https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqTxIzqFphU&t=4s
Covid-19 Placements
Angel Retrievers has placed over 20 dogs successfully with safe social distancing during Covid-19 to keep our recipients healthy. We are currently able to do much of our instruction virtually, and our in-person sessions are designed with safety and health in mind. Watch the following video for more details.
What is the TRUE benefit to adopting an Angel Retriever?
The true benefit to adopting an Angel Retriever goes far beyond the fact that you are getting a healthy dog from a quality breeding program – or even that the puppy comes to you started in its training … the true benefit is that we KNOW this dog! It is certainly wonderful to have trainers available before and after you take your new puppy home – but the best part is that this is the RIGHT puppy for YOU to take home. We’ve spent months getting to know this puppy – and not just through observation – but through intentional interaction in training sessions and temperament testing. Every adopter has a unique hole to fill. Look at it like a puzzle piece. Every detail that makes your life unique, adds another angle to your missing puzzle piece. If you have children under 8 that adds one angle, if you have a cat that adds another, your lifestyle, your personality, and your needs all add new angles. You don’t want to squeeze a square peg into a round hole. You want a dog who will fit perfectly into that puzzle piece. We will not offer you a dog unless we feel strongly that it meets every check box that makes you unique.
What if I have trouble with my puppy?
This is a question all adopters should ask their breeders and trainers. Puppies are, well … they are puppies. Anyone who tries to give you a guarantee on how a dog should behave is actually selling you a robot dressed in dog’s clothing. We are matching you with a flesh-and-bone dog who has feelings, a personality, and a mind of their own. So, just like the rest of us, they have good days and bad days. While we cannot guarantee how your puppy will always behave, we can guarantee that we will never abandon you. We will always remain available to support you through training evaluations and advice, whether that be long-distance support or face-to-face training sessions. Our Agreement also states that you can exchange your dog for another if it is not suitable. But no one wants that to happen. The reason we pour so much into our new adopters is because we want our dogs to live happily ever after with their families, and they can’t do that if you aren’t both totally in love with each other!
Can you help me make travel arrangements?
Our recipients can tell us if they prefer to pick their puppy up in California, Texas, or New Hampshire. We will provide you with a travel planning guide which has directions to your preferred facility, recommended hotels and accommodations, and information on flying with your puppy since most are traveling long distances. Everyone’s travel expenses will be different, and they are the responsibility of each individual adopter. Some are coming in on international flights because they live in another country, while others will be driving.
Will I ever need to pay anything beyond my adoption fee?
Everything listed on our OPTIONS page is included in your adoption fee. If you have adopted a Kinderpup, Graduate, or Masters, you can take as many of our monthly group classes as your heart desires, and there will never be another charge. If you wanted in-person private lessons these are also free up to once a month. Preschool adopters have the option to purchase additional sessions a la carte. We will also remain available to you for the lifetime of your dog through virtual lessons, text, email communication and written reports.
What if my dog doesn’t bond with me?
This is a question we hear a lot. It is one of the major fears new adopters have. Remember that we are selecting this puppy for you because it has the right personality and propensities for your unique lifestyle. We also have a ‘bonding session’ the very first time you meet your pup. This is intentional, designed interaction which gets your puppy focused on you, in a positive way, from the first moment you lay eyes on each other. Talk about love at first sight!
There are also management techniques we can recommend for your follow-through at home which will have you both blissfully in love in no time flat.
Our Agreement does also state that you can exchange your dog for another – but if you do, it won’t be because of a lack of bonding.
Is there anything I could do wrong that would keep you from sending the puppy home with me?
This is another fear that new adopters have. They worry that they will do something wrong, or ‘mess up’ their pup’s training to some degree, and that we will whisk the puppy out of their arms and send them home all alone. Rest assured, this is not going to happen. By the time you come out to meet your puppy you have already been approved into our program because we feel you are responsible and dedicated to caring for this precious little creature, and we feel that this dog will not hinder you in any way. We see you both living a long and beautiful life together.
We know that you are not a professional trainer. We do not expect you to come out to our ranch and knock us off our feet with your dazzling training skills. We expect this to be a process and know you may be learning new information for the very first time – and that is okay! We are here to educate and support you through the process of learning how to manage your new buddy. We will give you instruction in many different forms because everyone learns in a different way. We will teach you through lecture, written instruction, homework, demonstration, and hands-on practice. Once you are feeling confident, you get to show your knowledge either in demonstration, written, and/or oral form.
Don’t worry! You are not in this alone. This is a group effort in every way.
What if you have the right puppy for me, but I can’t take it home that exact day?
If we have the perfect dog for you, but you are unavailable to take them home on our scheduled day, you can pay us to board your puppy until the next session. The benefits to this are that you still get that puppy, you have some flexibility in scheduling, and your puppy just keeps getting more training. It’s a win – win – win situation!
