1. READ THE POLICIES PAGE! This is the most important part of our puppy process. ALL aspects of the policies are reflected in our contract, so if you are not willing to work with us bearing our policies, or do not fall within certain conditions/location requirements for placement, then you need NOT apply.
2. Review the PUPPY NEWS! page. We try to keep this page as up-to-date as possible. If there are puppies available, a litter expected, or a litter planned, the most current information will be here.
3. If you are interested in a puppy from us--either from a current litter or a future litter--fill out an application. We are not a turnover breeder with puppies on demand to just anyone willing to pay the money. Everyone must submit an application and then do a phone interview before being approved to move forward--either with a puppy deposit or paying a fee to be added to the wait list. Please note, not all applications are approved! We have dedicated a lot of work to our lines and our puppies, so we do not allow just anyone to have an MMSS puppy.
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After that point, the process follows accordingly based on a few factors...
If a litter is planned/expected:
If we have a litter planned or we are expecting a litter soon--meaning the breeding has taken place and we are awaiting confirmation of a pregnancy or puppy count--then we require a $100 fee to be moved to the wait list for that or any future litter. This amount will be credited towards the initial $500 puppy deposit due once puppies are born. Being on the wait list is NOT a guarantee of a puppy, but it is the best way to ensure a place on an upcoming litter should there be enough puppies to accommodate, regardless of sex or color. If a deposit is made and there are not enough puppies to meet the wait list, you will be moved to the next litter for priority placement. If you are offered a puppy--ANY puppy--and choose to pass, then you are automatically moved to the next litter for priority placement. If we cannot accommodate you on the next litter with a puppy--ANY puppy--then we will refund your deposit. If you are offered a puppy from the 2nd litter--ANY puppy--and you choose to pass a 2nd time, you either forfeit your deposit, we remove your application and you cannot re-apply for a 6 month period; or you have the option to pay an additional $100 to be added to a 3rd wait list (total of both deposits credited toward initial puppy deposit). Passing on a 3rd offer of a puppy means you forfeit all deposits paid and we will no longer accept a future application. Once puppies are born, the cost of puppies increases by $200-$300, so getting on the wait list is beneficial. You will either save $200-$300 by being on the wait list or lose $100 if you get on, then change your mind about wanting a puppy from us. The choice is yours.
If a litter is born:
If we have a litter already born and there are puppies from that litter available, submit an application, if interested. (Price for puppies does increase after they are born, so if you checked in beforehand and did not submit an application, then checked back after birth, you will notice this increase.) During the phone interview, if approved, we will explain the stipulations for the puppies available and where you fall in line/order as far as placement goes. Deposits for puppies are not required until the potential owner accepts the conditions--sex, color, status, order of choice. This deposit is not for a specific puppy, but for the "place in line" for a puppy from the current litter according to accepted conditions. (Meaning, you are not paying a deposit at 2 weeks for Red puppy, specifically. You are paying a deposit for 1st choice of a show girl puppy, or 2nd choice of a boy guardian puppy, or 3rd choice of 5 boys for a pet home, or last choice of 3 girls, etc.) Placements for puppies are not done until they reach 8 weeks of age. This is because we cannot evaluate puppies for potential show or guardianship quality until this age, nor can we determine their temperaments before this. When you pay the $500 puppy deposit, you do so knowing you will not know which puppy will be yours until they are 8 weeks old.
Once you've paid your puppy deposit:
After puppies are born, we create a private Facebook group specifically for the litter where we post 4-5 photos/videos daily of thepuppies as they grow and people can interact with other owners for the litter. This is only open for viewing by those who've paid a puppy deposit for the litter, and/or their immediate family members. Your deposit is refundable in part if you cancel your reservation for a puppy for ANY reason before they are 2 weeks old. It is completely non-refundable should you cancel your reservation for a puppy for ANY reason after they are 2 weeks old. If you join a litter after the 2 week mark, your deposit is non-refundable in whole. We will only refund a deposit in full past this period should a situation arise on our end that makes us unable to fulfill our obligation to supply a puppy from the litter--illness, puppy death, injury, not suitable for show/guardian/pet home, etc.
Once puppies have reached 6 weeks of age, we give all those who've paid deposits login and password information to access a live 24/7 video feed to the puppy pen. This enables families to watch the puppies interact with one another to help better gauge their temperaments/personalities, see some of their routines, how we implement some protocols of our puppy program, and because it's just fun :). At six weeks, we also start our temperament assessments of the puppies, which we complete once they are 8 weeks old. At 8 weeks is also when we do our final structural evaluations to determine which puppies are suitable for show, guardianship, or pet homes. Once we make these determinations for ourselves, we start contacting those on our list in order according to your deposit agreement. Puppies are placed through a combination of breeder input and owner choice. We do reserve the right to exclude a specific puppy if we do not feel the personality/temperament will match well with the potential owner.
Once choices are made, we start to schedule dates for pickup, which typically occur when the puppies are between 9 to 10 weeks of age, but can occur as early as 8 weeks, depending on my personal scheduling needs. If a puppy cannot be picked up by the pickup deadline (ALL dates are discussed PRIOR to a deposit being paid), a $1000 down payment towards the final cost must be paid to hold the puppy longer, and there will be a boarding fee of $50/day to include the day of pickup charged and any applicable vet/treatment fees due in addition to balance to hold the puppy for a later pickup date. If puppy is not picked up by age 12 weeks, all monies paid are forfeited and breeder reserves the right to make puppy available to another party. We will not hold a puppy beyond 2 weeks past scheduled pickup, so if you are not ready or prepared for a puppy within the allotted pickup window of the litter, DO NOT PAY A DEPOSIT! If $50/day sounds like a lot, just note that includes all typical boarding fees AND continued training of your puppy. The last 3 puppies were had stay over were housebroke within a week, crate trained to sleep overnight, AND all had their trick novice title before leaving. This is not a guarantee of training accomplishments, but a possibility if left longer. I have limited availability for this arrangement every litter.
We are willing to adjust a few of these practices on a case-by-case basis, so when in doubt, please ask FIRST. Accommodations will be made when possible, but this is not always an option, so it is best to be prepared to work within the given time restrains whenever possible.