Application

Begin the Conversation

If you've read this far, you already know whether this is for you. The application takes about ten minutes. There are no trick questions — we're simply trying to understand who you are and whether one of these dogs belongs in your life.

Why is the donation what it is? →

A word about the donation

Why it costs what it costs

These dogs were never bred for profit or raised in a kennel. From their first day they are hand-touched, named, and known. When the donation looks steep for a dog, it is because it isn't the price of a dog at all — it is the weight of everything poured into one.

Months of hand-rearing
Daily presence through the critical window — the weeks that decide whether a dog trusts people for life. Not a cage; a home.
Care from day one
Veterinary checks, vaccinations, deworming, and microchip — begun long before a dog ever comes home to you.
A dog that's ready
Grown and trained means steady on people, not starting from zero. Someone already gave the hardest year of the work.
A promise for life
Under The Shepherd's Promise™ we take any dog back, any time, for as long as it lives. Your donation funds a covenant, not a purchase.

Every dollar goes back into the raising and the next litter — never margin. We keep the donation fair on purpose: a home ready to steward a dog for fifteen years is a home ready to receive one. The application does the qualifying, not the price — but a fair donation honors both the life and the work.

And if you are the right family and the number is a stretch — tell us. We arrange installments, and we would always rather find the right home than hold to a figure.

We don't sell dogs. We place them — by donation, into a home we've prayed over. "Train up a child in the way he should go…" — Proverbs 22:6

Ways Home — Placement Donations

Every placement is a donation to the mission, not a sale. Buddy and Princess are grown and trained — $1,250 each. Keep the bonded pair together for $2,125, or become a Mini-Shep Guardians™ Partner (the pair + breeding covenant + our mentorship) for $1,800. Future young puppies begin at $500. All donations are non-refundable. See the covenants: The Shepherd's Promise™ · Partnership Covenant.

Which dog are you interested in?
About You
Your Household
Your Experience with Dogs

Honest is better than impressive. We're not looking for a résumé.

The Questions That Matter
The Shepherd's Promise™

"We do not sell dogs. We place companions into homes that are ready for them. This application is the beginning of a conversation — not a transaction."

We respond to every application within one week.

Why is the donation what it is? →

Your application is with us.

You took the step. We take it seriously. Every family who writes to us gets a real reply from a real person — not an automated response, not a form letter. We will be in touch within one week.

While you wait, take a few minutes with The Shepherd's Promise™ — the covenant that governs every placement we make. It tells you exactly what kind of relationship you're entering.

Any questions before we reach out? We're at guardians@smallshepherds.com or (909) 352-8511.