The Montcorn Doxies Retirement Plan
The Rehoming of Retirees;
One reaction people tend to have when you announce that you will be retiring a breeding dog is that you feel the dog is expendable, or is being objectified, or that the dog is solely about making money to breeders, when Im going to tell you in all reality this is not the case..., most merely break even if doing it correctly. So, let’s talk a little about breeding strategies and why a breeding program may need to retire, or place dogs that are done breeding puppies. Many breeders will not choose to place dogs early on when they first begin breeding, but find it is necessary as age or medical conditions arise that may prevent safe breeding, if they wish to be a long term breeder. This is the hard reality we must all face at some point as a breeder, despite any ill thoughts or backlash one may receive from those whom may not fully understand the dilemma. First let us assume if you are wanting a purebred pup, you believe they should exist because of their predictability and or heritage. In order for a breed to exist and remain true, there is a need for knowledgeable stewards of that breed. The seasoned breeder has knowledge of that line, health and temperament this is paramount to improving and moving generations in the future. Seasoned breeders learn nuance of breeding; each breeding done is done for a purpose for their line. Basic truth is that your program can grow to large numbers of dogs in your home rather quickly if your program is successful or long survived. The breeder is faced with how to handle this, and many do it differently: guardian homes, large kennels, and retiring adults that either do not work out for breeding or who have been bred and are ready to retire or must be medically retired if it’s no longer safe for the dog to breed. This does not by any means mean the breeder does not love or cherish these dogs, or just wants to throw them away. This is so far from truth it’s unreal, and most small hobby breeders love their dogs like family, thus making this an extremely hard choice for them to make. But is one that is made for the very wellbeing of the dog and what is best for them. It’s an incredibly selfless act on the breeders behalf to not choose to keep the dog as a retiree as this is how senseless hoarding can progress to an unsafe and dangerous environment for the dogs and humans in the home. This selfishness is how puppy mills are actually created. Choosing a better life for your dog despite the heartache you may be experiencing is not only one of the absolute hardest selfless choices a breeder can make for their dogs, but is the only safe and responsible option. The breeder must ask themselves a certain point, how much attention and individual love and care can a person give 5 dogs? 8? 10? For a breeding program to continue on in a healthy manner the breeders must keep puppies from their breedings or purchase new breeding dogs. What happens if a medical dilemma arises?? Would that dog enjoy a better life as someone’s beloved and cherished pet or as a part of a breeding program? In the Montcorn Doxies household, our dogs live as family first and foremost. They have ownership of my entire dining room with a custom designed doggo living space, some of them sleep in our bed, and they play in our home with our children. Puppies and their moms are always in our living room with us, and are loved and socialized from birth to the time they leave our home to their Furever family. I am honored to be apart of their creation story and it’s a blessing to be their breeder. I would not ever take the creation of life as anything lightly, nor is the extreme responsibility of Furever home placement for the puppies... and with placement of our retired dogs, this takes a piece of my soul to say goodbye Every. Single. Time... so you bet your right arm I am very thorough and would never simply give my babies away, unless it was absolutely the best thing for them. Period. A breeder meticulously screens potential Furever families, with the adult dog’s temperament and personality in mind. They visit the new home, meet the family and make this decision with utmost caution. We truly only want the best for these dogs, even if that means a life away from us, this is incredibly hard and bittersweet for us. Using the term “rescue” is rather disheartening for us as well... You are not getting a dog from a shelter, but rather our adored family member that has been cared for better them most humans and has had no shortage of love but the most love a dog could get. One that has been shown it was of value, and one that has made a huge contribution to the sanctity and preservation of the breed. Occasionally we get this and it’s incredibly upsetting; making the decision to place a retired dog can be incredibly painful so please try to be respectful about this fact. Helpful things to do if your interested in a retired breeding dog is to send the breeder detailed information about your life, how their dog would live in your world, and what your experience is with the breed. Read any information about the dog on the breeder’s website you can find, and familiarize yourself with the people and program the dog is coming from. For example, is this dog a medical retirement, if so, how will you meet the needs of that dog? Be patient. Breeders take the necessary time to get to know potential families, many are very cautious about where they go because we love them like family. Be willing to have them visit your home, and provide them references. A good breeder can provide you references as well.
Be willing to sign a contract. Many breeders require a contract, as well as retired adult to be returned to them if you cannot keep them, this is commonly referred to as “first right of Refusal.” Breeders who are breeding for the improvement and love of a breed often are faced with retirement and placement. It can be a difficult decision for them, please be mindful of that fact. We are lucky to find excellent homes who become like family to us, but that does not make this decision an easy one. We thank those who have opened their homes to a beloved retired dog and thank those of you supporting breeders by doing so, as this allows us to continue to contribute to their breed’s preservation. Thank you for your support!!
Adult dogs are often ideal for mature adults who dont have the energy or desire needed to train a puppy.
We may retire some of our mom dogs and daddy dogs after several years of breeding. This works great for us, for our retired dogs, and their new families. They are healthy, housebroken and well socialized, crate trained, and come when called, generally well behaved, etc... They will take some time adjusting into a new home but they are so Montcorn perfect 🥰 many families keep in touch for a long time letting me know what a great Doxie they are and how happy they are to have their Montcorn Doxie!!. They are wonderful for the person or family who wants a companion, without all the time and energy a puppy requires. If you are looking for an adult who has had a kind and warm family life, a retired adult would be perfect for you. I do keep a list of families interested in homing an retired dog. Our retired moms are usually 6 years old, males are a bit older. They will be spayed or neutered on a spay/neuter contract, microchipped, and current on all vaccinations.
Adoption fees are anywhere from $250 to $500 depending on the available dog and the age of adult, plus the cost to spay/neuter. All of our retired dogs will be spayed or neutered before leaving Montcorn Doxies and will be adopted to APPROVED EXCELLENT HOMES ONLY! The adoption contract must be signed!
We will ONLY allow our available adults to be adopted by families who meet one or more of the following criteria:
~ They ALREADY OWN one or more of our puppies and may be looking for another dog to join their home.
~ They are familiar with Dachshunds (previously or currently own one of this breed).
~ They purchase one of our puppies to be paired with the retired adult if they do not already own one of our puppies
Our dogs are used to living together as a family group and in most circumstances they would not be happy as single dogs. We do give special favoritism to those who ALREADY OWN one of our puppies or dogs as there would already be an established trust between us and whoever adopts one of our adult dogs. It's not a set-in-stone rule that you must already own one of our puppies or dogs, but it is a preference. Our retired dogs will not be available to homes not particularly suited for that specific dog and their specific needs or a home that is not familiar with caring for a dachshund. It is very difficult for us to list any of our retired dogs as "available” or “for sale". These dogs are beloved members of our family, and we are in no hurry to pass them off to others. Our dogs are not rescues in need of a home. They have a loving home, and will continue to have a loving home for as long as it takes for the right family to adopt them! Some of our dogs will never leave Montcorn Doxies because it is extremely hard to let go of our family members. The dogs that we do allow approved families to adopt are usually young dogs who have the best chance at doing well in a new home. If there are no available dogs listed on this page, then we don’t have an adult dog available. We will only accept applications if there is actually an adult dog available, but we do keep preferential families in mind for the future. Thank you for your understanding!
Please click the link box to download and read the adoption contract:
md_retirement_contract.pdf |