What to ask when adopting a puppy?

Here at Puppies Up North we try to be as helpful by trying to answer all your questions.  I know this is not an exhaustive list but I will try to be as transparent as we can and answer your questions here:

1. How long have we been breeding?  We started out by having a really beautiful black lab named Penny, 15 years ago.  She had a little batch of puppies and the love for those tiny little burritos began.  We we able to place those puppies with wonderful families.  After that batch, we thought it would be fun to have a boarding facility to care for everyone else's dogs.  We had Camp Canine for 7 years and loved every minute of it.  One night in Feb, Camp Canine burned to the ground along with other family's beloved dogs and our dream was gone.  We mourned that loss of those beautiful dogs, of other families for a long time!  Our thought went back to Penny's babies and how much fun we had with those puppies!  Penny was such a great momma...and so our dream began again...the long and short of it...we've been in love, love with dogs / puppies for 15 years!
2. What motivated Mike and I do become a breeder?  Simply put, the love of dogs, any shape, any size, any gender...we love their silliness, we love taking them exercising and the fun we have with each of them, every day...it's a hard job someone has to do...
3. Are you a member of any breed club or organization?  Yes...
   • We are a member of MN Pet Breeders Association (Annual 3 days seminar, and off site clinics of "Strive for Clean Inspections" "Hip/Elbow Clinics, Spring shot and dental clinics, etc).
   • We are also a member of the MN Board of Animal Health (Annual kennel inspections in which they look at all of our records, inspect our facility, inspect each dog and offer advice).
   • We are members of MN Board of Animal Health Advisory Board for Breeders of Excellence (I worked on a committee that developed the a program to recognize licensed commercial breeders who demonstrate excellence and exceed the standards and practices of the commercial breeder law. This program was developed with the input of an advisory task force comprised of licensed commercial breeders, veterinarians who work with commercial breeders, and Board of Animal Health inspectors and staff.)  We are working on the badges that are offered and will post them as soon as we achieve them.  The Badges are Behavior and Socialization Badge, Canine Brucellosis Badge, Continuing Education Badge, Facility Management Badge and Breeder of Excellence Badge
   • We also attend annual meeting of Life's Abundance, where we learn more and more about the ingredients of our dog food, the treats, the shampoos, and a host of other pertinent information that pertains to a dog and their health
4. What health tests have been performed on the puppy's parents?  Here at Puppies Up North we like to pride ourselves on the health of our mommas and daddy's.  We are regularly having them checked for skin, teeth, ears, feet, eyes and over all health.  When the parents are in heat, we also do a blood test along with an over all hip / elbow evaluation of their current health.  If a mom or dad have anything wrong with them at any of these tests, we pull them from the breeding program immediately until the issue is resolved.
5. Have there been genetic issues in the parent lineage?  No, we have not run into any genetic issues in our breeds or our litters.  Very rarely we will have and knee issue but the three or four we have had, have resolved itself in a year of growth.  We have sometimes have had a over bite/under bite or umbilical hernias...but these issues are found on their 80 point vet check and discussed with the families before adopting.  We have been very fortunate to have had really great parents and puppies with very little issues...and have not had anything genetically incorrect.
6. How are the puppies socialized before going to their new homes?  Because we were not privileged to have kids, we have had to make extra efforts to socialize our puppies with special people that we know and love to play with puppies.  We have people that have special needs kids, we have older people, we have some with lots of kids, we have a niece that has a younger toddler, etc.  I also strongly believe that having a puppy under foot with tons of family is not that good for a puppy to develop skills that only the momma can teach them.  We raise them as if they are in a working home, so we do leave them with momma and their toys.  We find that they act so much older when raised and socialized the proper way.  We also work on getting our puppies thru a 100 point socialization program that expose them to over 100 items around our farm.  We feel that this is helpful when a puppy goes to your home as they may have heard the sights or sounds that are at your home.
