A Partner receives Little Buddy™ and Princess™ — a bonded brother and sister of the Stillness Litter (F2.2), out of the Line of Pearl™ — and joins the stewardship of the line itself. This is not a sale and not a co-ownership. It is a covenant: the dogs are placed fully into the Partner's home, and the Partner takes up the care of the bloodline alongside us. Its first principle is the welfare of the dogs, never the production of puppies.
| Path | Contribution | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | $1,250 each | One grown, trained dog. Allowed — but it separates a pair that has never been apart. |
| Stay-Together | $2,125 | Both dogs, kept together as companions. No breeding obligation. (15% below two individual placements.) |
| Partnership | $1,800 | Both dogs + this breeding covenant, first-pick, and our mentorship. |
Every figure is a placement contribution, never a price. The Partnership figure is lower as consideration for the responsibilities a Partner carries — not a discount on the dogs.
Buddy and Princess have been raised together their whole lives and are placed together, to remain together for life, under The Shepherd's Promise™.
Before any breeding, both dogs receive a veterinary exam and breed-appropriate health screening (for a small dog: patellas, eyes, cardiac), with health records exchanged and confirmed clear. [Exact panel to be confirmed with our veterinarian.]
These are the line between preservation and harm:
[Recommended from established responsible-breeding practice; to be confirmed/adjusted with our veterinarian.] Over-breeding voids this covenant, and the dogs come home.
Healthy pairings, proper prenatal and whelping care, and every puppy placed under The Shepherd's Promise™ — so the integrity of the line carries to the next generation.
Mini-Shep Guardians™ provides ongoing guidance and information — mentorship through breeding, whelping, and placement — and recognizes the Partner by name in the line's record.
From each successful litter, Mini-Shep Guardians™ retains the first choice (1st pick) of one puppy, selected at 8 weeks, at no cost — keeping the founding line's genetics within the stewardship. (Defined precisely, because a vague “pick of the litter” is the most common source of breeder disputes.)
If a Partner chooses not to breed the pair, the arrangement simply becomes the Stay-Together placement — the dogs kept together as companions. The difference in contribution is waived. We would rather a loving home than a clawback. Breeding is always a choice, never a demand.
Buddy, Princess, and every puppy raised from this pair remain under The Shepherd's Promise™ — never sold, never rehomed except through Mini-Sheps™, always welcome home. If a Partner ever cannot continue, the dogs come home to us; our nonprofit branch (returns and Second-Chance Dogs) exists to receive them.
Mini-Shep Guardians™ — breeding and line preservation — is the lead. A separate nonprofit branch carries welfare, returns, rehoming, and education. Breeding contributions do not run through the nonprofit; keeping the two cleanly separate is what protects the charity's integrity.
Fill this in online and submit it — we'll prepare your copies, print them, and email them to you. Or print it blank and sign by hand. A binding agreement will be finalized with our attorney before breeding rights take effect.
We'll prepare and email your copies. Prefer paper? Use “Download / Print” above.
Thank you for stepping into the stewardship of this line. We'll prepare your copies and email them to you, and we'll be in touch to walk the next steps together. guardians@smallshepherds.com · (909) 352-8511.