What does my Puppy come with?

Your puppy will come with up to date shots, and worming, at least one thorough vet check (and usually two), AKC reunite microchip, a 2 year genetic health guarantee, a paper with his birth date, shot records and all other pertinent info, a leash and collar, and a small baggie of his current food. If your puppy is registerable, he will come with his AKC puppy papers. All papers are limited registry (pet only) unless negotiated otherwise.

At What Age Can I pick up my Puppy?

Your puppy has to be at least 8 weeks old before it can leave to a new home. Some puppies I will keep even longer, depending on the puppy's readiness. I like my puppies to be 2 lbs old and fully weaned before they leave.

Do You ship puppies? How Does shipping Work?

Yes, we ship puppies anywhere in the continental US (You might check out the information about shipping under the Transportation during Covid question, too)

We ship out of Tulsa, OK which is just under 2 hours south of us. We prefer to use American Airlines and we have always had good experiences with shipping our puppies with them. To ship your puppy, we would pick an airport near you that AA flies into. We would pick a shipping date that works for both of us and I book the flight on my end and send you all the information as soon as the flight is confirmed. The puppy gets a special vet visit to get his health certificate he needs to fly. You would pick up your puppy at the airport by showing your photo ID. Your puppy will come in a crate, with a leash and collar and bag of food on top. Sometimes AA doesn't fly close enough to a customer, or their temperature requirements make it so we can't use them. Then I will fly with either United or my last choice, Delta. When you pick up your puppy at the airport, you will get it either at cargo, or at the baggage claim office, depending on the airport. NO, the pups are not put on the baggage carousels. Yes, the area of the plane where the pups ride IS climate controlled. No, puppies do not enjoy being shipped, but I have never had one harmed or traumatized by being shipped. Shipping my puppies is the best way for me to get them to loving homes all over the United States. The puppy will be awfully glad to see you at the other end and is ready to be comforted and loved on after their long day! Payment for the puppy, including shipping, is due in full at least 24 hours before the shipment day. Most people send the payment after I send the flight information and they call and confirm it. If you are not using PayPal,Venmo or Zelle, then the payment is due at least two weeks before the flight to give it time to clear before shipping.

How do deposits work?

I work with all my future puppy owners to help them pick the right puppy for their family. I reserve the right to refuse sale of any puppy to any family if I feel it is not a good fit. When you know which puppy is right for you, you will need to put a deposit down in order to hold the puppy. I can not hold a puppy with out a deposit. (Right now, during 2020, the demand for puppies is such that you will have to put a deposit down several months ahead of time and wait until the right pup comes available) The best way to put down a deposit is PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. I will accept other forms of deposit, but checks, money orders and cashiers checks do need 2 weeks to clear before I can release the puppy. All deposits are non-refundable. Deposits are $250 and go towards the puppy's purchase price. I hold your puppy as soon as you tell me the check is in the mail, but if your deposit does not arrive in a timely manner, I reserve the right to re-advertise the puppy. I am fairly flexible and understanding, so if something comes up or you change your mind and do not send the deposit, please just give me a call or send me an email.

For litters that have full deposit lists before they are born (pretty much all of them now, as of late 2020), the puppies are chosen in order of deposits received. When the pups are 5-6 weeks old, we get their first vet check (in case their is anything you need to know before picking a pup) and we take a bunch of new pictures and videos and post them on our FB page. Then we go down the deposit list and each person, in turn, can either choose a puppy, or wait for another litter, depending on what they are waiting for, timing, etc. If you pass on a litter, you stay on the list and move up it as people ahead of you choose puppies. We just ask that people be prepared to pick (or pass) when it is their turn so that we can get through the list as quickly as possible. This very long deposit list is a new thing, and takes a little cooperation on everyone's part so puppy picking can go smoothly and not take more than a couple of days. We can do Facetime videos with you too, if needed, to help you pick.

What are the different transportation options during Covid?