7. What kind of environment are the puppies raised in?  Here at Puppies Up North, we have a state-of-art facility equipped with "all things dog".  We have plump chairs, dog beds, lots and lots of clean blankets, pine chips for potty training, beautiful 8' x 30' runs on the inside for mom and her babies...a flip door that goes outside to an 8' x 25' run...and a gate that goes to a grassy area that is 1000' x 2000'.  When puppies are growing, mommas love teaching them to follow out on the grassy area...and then she leads them back into their run and they all sleep!  It is a very warm and toasty environment in the winter and nice and cool facility in the summer.  We have music playing all day, and in the evening after I have kissed them goodnight, we shut the lights off and have warm white lights running along the entire facility...the puppies and mommas are all fast to sleep....Night Night!
8. How do we ensure the puppies are well cared for?  Mike and I work at our own facility.  Occasionally we have another person watch our place when we have to be gone.  I love that we have the daily touching, loving, cuddling...unlike a breeder that has "guardian homes".  We are handling our puppies hourly / daily...either taking pictures, brushing their hair, scratching mommas, just sitting and talking to them.  We would immediately see any issue any puppy may have on a daily basis...plus we love our dogs and puppies and want the absolute best for each of them.
9. Are there any contracts or agreements that need to be signed?  Yes, go to the Adoption Application, fill it out and hit submit.  At the Adoption Application you do not need to submit payment, I will send it through a application program and then I will call you.  I also need you to text to me picture of your family, family room and back yard.
10. What is your policy on refunds if I decide to back out?  In the contract it speaks of a non-refundable deposit of $700 +(51.63 tax if you live in Minnesota).  We have this policy as we want you to be "very, very sure" that you want one of our puppies.  After we receive an application and pictures, there are many, many steps that I take in ensuring that you get the puppy you want...take their picture off the website, I create a birth announcement, a congratulation letter, a final letter, and a day coming home letter and I send them all to you via email.  I also have a lot of behind the scene work that I am working on.  Each night I announce to your puppy that I found a home for them.  All this takes a lot of time and work.
11. What is my return policy?  Although I hate seeing a puppy coming back to me because I believe that I have done due diligence in screening my families for my puppies.  I realize there are extenuating circumstances and at that time I will take the puppy back.
12. Can I visit the puppies before making a decision?  Yes...we allow our puppies to be viewed AFTER they are 6 weeks old because we want them to have their first deworming and first shot.  We ask you to narrow it down to 3 puppies and we will meet you at the Staples Dairy Queen to play with them or view them.
13. Can you tell me about the puppy's temperament and personality?  Under each puppy is "more details"...the second page of each puppy specifically states the temperament and personality.  I watch and play with these puppies daily so I have a write up according to each and every puppy...please go there to get that information.,
14. What is the feeding recommendation for the puppy?  We ask that you view the back of the bag that we give to you at time of transfer.  We typically feed morning and night with a bit of kibble left in their bowl throughout the day.
15. How many litters does each momma have per year?  We don't breed, breed, breed...we work closely with our vet and our mommas.  We want our mommas to be fully healthy before we breed her again.  If she has a large litter, we wait a year to breed her again.  If she had a hard pregnancy or birthing, we actually don't let her breed again.  We also like her body to be back to normal...so her tummy needs to be back to normal and not hanging from nursing.  So that is why you will see that we retire our mommas around 4-6...unlike other breeders, we don't want her to have to be pregnant all her life...she will have 2-3 litters, then we retire the mom.  The dad gets to be a dad for 5-7 years.
16. What is your policy of spay and neutering?  In Puppies Up North contract, we ask you to spay or neuter your puppy between 5-9 months.  Yes it is okay if your vet wants to spay/neuter later, just let us know...

What all is included with my puppy when I get them?

• All shots along with all boosters
• All deworming
• Dew claws removed
• 100 point socialization test
• 80 point vet check
• Potty trained
• A big puppy basket full of puppy treats, food, toys, shampoos, pine chips, can food, puppy blankie that has been rubbed on mama
• Downloadable 14 page packet (password given at time of deposit) that is full on pertinent information for seasoned owners and new puppy owners
• Super Healthy Happy Confident Puppies

When can I pick up my puppy?
Puppies are available at eight weeks. Puppies can be delivered to a couple different drop-off sites, or can be shipped by air freight without any trouble. Special arrangements are made for live animals at the airport and this is a viable option for families who live far away.