I need a Service Dog, so my needs are extremelly specific. How likely is it that you have the right dog for me?
Anyone that needs a service dog will have more criteria that a dog needs to meet before we are certain it is a good match. Once we have your application we will review it in great detail to determine the perfect dog for your situation. If you have made a deposit before we have pinpointed a dog for you, this will hold a spot for you on our waiting list. If our next litter of puppies does not have a dog that is a good match, we will keep your priority placement on our waiting list and attribute your deposit to the next available match. This goes for service dogs and pet dogs alike. We will NOT offer you a dog who is not a good match.
If we became anxious in the matchmaking process, and placed the wrong dog with the wrong person, it is not only a disservice to the adopter, but to the dog as well. We feel you both deserve the very best – and sometimes that takes patience on everyone’s part.
How do I send in my deposit?
You should not send in your deposit UNTIL your application has been approved.
Once your application is approved we will reach out and send you an Agreement to review. Our Agreement is a contract which goes over your responsibilities to us and to the dog, and our responsibilities to you and to the dog. Once you have reviewed this document, and you are certain that Angel Retrievers is a good fit for you, you will return the agreement and your deposit by USPS to the address listed at the top of your agreement.
Your personal or cashier’s check should be written out to Angel Retrievers. Do not send cash or money orders.
A deposit for a pet is $250. A deposit for service dog potential is $750.
Can I change my puppy’s name?
Absolutely. We name the puppies to keep their records organized, and to ensure the pup understands how to respond to a name in training. Instruction in how to change the puppy’s name will be given to the adopter.
Part of our record keeping is to list the puppy’s given name on their AKC registration, if they are registered. You can add your own name to that name if you wish. Registration papers should have long, unique names anyway. The more names, the better!
Where are you located?
Angel Retrievers has a ranch in East Texas and another in Southern California. In some cases, we can also arrange for you to receive a dog out of New Hampshire. We do an excellent job of spreading our reach throughout the world – not just the United States.
Most of our adopters travel in from out of state to pick up their puppy and attend our instructional classes before going home to work through virtual lessons. Some will fly or drive back to us in the future for further training, while others are content to follow-up with us through Zoom, or our free monthly email consultations, written personally for each individual dog and adopter.
Our pups will be prepared to fly back out with you when necessary. We provide, free of charge, a health certificate and airline crate for those who need to fly their dog as a pet in cargo. If you are adopting a pet they will fly via cargo for a separate flight ticket purchase, which you are responsible for but we will explain how to purchase this. If you are adopting a Service Dog they can fly in cabin with you, at no additional fee. We are well experienced with this and will make sure you understand how to book your dog’s trip, and how to fly with them comfortably and safely.
Each adopter also receives a travel planning guide with tips on traveling with a dog, as well as recommendations for local hotels and a tourism guide. We are confident you will enjoy one of America’s finest cities!
What supplies will I need?
We will provide you with your initial supplies such as crate, custom-made biothane leash, flat collar, head halter or chain collar, comfort toy, a tether for your car, a customized ID tag made just for your pup, and a week’s supply of food. However, some supplies you will need to replenish regularly. These supplies below are recommended, and we will ONLY suggest products that we currently utilize and have trusted for years. Your finances are valuable for both you and your pup, and we would never recommend an item that we have not vetted ourselves AND actually use every single day.
FOOD & TREATS
We proudly feed and recommend Life’s Abundance dog food which offers a superior quality that is safe and effective. As you are likely aware, dog foods often have recalls due to life-threatening issues with their ingredients or mold. Life’s Abundance has never had a recall, and should they ever have a quality issue, they have measures in place to call each person by phone within 1-hour. That’s incredible and can save your dog’s life! They can do this because they know which buyer purchased which bags of food, right down to the lot number. They also produce their dog food in a human-grade facility and it is shipped to you FRESH instead of being stored in bags by the thousands in warehouses for months on end. We can distribute this food at a discount to you if you click the AUTOSHIP option at checkout: you will receive the wholesale price (the same we pay as a breeder). We feed the bags of kibble and treats below. Do NOT feed any brand of Grain-Free kibble to your dog. Recent studies show this can cause cardiomyopathy. Puppies up to 6-months are fed Large Breed Puppy in the purple bag. Older pups are switched to All Life Stages in the green bag.
https://lifesabundance.com/AngelRetrievers
http://lifesabundance.com/AngelRetrievers
https://lifesabundance.com/AngelRetrievers
PROBIOTICS
It is important that a service dog’s stools are regular. Just imagine needing to go into public buildings with a dog who isn’t and suddenly needs to go. Some dogs handle this regularity naturally, but others need a little help, especially in the beginning when they are encountering situations which may seem stressful or overwhelming while they are still in training and acclimating to all of the ‘strange’ things in public. For this reason, we recommend using a probiotic, at least in the beginning stages of socialization. We use the probiotic below. Visit https://maxi-vet.com/ and enter referral code 00585.
