t currently have a dog at home, that’s completely fine—just be aware you may become their new best friend and their emotional support human!

🦮 Training & Adjustment

Our adults are:

• Leash-acclimated

• Comfortable with crates

• Used to structured free time

• Familiar with children, noise, routine, and daily activities

But like any dog transitioning from one home to another, they’ll need time to adjust. We will help guide you through this process so the transition is smooth for everyone.

Final Thoughts

These retirement and guardian placements are our way of giving our dogs the peaceful, individualized homes they deserve after contributing so much to our program. They are wonderful, well-rounded dogs who are ready for their next chapter—one where they get to be someone’s whole world.

If you feel called to be that home, we’d love to talk with you.

These placements are rare and always handled with care.