Getting a puppy is a decision
that should not be taken lightly.
You can't put a price on the value of an excellent dog, but it does
come at price. You are committing yourself to be that dog's
protector for the rest of his/her life. Be prepared for
considerable financial and time expense. If you are looking for a
relationship that requires commitment, keep reading. If you are
looking for a casual pet that is kenneled or tied out all day, than
you're at the wrong place. There is considerable expense apart
from
the initial cost of the puppy. Healthy dogs go to a vet for
regular immunizations and parasite preventative. Healthy dogs
temperaments are solid because their owners spend time building a
relationship, socializing and training them. Take some time to think if
you can provide this kind of home before you decide to invest in a dog.
We are committed to you and
your new puppy. The best thing for you, the
best thing for us, and the best thing for your puppy is for you to be
extremely happy with your dog. We can do our part to make this
happen by doing our best to place the right puppy into the right
home. We want you to know up front what you are getting
into. Before you get too invested in the process, read the
following polices carefully. Think about
it. If getting a Shiloh from Fireside is something you are
interested in, let us know.
Pricing
*(new prices for spring
2012)* The cost of our puppies
is $1400 for a pet female, $1600 for a pet male. Pet puppies are
sold with spay and neuter contracts.
Show/Breed puppies are all sold on a co-ownership basis with a show
breed contract (detailed below). They are $1800 for a
male or female show breed candidate. Show breed candidates
are only sold to established breeders with a common vision or those who
are willing to be mentored, show and actively pursue the perfection of
this breed
The
Process of Getting Your Puppy
Read
and
Think:
Read our policies and expectations. Think it over. If this
is something you would like to move forward on, contact us.
Puppy
Application: We will e mail you a copy of the Puppy
Application . This will help us match the right puppy with
the right
owner. We would appreciate talking with you, so we can get to
know you and your expectations. If we both agree that a Shiloh
from Fireside is right for you, we can move on to the next step.
Deposit:
When approved, a
deposit
of
$200
will secure your place on a list to receive a
puppy. The remainder of the purchase price is due when you pick
up your puppy at
eight weeks of age. Deposits are only refundable if we do not
have a puppy available for you. If the timing is not right you
can elect to have your deposit transfered to another litter, but you
will fall behind existing deposits on that litter.
Prepare:
The best way
to prepare for a new puppy in your home is to remember or imagine what
it is like to have a toddler running around. Baby proof your
house. Plan where your puppy will spend his/her time when you are
not there. Plan when and how your puppy will get regular
exercise. Get an XL crate that you can section off when they are
small. Get an undercoat rake, nail clippers, leashes and a good
book on dog training. Decide on which veterinarian and what
obedience classes you plan on taking your new puppy to.
Keep
Up
Contact
and
Watch
Our
Puppy
Page: Feel free to ask questions. We
look forward to this time of getting to know you and what you are
looking for in a puppy. We will post pictures of the
puppies
on our site. Watch them as they grow.
Don't forget that pictures are not as informative as the litter
evaluation in determining which puppy is right for you.
Veterinary
Visit: Your puppy will visit our veterinarian and receive
an
examination. He will also receive routine deworming, and his
first round of
vaccinations. We will give
you these health records when you come to
pick
him up.
Litter
Evaluation: The
Litter Evaluation Report (LER) will be conducted when the puppy is
seven weeks old. During the LER the puppy is evaluated for
temperament, drive, and general conformation.
Choosing
Your
Puppy: After the studying each puppy carefully
during the LER and our observations to that point, we pick your puppy
for you. Our
decision is based on which puppy we think would be the best fit for
your home, your preferences, and
(to be fair) the order deposits were received. I will
contact you soon after the LER to let you know which puppy will be the
new addition to your family. We do reserve the
right to return a buyer's deposit and cancel the sale of a puppy in the
rare occasion we feel that a particular puppy would not be a good fit
for a home or if we decide to keep the puppy.