Covid has obviously changed a lot of things lately. For us, some of those changes include that my husband is now working from home during business hours. I’m being careful to social distance and stay home as much as possible. If I were to either get covid or have to self isolate because I came in close contact with someone with Covid, no one would want to come pick up a puppy from me and that would be terrible! So I am being careful for both your sake and my sake! I do not always require masks since we usually stay six feet apart, but if you are more comfortable with them, just let me know and we will wear them. **Going to a new home is stressful for your new puppy which lowers their immune system and can make them more vulnerable to getting sick during this adjustment. For this reason we highly recommend that you get the NuVet vitamins (wafers) that we’ve had them on since birth (and that we have all our adults on). You can order them here: www.nuvet.com/42997 1. If you are picking up at our home: Since we have moved...we are still working on the best scenario for puppy pick ups. I no longer have a puppy friendly office (but will again, eventually!) and the end of our driveway is much furtherr away from our house. But we will let you know what the plan is when you set a date. If it's nice outside, we usually meet outside. If it's too cold or rainy, we've been meeting in our home.
**Please remember, if picking up in MO, we do have to charge 6.3% sales tax. 2. If you are far away and prefer your puppy be transported to you: A. Air Cargo: Normally we are very comfortable with flying pups via air cargo. However, right now there are not as many flights available, though we are slowly being able to use this option more and more. Also, we were informed that prices have gone up about $85 right now, making shipping about $400. I believe that AA is the only airline shipping pups by cargo right now and that's who we usually use. B. Puppy Nanny By Air: We would meet the puppy nanny at the airport (Springfield, MO) and he/she would fly with your puppy in the plane and you would meet him at your airport and pick up the puppy. Right now we do not have a local nanny. I do however, have a few trusted contacts that are willing to fly pups on weekends occasionally. Prices vary by nanny. If the nanny flies standby, you're looking at a flat rate of about $650, but cancellations are common. If the nanny buys the ticket, you'll pay for the ticket, the nanny's time, and sometimes a hotel room depending on if they can't fly there and back in one day. C. Flying in yourself to pick up: If you would like to fly with your puppy, that’s an option, too. Our closest airport is Springfield, MO. We do charge $50 charge to meet at the airport (it’s about a 2 hour round trip). You will have to check with us to make sure it’s a day that we have someone available to make the trip. If working with another customer, you can even take two small pups in one carrier. D. Ground Transportation--Long Distance: We have two ladies (sisters) that live in KS that professionally transport puppies and I have used them on occasion for years. They are the only transporters I’ve used more than once and they do a very good job. However, they do make pick ups and drop offs along the way, so sometimes the trips are pretty long. It just depends on their schedule at that time. They generally charge $350 and go from coast to coast. If you would like their contact information to find out what their upcoming availability is, just ask me and I’ll be happy to send it to you. C. Ground Transportation--Short Distance: I get asked a lot if I ever meet part way. Unfortunately, I do not have time to do this. However, if we are already going that direction, we are usually willing to meet you if possible. Jordyn, who used to work for us in KS, now also lives in MO and still likes to work on weekends occassionally taking puppies back to KS or other places that aren't too far.

I also have another friend, Alicia, that will deliver on weekends and will make longer trips. E. Clients working together Lately, this has been one of the best ways we’ve been able to easily and affordably get pups to homes. Some of you like driving and road trips, and some of you are not able to do a long trip at this time. When you work together, it’s an awesome solution. We’ve had clients from as far away as NY drive out here and go back with their puppy and another’s. For this reason, we are posting your locations after your name on the deposit list. That way, if you want to look into working with someone, you can see who is near you. If this option interests you, let me know and I will reach out to the other person and put you in touch if both parties are agreeable. After that, it’s up to you to work out the details and just let me know what pups you’ll be picking up.

What Food Is my puppy currently eating?

We feed Diamond Naturals Small Breed Puppy food. The Naturals line is very good food and we highly recommend it. You can usually find it at your local feed store. However, your puppy will come with enough of his current food for you to be able to switch him over to any high quality puppy food you like. If you would like a good site to compare different dog foods to find a good one, try www.dogfoodadvisor.com.

We also use and highly recommend NuVet Plus immune boosting wafers or powder. NuVet helps build whole body wellness. It contains human grade amino acids, vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants that work together to fill in the nutritional gap that exists in virtually all pets. Puppies especially are stressed and vulnerable as their immune system is ‘under construction’. They offer a 60 day money back guarantee and have never been recalled during their 20 years of business. You may order at www.nuvet.com/42997 or call 800-474-7044 and speak to their knowledgeable customer service representative.

How are your Puppies raised?

