Prices:  Typically I set a "minimum" price for a given litter  ( You will need to call for specific numbers )  and accept an appropriate number of "guaranteed" deposits.  Meaning anyone willing to put down a deposit towards meeting or exceeding that "minimum" is promised a pup of their chosen gender, if we have enough.  If you don't want to commit to a particular gender, you don't have to.   It makes it more difficult for me to know how many deposits I can accept, but I understand the mindset that wants the best pup regardless of gender.   Conditional deposits, and chambered deposits can also complicate the math, but we allow those also I'll talk more about why in the deposit section below.

 Offers: You can raise your offer above the min at any point up until a week or so before pups start being chosen, which is when I typically check in with everyone to confirm the picking order, which is determined by those offers.   But you don't need to, to be promised a pup, I don't bump anyone off the list cause somebody comes along with deep pockets, once I’ve taken enough deposits to cover a litter others can't get in at any price, and only those with deposits already in are in play to determine the picking order

 If we still have pups available after those that put deposits in up front have chosen, things get simple.  Then I am free to simply set individual prices, make deals on specific pups etc.   Some folks prefer to come around then.

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Picks:

Many a breeder will pitch you the notion that they will match you with the pup that suits you.  While there is some validity to that approach, as they should have been observing the pups for longer than you, and should know better what they are looking at anyway, it does ask you to place your complete faith in them.  It also asks you to believe they are not just telling you what you want to hear and distributing the puppies as is convenient for them.  

 The truth is getting a bead on adult temperament is still a guessing game at 8 wks.  The other rarely spoken truth is most people, including me, tend to hone in on the same pups, most of the time.  

 I will ask you what you are looking for, I will tell you what I have observed in the litter, but in the end I believe the choice should be the buyers.   And the buyer willing to pay more should choose before the buyer willing to pay less.  

Breeder’s prerogative/keepers:

 I retain the right to exclude one pick of each gender of every litter from the buyers for my own consideration.  I may not always use that, I retain it.  Keeping the best dogs is what makes me the breeder !

Although more often then not they end up sold later, as full time slots here are very competitive, but eight weeks is just too soon for me to know who might stick.  One reason the older pups/adult dogs for sale section can be the best place to look for a dog.

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Standard deposits:

Choose a given litter and gender, if the pups are already born I can usually guarantee those.    If I can’t, for whatever reasons, your deposit is fully refundable.   If the litter hasn’t been born yet...for example, I can’t know how many males or females I’ll have, if we loose a pup along the way, I can’t know that either until it happens.  But standard deposits are “guaranteed” within my ability to do so.

Conditional deposits:

Buyers can qualify their offers.   For example if you're willing to pay X, but only for a “Y colored” pup, or pup “Z” then your offer is "conditional" on “ Y colored”  pup or pup “ Z” being attained at X.

  So long as I agree to the conditions in writing,  then your deposit is fully refundable, if I'm unable to provide pup Y or Z  for whatever reasons.  Conditional offers do complicate the math for me, and as a result are not guaranteed like standard deposits, which only specify gender, as I can't know who will choose what until they do.  In the event you don’t get Y or Z  and you choose to then aim your conditional offer at another litter, instead of taking a refund, it is from that point on considered a “chambered deposit.”

Chambered deposits:  

 When people know they want a dog from our program, but are undecided as to which litter, or when the timing will suit them, they can make a chambered deposit.   Those only go one direction and will not be returned, but it allows for the buyer to aim it at more then one litter to a certain date, with the right not to pull the trigger, and re-aim at another litter without losing their deposit.  The advantage of such a deposit is your official entry date is whenever you got it in, even if it takes you months or years to settle on a particular litter.

It does however complicate the math for me, so you won't be promised a pup from a given litter unless, and until, you commit to a certain litter... at which point your deposit is no longer “chambered”,  until then you can shift to different lines as often as you like.

Backup Deposits:  I like to have at least one on both genders on every litter in case somebody flakes ( it happens more often than you'd think ) or the math has become complicated by  "conditional" offers and "chambered" deposits and I can't know how many pups I have to offer.  The only difference in a back up offer is it's not guaranteed to produce a pup, and as such all all back up deposits are completely refundable, or transferable, should they not produce a pup meeting your written conditions.

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Final payment:  

Those picking up their pups in person can pay balances in person, cash is acceptable, checks, credit cards, are not.    All remote payments must allow time to clear/post etc. for shipped pups.  Zelle, money orders, some digital payment apps can work.   

 Those requiring shipping should pay in full at least one week prior to picking, including shipping.

Washington State Sales Tax:  Turns out I'm obliged to collect it on all sales received in state...who knew ?

 Apparently some chicken shit with a bone to pick did, and brought me to the Governors's attention.  So now I must, on all pups and dogs picked up in state, even if this is virtually un-heard of outside of pet stores.

Pups and dogs shipped or received out of state are exempt.

If you've read all that, I want to thank you, as you might imagine having to endlessly verbalize it get's old.