Picking
Up
Your
Puppy: At eight weeks your puppy will be ready for
his/her
"forever home". You will receive with your puppy: pictures of
his/her
first 8 weeks, a pedigree, puppy food, copies of parents' health tests,
health records, registration papers, and a lifetime of
support. We look forward to meeting all of the people in person
who we will have spent time in contact with. How
exciting! We would prefer for you to pick up your
puppy in person, but we
understand distance can be a major issue. E-mail us about rates
to fly your puppy to an airport near you.
Obedience
and
Socialization: Obedience and socialization are a must with
all dogs,
but especially with a Shiloh Shepherd who in many cases will grow to be
over 100 pounds. They also have a natural (well-balanced)
protective
instinct that can be lost without social interaction. As soon as
it is healthy for them, expose them to as many positive experiences
with people, other dogs and small animals as possible. Enroll in
an obedience or puppy class. Be prepared for your investment in
your relationship with your dog to pay you back exponentially.
Health
Testing:
It is crucial for the development of this rare breed that I know what
kind of Shilohs I as a breeder am producing. Therefore we ask
everyone who gets a puppy from us to have their Shiloh's hips evaluated
by Penn Hip or OFA by 30 months of age
Stay
in
Contact: We
would like to hear from you about your puppy, and have continuous
updates into adulthood. Give us details and pictures. We
would
be happy to post them on our site.
Health
Guarantee
We guarantee our puppies
against life threatening congenital
defects
(apparent by 30 months).
We also guarantee our puppies against hip displasia (rated OFA:
moderate or severe, apparent by the age of 30 months).
If your puppy is found to have any of these problems, we will replace
your
puppy with one from our next litter. If we are not planning a
litter, we will refund your purchase price. In any case, when a
puppy does not meet the expectations of the health
guarantee, we retain the right to have a second veterinarian's
opinion. We do not expect you to return the puppy.
Purchase
Agreement
You will be asked to sign the purchase agreement
before you purchase a puppy from Fireside Shiloh Shepherds.
Pet/Companion
Spay and Neuter Agreement
All puppies sold as pets agree to
have the puppy spayed or neutered by 24 months of age.
Show/Breed
Breeders Agreement
Breeding Shilohs carries a weight of responsibly. We are interested in coming
alongside new breeders and helping established breeders with the same
vision diversify their lines. When we produce puppies that
we think
would improve on the next generation and have something to offer the
breed, we either keep them or send them out to a quality show breed
home. In both cases they are an extension of our breeding
program. They carry lines that we and others have worked hard to
improve, so it is important to us to retain a great deal of control
over our show/breed puppies. The goal is to continually
improve our lines and the breed from generation to
generation. We feel we can best accomplish this goal and level of
control by a breed contract.
These are the terms of the contract
on Show/Breed Males and Females: Males:
If
your
male
is
upgraded
to Adult Show/Breed, Fireside
Shilohs retains the right to use him for stud service a total of 3
times without charge. The buyer agrees not to breed the male
knowingly to any female with out our mutual agreement.
Females: If
your female is upgraded to Adult Show/Breed, Fireside
Shilohs will receive two puppies back from her first litter (typically
first and third pick). The buyer agrees not to breed the
female knowingly to any male with out our mutual agreement.
All our show breed
candidate
puppies are sold as show/breed "prospects". After the puppy comes
of
age, has met or exceeded our registry's rules for permanent adult
registration, and we mutually agree that this dog would be a good
candidate for breeding, I will sign to upgrade your dog's papers to
Adult Show/Breed (see NSBR registry rules).
Working
Together
We are thrilled at the
idea of helping to bless others, the way we
have
been blessed, with amazing Shilohs. We know that if you work at
it and take time to get to know your dog and earn his/her respect, you
will
have a devoted gift for a lifetime. We are devoted to helping you
have the best dog ownership experience of you life. If you decide
to get a Shiloh from us, we look forward to working with you.
