The Waiting List
I keep only one waiting list for all dams and litters. This simplifies things. When you're on the waiting list you can choose from any litter that comes along in order of list standing.
I do not take deposits until puppies are physically present and it is confirmed who will be making a selection from that particular litter. I wait to take deposits so that I don't hold anyone's money hostage, so to speak. If you happen upon the perfect puppy or rescue while waiting for one of our puppies (and this is wonderful and does happen) you won't be unable to scoop that baby up because of a prior commitment to me.
All I ask is that if you find your baby and no longer desire to be on our waiting list please email and let me know so that I can keep my list updated for all the other families waiting for a puppy. Also-shared new puppy or rescue pictures are always appreciated here!
You do not need to feel bad about emailing me with news that you've found a dog elsewhere. I am always excited that the right dog has found the right family and will only be happy for you! You are always welcome to contact me for advice or help regardless of where you get your puppy from.
I find that the vast majority of the lovely families that wait on my list are exceedingly considerate and I am able to keep the list fairly accurate and up to date (so please help me keep that trend going and keep me posted on any changing puppy-needs.)
In order to be on the waiting list you must first be an approved home for one of our babies. We start with the application and then we just chat/email and get to know each other a little bit. This is as much for my assurance as yours. It is vital for us to have open communication so that you will get the right pup for you and have continuing support for the life of that dog.
When a litter is born I will notify those on the waiting list (via email) in order of list standing until all puppies are spoken for.If you're emailed and you would like to select a puppy from that litter you will place your non-refundable $200 deposit at that time. This deposit will be taken off the total price of the puppy you select (at a later time). You do not pick a specific puppy at this time.
If there is not an available puppy in a litter and you're still waiting please follow along that litter's progress (which will be detailed in regular updates and posts ona dedicated page for that particular dam and litter). The link for these pages will be prominently displayed on the Home Page whenever we have a litter in the house.
We do a lot of stuff here and it benefits our babies significantly. Following along with a litter will give you a good idea of all that goes into one of our babies. There are studies that prove the benefits of these practices scientifically, and I have personally witnessed the phenomenal differences in puppies, and you may find the processes interesting.
Also, watching puppies grow up is just a lot of fun!
How Do I Choose My Puppy?
How puppy choosing goes is completely dependent upon whether or not a service dog will be selected from the litter in question. For companion animals I recommend you read “Choosing Your Puppy” to get a good idea of what to expect with the process
SERVICE DOG NEEDED
If a service dog is needed this means that no one will be able to choose a specific puppy until the puppies are close 7 weeks old. This is necessary so that several trainers (and myself included) can perform a series of special aptitude tests on the entire litter. All the puppies in any given litter are well suited to being a companion animal, but only a few pups (if any) from each litter have the very special set of talents necessary to be the very best candidate for life-saving service work. It is imperative that I withhold all our puppies until they are old enough to be fully evaluated. We must select the very best baby for the family in need.
So this means that you do have to wait to pick your specific baby until it is going-home time, but it also means that you will get a very detailed profile of personality and temperament for whatever puppy you take home. Sometimes I am able to narrow down our choices earlier than 7 weeks so that a few of the puppies can be selected specifically. You can rest assured that in the updates I will keep you abreast of any information as well as the results of any exams.
If it comes down to choice-day and you aren't happy with what puppies are available you are more than welcome to wait for the next litter. That tends to ensure that you're bumped up on the list. I always maintain the number one slot (first pick) so that I may use that in the event that a service dog may be needed.)
For therapy dogs we choose the best candidate early on enough that it isn't a concern. For the most part 90% of all our puppies are perfect for therapy. When it comes to service only 1-2 pups per litter are going to make the cut. It is a much more involved process. All our puppies are suitable for companionship and I would never, ever place a puppy in a home if I felt otherwise about that dog. You can feel confident in knowing that I will ensure the right puppy is placed with you.
NO SERVICE DOG NEEDED
When there is no service dog needed then we will allow puppies to be chosen when they are three weeks old. Each family on the list gets 24 hours to choose their pup and then it moves on down the list so that everyone gets their choice. At that point you've had three weeks of photos, updates and more.
