Can I come see your dogs and puppies?

Families often ask to visit our puppies and see our kennel. We do not allow the general public inside our kennel or nursery. This is part of our bio-security system to limit exposure of potentially fatal viruses and bacteria to our dogs and puppies. Good Biosecurity often prevents common diseases like parvovirus. We hope you understand why we must have this limited visitor’s policy. After all, this policy is in place to protect YOUR future puppy too.

We are happy to have our committed buyers visit their puppy as long as there is no health concerns. We do schedule a visit day for families with a paid reservation fee for a specific litter to come meet the puppies. This visit day is only a meet and greet day – there is no puppy selection made on this day. We will let the families know of the visit day once puppies are born. We try to schedule this day on a weekend.

When will my puppy be ready to go home?

We keep all of our puppies until they are at least 8 weeks of age. The “go home date” is 8 weeks or after the birth date. As an Iowa licensed breeder, we are required to abide by the states requirements. Please do not ask to pick up your puppy early. We try to schedule the go home day close to a weekend to allow families more time over a weekend to work on transitioning their new puppy into their home.  Some smaller puppies may need to stay a bit longer in our home for continued observation and additional loving care. This can be typical for smaller sizes like miniature and toy puppies.

We do ask that our families make arrangements to pick up your puppy on it’s “go home date”.  We do allow a 3 day “window” of flexibility on making arrangements to pick up your puppy. If you are not able to pick up your puppy within the designated time period, we do charge $10 per day for boarding your puppy. This fee will cover the cost of additional care, food and training we may provide for your puppy. If we are delivering your puppy to you, this fee does not apply as we schedule our departure day based on current activity with our dogs and puppies.

What happens at the visit when I pick up my puppy?

We know this is a big day full of excitement. You have waited a long time to hold your puppy in your arms and be able to bring it home. Prior to the pick up day/selection day, you would have received the temperament testing information for each puppy in the litter. This information was provided to help each family think about the desired traits they are looking for in a puppy and how each puppy would fit into their home. We will be available to provide guidance and assistance with any questions. Ultimately, it is up to each family to make their own selection on which puppy they want to take home. Once the puppy has been selected, we will need time to focus on documents that will need to be completed – including the written contract, health record, applicable registration etc. We try to send a lot of the educational information to families by email prior to the selection day. This way if you have any questions, you are able to ask at that time of pickup of your puppy. If your puppy has not been paid in full, final payment is due at the time of pick up. We like to get a “going home” snapshot of you with your puppy. We may post these pictures on our website or fb page with your permission.

What kind of food has my puppy been eating?

Choosing the right food to feed your new puppy is crucial to their overall health and well-being and something that should be done with careful thought and consideration. This is one of the many reasons why we choose to feed our puppies and proudly recommend Royal Canin Puppy Food. Delivering the ultimate balance of quality meats, animal fats, vitamins and minerals, Royal Canin Puppy Food provides everything your puppy needs to develop into a strong, healthy and energetic dog.

We will send along a sample of the Royal Canin food for your puppy. We strongly encourage our families to continue to use this food once the puppy goes home so that there is less stress placed on the puppy. If you want to switch to a different food later, be sure to do a gradual transition by mixing the food together so that your puppy doesn’t have digestive issues

Will I need a crate at the time of pick up?

We recommend you bring along a crate to put your puppy in for the trip home. Unfortunately, sometimes bad things can happen and it is best for your puppy to be safely protected in a crate. We do recommend you bring along a towel or blanket to use in the crate. Sometimes puppies can get a little motion sickness while traveling.

Can you ship my puppy to me?

You are welcome to fly in to pick up your puppy and take it back home with you in the plane cabin. We live within driving distance to Des Moines International Airport and can meet you at the airport with your puppy. You would need to check into the requirements for flying with a puppy as each airline has their own regulations. You would be required to pay any additional fees the airline may charge to have a puppy on a flight with you. We would need to discuss this option in advance as it would require additional paper work that I would need to obtain from my vet.

We also offer the option of having us fly your puppy to you. This service is available for an additional $700 fee and would need to be discussed and arranged well in advance.

Can you drive my puppy to me?

We are often able to meet part way for delivery of your puppy within the state of Iowa. We may be able to meet part way for delivery beyond the Iowa boarders for an additional fee. We do offer door to door delivery service out of the state of Iowa for a fee. We have delivered puppies all over the United States.