Q1. We are interested in your dogs but hesitate buying a puppy online. How do we know you are legitimate?
A1. We are regulated by MN state, USDA, and with AKC and you are welcome to verify through our accreditation. We have listed photos of our facility so you can be assured that our dogs are housed in a well-maintained and comfortable home. We also have a Facebook, Instagram, and Google page that you are able to see reviews from families who have puppies from us. You are also able to call or email us to verify our identity.
Q2. What is the procedure for getting a puppy?
A2. If you are interested in adopting a puppy you can call us to set up an appointment to come visit our puppies, meet their parents, and meet us. If you decide you'd like to a reserve a puppy, we require a $300 non- refundable deposit. Read about the process here.
Q3. Do you offer any guarantee?
A3. Yes, the standard 10 day guarantee on general health, but a LIFETIME CONGENITAL HEALTH guarantee that we provide in writing.
Q4. Do you fly your puppies?
A4. We very rarely fly our puppies, as we prefer not to. We will only consider doing so for our larger small miniature poodles and will typically only do that for families who already have puppies from us. We will not consider shipping our toy breed dogs. Time permitting, we sometimes are able to meet at MSP airport if you're willing to fly into MN to pick up your puppy for an additional fee, although we HIGHLY recommend meeting us at our facility to pick up your puppy.
Q5. Do you have a return policy if the puppy doesn't work out for us?
A5. Yes, we offer unconditionally to take the puppy back if for some reason you can no longer take care of the puppy. In fact we strongly recommend that you do this as many so called rescues and humane societies have a very high euthanasia rate and we don't ever want to see one of our puppies or dogs go there. There are some good ones and no-kills and while it is unlikely that a good well behaved puppy or dog from us would be euthanized we certainly don't want to chance that. We go to great lengths to initially provide you with the information you need to have a successful experience so that this isn't needed in the first place. But should you need a home or placement help we will provide this for your dog or puppy.
Q6. Do you do genetic testing?
A6. Yes, we do OFA testing for patellas and hips. Optigen and CERF are other tests that we like to do. We have bred poodles for 30+ years with most of what we breed having been bred here. Often our dogs are several generations deep meaning we have owned the mother, the grandmother, great grandmother or even beyond and same with the males.
A1. We are regulated by MN state, USDA, and with AKC and you are welcome to verify through our accreditation. We have listed photos of our facility so you can be assured that our dogs are housed in a well-maintained and comfortable home. We also have a Facebook, Instagram, and Google page that you are able to see reviews from families who have puppies from us. You are also able to call or email us to verify our identity.
Q2. What is the procedure for getting a puppy?
A2. If you are interested in adopting a puppy you can call us to set up an appointment to come visit our puppies, meet their parents, and meet us. If you decide you'd like to a reserve a puppy, we require a $300 non- refundable deposit. Read about the process here.
Q3. Do you offer any guarantee?
A3. Yes, the standard 10 day guarantee on general health, but a LIFETIME CONGENITAL HEALTH guarantee that we provide in writing.
Q4. Do you fly your puppies?
A4. We very rarely fly our puppies, as we prefer not to. We will only consider doing so for our larger small miniature poodles and will typically only do that for families who already have puppies from us. We will not consider shipping our toy breed dogs. Time permitting, we sometimes are able to meet at MSP airport if you're willing to fly into MN to pick up your puppy for an additional fee, although we HIGHLY recommend meeting us at our facility to pick up your puppy.
Q5. Do you have a return policy if the puppy doesn't work out for us?
A5. Yes, we offer unconditionally to take the puppy back if for some reason you can no longer take care of the puppy. In fact we strongly recommend that you do this as many so called rescues and humane societies have a very high euthanasia rate and we don't ever want to see one of our puppies or dogs go there. There are some good ones and no-kills and while it is unlikely that a good well behaved puppy or dog from us would be euthanized we certainly don't want to chance that. We go to great lengths to initially provide you with the information you need to have a successful experience so that this isn't needed in the first place. But should you need a home or placement help we will provide this for your dog or puppy.
Q6. Do you do genetic testing?
A6. Yes, we do OFA testing for patellas and hips. Optigen and CERF are other tests that we like to do. We have bred poodles for 30+ years with most of what we breed having been bred here. Often our dogs are several generations deep meaning we have owned the mother, the grandmother, great grandmother or even beyond and same with the males.
Q7. What is an F1 Generation Breed/Hybrid?
A7. Dogs that born as the result of breeding two purebred dogs. Half of each dog is the mother’s breed, and the other half is the father’s breed.