FOR ALL LITTERS
At 5-6 weeks of age the puppies are old enough for physical visits to the litter. We encourage all our families to come down and visit the litter and all our dogs as well as see how we do things and where we live. That gives you a chance to bond with your puppy if you have chosen one or meet them all if you have not chosen one yet. And puppies are just fun, too.
I do not choose puppies for families unless I am asked to do so. If you would like me to choose the very best puppy for your family I am happy to do just that, and like all good breeders, I do have a knack for placing pups with the right owners.
All families will receive my personal recommendations. Most puppies are great for most homes, although some just are more suited to some homes than others.
However there are times that I see a puppy is reserved to a specific family that turns out to not be a great fit. If I see that you will get a phone call from me and I will explain to you why I’d like to switch your puppy. This doesn’t happen very often, in fact it has only ever happened twice, but it does happen occasionally. Please understand that this is always for the benefit of you as well as the pups.
While I reserve the right to refuse to send a puppy home with a family when I see that it would be a disastrous fit I will not force you to swap your puppy out if it is a more minor concern.
For example I recently swapped the independent puppy going to a family with children to the home of an experienced dog owner without children and a nice place for Mr. Independent to enjoy quiet to himself all day while his owner is at work. And the very needy-big-baby puppy that was going to that same experienced dog owner with a quiet home all day went instead to the family with many hands to give him loads of affection for a greater percentage of each day.
It was clearly better for everyone involved that the puppy that was very needing of continual companionship to go to the family with children and the strong independent puppy to go to the woman who has lots of doggy experience and a nice, quiet home where he can be ruler of the roost, so to speak.
In a situation such as that I would not require a switch because the experienced owner would be loving and spoiling to any puppy she gets and while the needy puppy wouldn't be thrilled about being home alone all day he would certainly adjust with time. And independent puppy would be just fine in a home with kids, although he will be happier with his experienced owner; more or less it wasn't a disaster waiting to happen.
In this situation both families saw the wisdom in the switch and adore their perfectly-suited-to-them fluff balls.
In the end the most important thing is that you are happy. If I feel that you are not going to get the companion that you want I will do what I can to ensure that you do. That is my goal. Furthermore a happy owner means a happy dog and I am dedicated to the lifelong friendships that I am trying to build for all our puppies and their new homes.
I do not take deposits until puppies are physically present and it is confirmed who will be making a selection from that particular litter. I wait to take deposits so that I don't hold anyone's money hostage, so to speak. If you happen upon the perfect puppy or rescue while waiting for one of our puppies (and this is wonderful and does happen) you won't be unable to scoop that baby up because of a prior commitment to me.
All I ask is that if you find your baby and no longer desire to be on our waiting list please email and let me know so that I can keep my list updated for all the other families waiting for a puppy. Also-shared new puppy or rescue pictures are always appreciated here!
You do not need to feel bad about emailing me with news that you've found a dog elsewhere. I am always excited that the right dog has found the right family and will only be happy for you! You are always welcome to contact me for advice or help regardless of where you get your puppy from.
I find that the vast majority of the lovely families that wait on my list are exceedingly considerate and I am able to keep the list fairly accurate and up to date (so please help me keep that trend going and keep me posted on any changing puppy-needs.)
In order to be on the waiting list you must first be an approved home for one of our babies. We start with the application and then we just chat/email and get to know each other a little bit. This is as much for my assurance as yours. It is vital for us to have open communication so that you will get the right pup for you and have continuing support for the life of that dog.
When a litter is born I will notify those on the waiting list (via email) in order of list standing until all puppies are spoken for.If you're emailed and you would like to select a puppy from that litter you will place your non-refundable $200 deposit at that time. This deposit will be taken off the total price of the puppy you select (at a later time). You do not pick a specific puppy at this time.
If there is not an available puppy in a litter and you're still waiting please follow along that litter's progress (which will be detailed in regular updates and posts ona dedicated page for that particular dam and litter). The link for these pages will be prominently displayed on the Home Page whenever we have a litter in the house.
We do a lot of stuff here and it benefits our babies significantly. Following along with a litter will give you a good idea of all that goes into one of our babies. There are studies that prove the benefits of these practices scientifically, and I have personally witnessed the phenomenal differences in puppies, and you may find the processes interesting.
Also, watching puppies grow up is just a lot of fun!
