Can we put down a deposit on a puppy before it is ready to go home?
Absolutely. The puppies are sold on a first come basis, so if you have not put down a deposit on a puppy, anybody could step in and take it. All deposits are applied to the purchase price of the puppy.
Historically we would start placing ads when the puppies are about 5 weeks old, but demand for doodles lately has been huge and the website generates a lot of traffic; our April 29th litter in 2020 was small, with only 4 puppies, and they all had a deposit on them within 24 hours after the site was updated with their info. Therefore, is important to put down a deposit if you're sure you've found the puppy you want and they're not ready to go home yet, or if they're 6+ weeks but you're not able to take them home right away.
Deposits are $200, which will hold the puppy until they're 8 weeks old. If they need to be held longer, we request an additional $100 deposit per week. We will typically hold them as long as needed, but recommend they're picked up before 10 weeks because the 6-14 week period is a big learning time for puppies and it's best for new owners to not miss out on too much of that key development period.
The deposits are typically non-refundable, people usually want the puppies around 6-9 weeks old and so they’re harder to place after 10-weeks, ads are done, etc. The deposit is to cover any expenses that would result from holding them and re-placing them (additional ad time, vet bills, food, price reduction, etc.); if we’re able to find a new home quickly, at no additional cost, then we’ll refund the deposit, or refund any amount that didn't go toward re-homing the puppy. We’re not trying to make extra money off of deposits, just trying to protect ourselves and make sure people are serious.
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