MEDICATION
Puppies explore the world by putting things into their mouths. This means you will need to deworm your pup on a regular basis. We will go over this with you during your training lessons, but it will be good to have this on hand for regular maintenance. If you are receiving a Kinderpup get the green package. If you are receiving a Graduate get the orange package. If you are receiving a Masters get both.
GROOMING & EAR CLEANER
Because you are receiving a floppy-eared dog, you will want to be sure to clean their ears once a week. We highly recommend Trizultra with Keto flush.
We recommend using a slicker brush, and this link takes you to one that comes with a free comb. Combs are also valuable for Golden Retrievers, right around the ears. Do NOT use a furminator, any brush that has razors in it, or plan on clipping or shaving your dog’s coat. These are double coated breeds, and their fur will never grow back the same way again.
TOYS TOYS TOYS
Your pup LOVES to chew. They are a Retriever, after all. We recommend against any toy that is stuffed, soft, or squishy, as they will be able to tear this apart in a matter of minutes and will ingest the pieces. Only purchase toys labeled for ‘tough’ or ‘aggressive’ chewers. When the toys get gnawed down enough that your pup can swallow it, time to replace.
BOWLS
We recommend slow-feeder bowls. Retrievers always LOVE their food and want to get it down as quickly as possible, which can cause a serious life-endangering condition called bloat. This link will take you to a set which includes a water bowl. Both are stainless steel which do not harbor bacteria, are easy to clean, and chew-proof.
Will my puppy be neutered?
Our puppies are typically not spayed or neutered at the time of adoption. Our Agreement will ask you to wait until your pup is older before undergoing this surgery. A study conducted by UC Davis, of 759 Golden Retrievers showed that neutering the dogs before they were 1-year doubled hip dysplasia and increased the chance of cancer and ligament tears! Those are staggering numbers.
What are classes like?
Before you ever come to our ranch to pick up your puppy, you will read one of our books, written by the Founder of Little Angels Service Dogs. These books are specifically written for those who are self-training. We also have you watch a series of at least 9 videos we’ve made especially for you. You will then complete your written homework and submit this back to your instructor via email. A couple days before you travel to pick up your pup, you will have a virtual lesson through Zoom. In this lesson we will go over all the commands with you, explain exactly what it will be like when you arrive at the ranch, where to park, and what meeting your pup will be like. (Yes, it’s thrilling!)
When you do pick up your pup, we highly recommend you have in-person lessons for two days in a row. Each lesson is between 2-3 hours. You do get to take your pup home after that very first day, but then you get to experience what it’s really like living with your new buddy, and we can have a second session the following day to ensure everything is running smoothly. For our older dogs, we recommend you stay a third day so we can work with you in a public setting as well. As always, there is no additional fee for more instruction. We want you to be prepared.
After this we will require daily contact for the first week by either phone, text, email, or Zoom. This is a big adjustment period and our ultimate goal is to see you through it with expert advice. If you don’t believe you will be able to have these daily sessions with us, we recommend you do not get a trained dog. It will be a waste of your money to pay for a dog’s training but not participate in the instruction yourself. You must understand how to reinforce the training, otherwise it was not a good investment.
After that fun week, we are available 24/7 for follow up, tips, and advice. Lessons are scheduled as needed after that.
What if you don’t have the right dog for me?
The short answer is, we will.
We aren’t a typical breeder. We focus on quality over quantity, but the way we do this is by spreading our reach. In order to have quality, you need to have the appropriate human to dog ratio, so everyone gets the INDIVIDUAL attention they deserve. We are a large organization with breeding programs across the country. Our momma and daddy dogs are not in a kennel. They are all in individual homes where they are cuddled daily as beloved pets. Also our momma dogs only have a maximum of 4 litters in their lifetime before they retire from this motherhood business and spend the rest of their lives eating bon-bons (chocolate-free of course) and watching Netflix between romps on the beach or laps in the pond.
Our daddy dogs are happy if they never retire – but that’s a story for another time.
Because we are a large organization, and breeding dogs are constantly retiring, while others are being added, we easily have around a dozen or so at any given time.
ANY dog who will be a service dog needs to fit extreme criteria. The others . . . let’s just say they would prefer to be pets. They aren’t into this whole ‘public access’ thing. Either way, if you are approved, we are confident we will have the right dog for you.
With all of that said, if we offer you a pup but you would prefer a different one at a later time, you can always pass. We don’t want to move forward unless you are ready.