How Do I Choose My Puppy?
How puppy choosing goes is completely dependent upon whether or not a service dog will be selected from the litter in question. For companion animals I recommend you read “Choosing Your Puppy” to get a good idea of what to expect with the process
SERVICE DOG NEEDED
If a service dog is needed this means that no one will be able to choose a specific puppy until the puppies are close 7 weeks old. This is necessary so that several trainers (and myself included) can perform a series of special aptitude tests on the entire litter. All the puppies in any given litter are well suited to being a companion animal, but only a few pups (if any) from each litter have the very special set of talents necessary to be the very best candidate for life-saving service work. It is imperative that I withhold all our puppies until they are old enough to be fully evaluated. We must select the very best baby for the family in need.
So this means that you do have to wait to pick your specific baby until it is going-home time, but it also means that you will get a very detailed profile of personality and temperament for whatever puppy you take home. Sometimes I am able to narrow down our choices earlier than 7 weeks so that a few of the puppies can be selected specifically. You can rest assured that in the updates I will keep you abreast of any information as well as the results of any exams.
If it comes down to choice-day and you aren't happy with what puppies are available you are more than welcome to wait for the next litter. That tends to ensure that you're bumped up on the list. I always maintain the number one slot (first pick) so that I may use that in the event that a service dog may be needed.)
For therapy dogs we choose the best candidate early on enough that it isn't a concern. For the most part 90% of all our puppies are perfect for therapy. When it comes to service only 1-2 pups per litter are going to make the cut. It is a much more involved process. All our puppies are suitable for companionship and I would never, ever place a puppy in a home if I felt otherwise about that dog. You can feel confident in knowing that I will ensure the right puppy is placed with you.
NO SERVICE DOG NEEDED
When there is no service dog needed then we will allow puppies to be chosen when they are three weeks old. Each family on the list gets 24 hours to choose their pup and then it moves on down the list so that everyone gets their choice. At that point you've had three weeks of photos, updates and more.
FOR ALL LITTERS
At 5-6 weeks of age the puppies are old enough for physical visits to the litter. We encourage all our families to come down and visit the litter and all our dogs as well as see how we do things and where we live. That gives you a chance to bond with your puppy if you have chosen one or meet them all if you have not chosen one yet. And puppies are just fun, too.
I do not choose puppies for families unless I am asked to do so. If you would like me to choose the very best puppy for your family I am happy to do just that, and like all good breeders, I do have a knack for placing pups with the right owners.
All families will receive my personal recommendations. Most puppies are great for most homes, although some just are more suited to some homes than others.
However there are times that I see a puppy is reserved to a specific family that turns out to not be a great fit. If I see that you will get a phone call from me and I will explain to you why I’d like to switch your puppy. This doesn’t happen very often, in fact it has only ever happened twice, but it does happen occasionally. Please understand that this is always for the benefit of you as well as the pups.
While I reserve the right to refuse to send a puppy home with a family when I see that it would be a disastrous fit I will not force you to swap your puppy out if it is a more minor concern.
For example I recently swapped the independent puppy going to a family with children to the home of an experienced dog owner without children and a nice place for Mr. Independent to enjoy quiet to himself all day while his owner is at work. And the very needy-big-baby puppy that was going to that same experienced dog owner with a quiet home all day went instead to the family with many hands to give him loads of affection for a greater percentage of each day.
It was clearly better for everyone involved that the puppy that was very needing of continual companionship to go to the family with children and the strong independent puppy to go to the woman who has lots of doggy experience and a nice, quiet home where he can be ruler of the roost, so to speak.
In a situation such as that I would not require a switch because the experienced owner would be loving and spoiling to any puppy she gets and while the needy puppy wouldn't be thrilled about being home alone all day he would certainly adjust with time. And independent puppy would be just fine in a home with kids, although he will be happier with his experienced owner; more or less it wasn't a disaster waiting to happen.
In this situation both families saw the wisdom in the switch and adore their perfectly-suited-to-them fluff balls.
In the end the most important thing is that you are happy. If I feel that you are not going to get the companion that you want I will do what I can to ensure that you do. That is my goal. Furthermore a happy owner means a happy dog and I am dedicated to the lifelong friendships that I am trying to build for all our puppies and their new homes.