A7. Dogs that born as the result of breeding two purebred dogs. Half of each dog is the mother’s breed, and the other half is the father’s breed.
Our mixes are F1 hybrids generally using our AKC registered males. As hybrids, they do not come with AKC registration paperwork as a purebred dog would. However, AKC now offers PALS registration for hybrid puppies, if the owner so chooses, opening up their eligibility to participate in many of the AKC companion events. Check AKC website for more information.
Q8. What hours are you available for visiting?
A8. By appointment only.
Q9. What is your accountability?
A9. We are checked annually by a licensed vet for the county and had to appear multiple times before our county's board to get a conditional use permit. We are usually checked once a year by an AKC inspector unless we have not had at least 7 registered poodle litters. We also have our MN Kennel license which is MN998693. We are also USDA inspected once a year #41-A- 0489. After 30+ years of breeding we have puppies in most states in the country and in Canada. We are rated well by the BBB although we have not paid to be a member yet as we only minimally advertise, doing much business by referrals.
Q10. Do you have any food recommendations?
A10. Yes, one in particular. We really like the Fromm brand which offers many varieties and is a Wisconsin based company. We recommend foods with grains. Grain- free diets have shown that they can cause dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. There are also other good companies such as Royal Canin, Hills, etc.
Q11. Do you dock tails?
A11. We do not and will not dock tails. We believe it's important that a dog keeps their natural- full length tail.
"The AVMA opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes. The AVMA encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards."
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) policy on Ear Cropping and Tail Docking of Dogs (Oversight: AWC; HOD 07/1999, EB revised 11/2008)
Q12. Will the puppies have received vaccine(s)?
A12. Yes, our puppies will be up to date on vaccines. We give a Parvo vaccine at 5 weeks of age, and a 5-way vaccine at 7 weeks of age (per our veterinarian's guidelines). Typically, their next vaccines will be at 12 weeks, and 16 weeks of age, but this depends on your vet. Most of our puppies can leave to their new homes at 8 weeks of age so long as they're 2 lbs in weight. That means the puppy will need two more puppy boosters. If the puppy stays with us longer, we will booster their vaccines as appropriate to their age.
Q13. Will the puppies be dewormed?
A13. Yes, we deworm our puppies according to our veterinary clinic deworming standard protocol. Do keep in mind, like people, that not all animals are the same meaning that some puppies may need a higher dosage or longer duration of deworming medications. 90% of puppies are born with roundworms and 50% are born with intestinal protozoans. Your vet will recommend checking a fecal sample annually as dogs can catch intestinal parasites/ protozoans at any point in their lifetime.
Q14. Do you require the puppies to be spayed/ neutered?
A14. Yes, we have a spay/ neuter contract and require this to be done before the puppies are 8 months of age. There are a ton of benefits to spaying and neutering your pet as well.
Q15. Will your puppies cause allergies?
A15. All of the breeds we offer tend to be a good options for those with allergies since they're non- shedding. This means that they have hair versus fur so the hair will continue to grow until it's trimmed down. Some people, however, can be allergic to saliva pH or even a dog’s skin layer. If that's the case you could still be allergic to a non- shedding "hypoallergenic" breed. If you notice that you're allergic to cats then I’d say chances are good that it’s the shedding factor that triggers your allergies. Some people may also notice that they may not react to one non- shedding breed, but may to another (which in those cases the person is likely allergic to the saliva or skin.)
Getting a puppy is a big commitment so we do suggest going to your doctor and doing a skin or blood test to detect allergen- specific IGE. Doing this will prevent any heart break from having to return a puppy to us if allergies arise after bringing the puppy home. Usually those with allergies will ask to visit in- person, but without going to the doctor first it can be hard to determine whether it's the puppy or even an allergen in our visiting area that is causing the reaction since we do have an inside/ outside cat. Every puppy is also different with their pH so one puppy may not cause allergies whereas another may. Since we live in the country around lots of wildlife and other animals and allergens, it's almost impossible to determine if allergies will react to a puppy based on solely visiting us. Many people react to all the allergens we have present, despite the use of allergen air purifiers.
Q16. Will a puppy get along with my cat?
A16. Yes, typically they'll do just fine together! Check out this page!
Q17. What about dog food?
A17. You are welcome to feed your dog whatever you feel is best. We recommend a slow transition from the food we are feeding (Fromm's Puppy Gold) over the course of a few days to the new food. Having a food that is AAFCO approved is a good place to start. We do NOT recommend feeding a grain-free diet due to its relation to DCM in dogs. If you are interested in feeding an ancestral diet, here is a link for a book available to purchase to learn more.
