To see our extended family, please mouse over "Gryphon Dogs" then "Extended Family" above, and then move slightly to the right to click on the page you would like to see. These are just a few representative dogs our our furry family out there! Many of these are dogs that started out their lives with us ... and then their "forever home" came along.
Let me explain that a bit, as not everyone who is new to working with a quality breeder understands how a small breeding program may work - as it certainly does not mean that we do not plan and intend to be the dog's forever home! when they are with us. Just sometimes, their PERFECT home isn't with us, and that home comes along when it's meant to. And that we love each dog enough to let them go when that is what is right for the dog and their new family. And that flow helps us keep our program strong and genetically diverse while maintaining a small number so each dog gets the attention they deserve.
This does not mean all of our dogs are open for adoption, and we do not promote them for sale. This happens only once in a while, as we do not maintain a large number of dogs. It's just that we believe all things happen for a reason. We just keep our hearts open if a dog's true forever home came into their lives. It truly just happens when it is meant to be, and you know it when it happens.
When does this happen? It may be a dog that has retired, and while they will always have a forever home with us sometimes it just happens that their perfect home isn't us! and we we love them enough to let them go, and will not deny them that home. It may be that it is a dog we kept as a prospective part of our program but we have chosen not to include them in that way. We are a small program so do not use every dog or every breeding we might like to do. We keep promising pups, as any litter we do is part of our overall breeding program plan - but then you have to let them grow up a bit and see them mature to know how they will fit into our program. So these were truly lovely dogs, it does not mean they were any less of a dog than the ones we chose to breed!
Often these are homes that were originally looking for a puppy but their perfect match was one of our young dogs. They may be dogs that we are still able to use in our program while living as a prince or princess on another bed. It is often homes that already had one of our family dogs, and wanted a companion from the family without starting with a young pup.
So there is a little bit of a look into how sometimes breeders may have a young adult dog available. That may be helpful for you to know. If you are having trouble finding that right puppy, or find long waiting lists (as most good breeders have one), are not finding the one right for your home in rescue (that's where you should start when looking for a dog that is beyond the puppy stage!), or just don't want to raise a puppy but you want to work with a breeder where you know the complete background of a dog, it may be worth asking a breeder you like if they have any retired dogs or know someone who might. Rarely do these breeders advertise them - they are like us, they do not "plan" to place the dogs, just may be open to it if you are just right.