My puppies are born in my home and are raised in my home until they are old enough and the weather is nice enough for them to go outside to a puppy play yard with a house. During the winter, the puppies are primarily indoors and may never go outside if the weather isn't warm enough. In the summer if it is too hot, the puppies are also indoors. However, I believe that puppies that are raised outdoors with lots of room are healthier, happier and easier to train in general. When the puppies are inside we have "puppy play time" where we let all the puppies out together (that are close in age and/or size) to play, socialize and run about. Whether they are inside or outside, our kids love playing with the pups, and you can often find them reading or watching tv with a puppy on their lap. When our puppies are in the house, our Mama dogs are in with them and let outside to go potty. Most of the mothers have free run of the farm during this time and enjoy all the things that farm dogs love to do. (You probably don't want to know! ;) )

Do you potty train your puppies?

I get asked this a lot, and I answer that I have kids I still need to potty train! No, I don't start potty training, though we do encourage puppies to go outside when possible and discourage older puppies from messing in the home. Occasionally I will have a litter of puppies that takes to litter box training (I use a cat box with newspapers in it) but this is not an option with all puppies since some Mamas don't cooperate and flip the box repeatedly! When the weather cooperates, I move the puppies outside at the point when Mom stops cleaning the poo up for them. Puppies that are raised outside generally potty train quicker because they don't develop bad habits. They pick a corner in their pen as the potty corner and they don't go potty in their dog house--they are already used to going out of their dog house to go potty outside.

Farm Parasites

Sometimes our puppies pick up parasites that are perfectly normal to farm living such as worms, coccidia and giardia. The latter two parasites can be difficult to detect and are normal to find in any farm dog. They do not cause a problem in a dog unless the dog becomes stressed and then it activates the parasite which can cause diarrhea which can be severe. There are inexpensive medicines to clear this up. That being said, we treat ALL our puppies repeatedly for these parasites. However, occasionally a puppy will pick something up again after treatment and before it goes to it's new home. We are always working harder to find ways to prevent this, but we want you to know that it is normal and we consider it to be a minor downside to puppies and Mamas that truly get to enjoy life and are NOT kept constantly on wire or in kennels. Our dogs are healthy and happy and your puppy will be too. We just like to give people an honest head's up so you know what to expect just in case. The majority of our puppies do not have parasites when they go to their new homes. No, your kids are not going to get these parasites from your puppies. I've never had to worm my kids and they live with these farm dogs and are constantly barefoot. The giardia that I am referring to is not the same that humans get.

Can I breed my new puppy someday?

All of our registered puppies are sold with limited registry papers, unless negotiated otherwise. This means you agree NOT to breed your dog. Usually a full registry puppy costs more. If you are planning to breed your puppy someday, we expect you to be honest and upfront with us. If we should decide to sell you a puppy with full breeding rights, we want to make sure we help you choose a healthy puppy that meets breed standards. We also want to work with people that will have the same standards and policies of honesty that we think are very important when it comes to breeding. We do NOT require you to get your puppy fixed since we know that some people have strong feelings about this for one reason or another. However, we strongly recommend it. Even though our designer breed puppies do not come with registry papers, we hope that you will respect us enough to discuss your desire to breed your new puppy someday. A dog that is going to be bred should be chosen carefully with certain things in mind. When we have decided to sell a dog with breeding rights, we like to work with the person to give them any needed advice and guidance for as long as they should need or want it. We learned plenty of things the hard way and we don't want anyone else to have to do that!

What does genetic testing cover?

You can only DNA test for certain diseases. In Cavaliers you can test for Degenerative Myelopathy, Episodic Falling Syndrome, and Curly Coat Dry Eye. The dog has to have two copies of the gene to be at risk for the disease by that pathway. Poodles have different diseases we test for. We use Paw Print Genetics to test our adults, and we do the full breed panel. DM is an overlapping disease, so we make sure that we don't breed carriers to carriers when breeding Cavapoos. Genetic diversity is necessary, but it's important to know what your dogs carry for so you can make the best possible choices in pairing dogs. For eye, heart and patella issues, there are no DNA tests. For those, we do OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) certifications. Basically, a certified veterinarian checks the adult dog for eye issues (and that one is done by a vetinarian opthalmologist), heart issues (by listening to the heart carefully), and patella luxation (by manual manipulation). If the adult dogs pass, you have more confidence that your future pups won't have those issues, but there are no guarantees because just like humans, two parents can have perfect eyes and have a child that needs glasses (or any other number of things). OFAs are usually redone every couple of years, so you continue to monitor the dog's health. We also do two vet checks on our pups, hoping to catch any issues BEFORE a pup leaves us, but the sometimes pups develop issues after they go to a home, or a vet misses something. Still, we do our best to breed healthy dogs and send healthy pups to good homes.