Contact

➤ located

Buffalo, Texas

☎ CONTACT

amanda@goldenruleretrievers.com
(903) 390-8181

For more information about our special programs such as the K9U school therapy dog program, facility dogs or dogs with targeted training, please go to

Bella’s Buddies, Inc.

we give. a lot.

When our journey was just beginning, we knew we wanted to serve others. Over the years, we have developed a love for helping public servants and members of our military add quality canines to their homes and careers. Some of our families are inundated with medical bills; they aren’t thinking about finding the money to add a dog to their already stressed lives. That’s where we come in. Since 2016, we have donated over $400,000 in dogs and training to humans who need them most. Many of our friends and family members wanted to be involved in our mission, but we were unable to accept donations. In 2019, we achieved nonprofit status for our awesome K9U program and Bella’s Buddies. All puppy and trained dog donations are now processed through Bella’s Buddies.

healthy dogs

The DogSquad’s health is always on our minds. We constantly research the best foods and treats. They exercise daily, both mind and body. We feed a quality dog food that has never had a recall due to salmonella, high vitamin D, low taurine levels or any other canine health risk. We DNA test each adult dog using Embark Veterinary, Inc. Breeding dogs are certified by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Hips and elbows are filmed by Dr. Kyle Bostick at Shenandoah. Veterinary Clinic. Hearts are tested at the Texas A&M Small Animal Hospital. Eyes are tested at the Gulf Coast Animal Eye Clinic. We are blessed to have a close relationship with our veterinarians. In rare emergency situations, we utilize our amazing friends at the Texas A&M Small Animal Health Clinic.

Puppy protocol

When a litter of puppies is born at Golden Rule, we are right by mom’s side. We carefully help new moms navigate the whelping process inside our home. We have three rooms dedicated to raising puppies. The whelping room allows enough space for the dog mom and the human mom. The nursery is in close proximity to the laundry and kitchen. Mom and puppies move there during week 2 so that mom can gain nourishment and puppy linens can be kept clean. The puppy room is open during week 4 as the pups begin to wean and mush (begin eating puppy food). Each day, we exercise a specific task with every puppy. From tickling their paw pads to holding them upside down and playing firework sounds using Alexa, we go above and beyond the traditional Puppy Culture protocol.

We know how to pick ‘em

Our puppy selection process is second to none. From the moment we are contacted by a potential family, we start asking questions. Using the online puppy application as our guide, we learn about wants and needs that are specific to family members. It isn’t just about color and gender. While the puppies are growing, we send pupdates and pictures and we are constantly assessing the puppies. Each puppy builds a profile and s/he grows. During week 6, we temperament test each puppy, performing a battery of assessments that complete the profile. We are able to use these cumulative results to suggest the best matches for each family.

dogs with jobs

It was never our intention to use dogs strictly for breeding. Like you, we have been to kennels and facilities where dogs are held in cages and used strictly for breeding, some of them over and over. When they are too old to have puppies, the breeders don’t care what happens to them. Each member of our DogSquad has a higher purpose. While they are training, and once we know they have what it takes to be a working dog, we breed them. This allows us some control over the early days in the puppies’ lives and the parents’ health. When not in season or on puppy duty, the DogSquad is training or volunteering in some capacity. Our parent dogs are placed permanently between the ages of 2-4. Some become service or therapy dogs while others become emotional support or companion animals.

dogs will be dogs

People often ask if service and therapy dogs ever get the chance to “just be dogs”. Boy, do they ever! We live in the country - deer, squirrels, snakes…you name it. Several acres of the property are protected by a game fence. The dogs have access to this area via the dog run. They dig holes, play with the Jollyballs, run, play, swim, bark, run some more, and sometimes they argue. They eat pupsicles, watch DogTV, take walks to the mailbox, bark at the school bus and lick the UPS guy. But when they don their vests, they are all business. They love playing and relaxing, but they live for being with people. They love hearing, “Let’s go see the kids!”