|
|
Step 1. Submit an Application Only complete a puppy application when you feel that you are ready to commit to one of our puppies. Our applications usually open a few months before the puppies arrive, and we begin accepting pre-reservations for available positions on our waiting list. We do not always have puppies available, as we typically only have a few planned litters per year. Acquiring a puppy from us requires patience, but they are 100% worth it! We care about long-term connections with our puppies and their owners as opposed to just selling our dogs to anyone with money. Each puppy becomes a part of our big Bear State Goldens family once they are born. We do not sell puppies to impulsive applicants, impatient applicants, applicants who include minimal information on their application, applicants who show us red flags at any time, applicants who feel entitled to one of our dogs, applicants who are dishonest on their application(yes, we do check), applicants who have unrealistic expectations for a puppy, or applicants who have not dedicated time to researching the breed and their care. We also do not hold long waiting lists for years at a time anymore because we find that most buy a puppy elsewhere before it’s time for our litter to go home. We regularly operate by Instagram Message, Text Message, and Email. It is the simplest and quickest form of communication for us. Calls are by appointment only, and approved applicants have priority. Most simple questions can be answered on our website as we include a lot of information, but if the answer is not there, we are happy to chat with you! All application responses will be communicated via e-mail. Feel free to send over your questions via the Contact Form. Please include information about yourself, and we will respond as quickly as possible. Please keep in mind that when we do have puppies, we are very busy with little sleep, and time gets away from us often. If you haven't received a response within a few days, please reach out for an update! More often than not, Instagram is easier for us to respond to questions as it's more personal and just easier for us to keep track. We post updates on there frequently, whereas with email, older emails often get hidden by new messages coming in.
Please read through our website, including our policies for FAQ’s. See our breeding program for more information on how we raise our puppies and to learn more about how our program is run. |
Step 2. Pre-Reservation When an application is accepted, you will be contacted with an email of approval. The next step is placing a Pre-Reservation to reserve your position on our waiting list. This confirms your commitment to obtaining one of our puppies. If you're applying to an adult or if the puppy is older than 2 weeks old, please skip to Step 4. Please keep in mind that we DO NOT hold puppies or positions on our waiting list for an applicant without a paid reservation. All reservations are accepted in the order in which they are received, not based on when an application is reviewed and approved. We tend to review applications in bulk in no specific order; current reservations may not reflect on our website. If we have approved your application and sent you details on how to place a reservation, but you do not reply or place a reservation at that time, please do not expect that same waiting list position or puppy to be available at a later date, as we have likely moved on to the next applicant. Sometimes the puppy or position will still be available; however, we can not make any promises on future availability. Any new reservations will be based on current availability. If you need more time to think after your application has been approved, please request a reasonable amount of time (up to 24 hrs) in advance, taking into account our time and the time of other applicants waiting for a response from us. Depending on how many qualified applicants we have for that puppy or litter, we may or may not be able to accommodate. Our puppies reserve very quickly, especially after they arrive, as we can confirm puppy counts and genders. We sometimes hold off on reviewing applications and accepting reservations until after puppies arrive, especially when we are close to the due date and if we're expecting a smaller litter, to avoid the added step of refunding, just in case we do not have enough puppies available. You must reach out for an update to confirm availability. We have an unpaid backup waiting list for those with approved applications who would like to be notified of availability within a specific litter, whether that be if they are not ready to place a reservation at the time of their application being approved, or if they were unable to make the reservation list in time. Our backup waiting list is not a long-term waiting list; names are removed after the puppies leave for their new homes. We reserve the final say of where our puppies call home, as their well-being is the most important aspect when we are considering homes. We reserve the right to withdraw an approved application and refund the client for all funds at any time if we feel they are not the right fit for our dogs or for us as a breeder, including but not limited to: before, during, and after any in-person meetings.
Step 3. Gender Availability Within 1 week of birth, we will evaluate our litter's waiting list. If we do not have a puppy available for you at birth or at any time during the first 2 weeks, you will have the option to receive a refund, to pick an opposite sex puppy if available, or transfer your Reservation to a different litter at that time.
Step 4. Final Reservation Once the puppies reach 2 weeks of age, it is time to secure your Reservation. At this time, the Final Reservation balance is due. There will be a contract to sign when sending your reservation payment. This payment secures your reservation & acts as a placeholder for your puppy until pick up day. If you are applying for a puppy that is 2 weeks of age or older, the full reservation payment is due when your application is approved and reserves the puppy until pickup. All reservation payments are transferable and deducted from the total cost.
Step 5. Pupdates You will begin receiving email updates every 1-2 weeks on the puppies starting from birth. We enjoy showing our puppies to clients; therefore, we post the puppies regularly on our Instagram stories, starting from birth, so that you may stay connected throughout the entire process. We take so many pictures and videos that this is the easiest way for us to share them all. Follow us @bearstategoldens to keep up with us!
Step 6. Appointment Scheduling Around 4-6 weeks of age, we will reach out in order by reservation to schedule a meeting with the puppies. Our meetings are scheduled the weekend that the puppies turn 8 or 9 weeks old. We reach out to everyone on our list in order by reservation with dates and times to choose from to meet the puppy(s). If you are unable to meet with us in person during the available time frames, please contact us for other options, such as FaceTime or videos/photos. If you are unavailable to have any meeting at all due to timing conflicts, the puppy will be chosen for you, and you will meet the puppy on our agreed-upon pickup date. Please let us know on your application or ASAP if you have any timing conflicts around when the puppies are ready to leave home.
See our policies page for more information on visits. Step 6. Contract Signing Around 6 weeks of age, our Genetic Health guarantee/Sales contract will be sent via email and must be signed digitally. We use a very user-friendly platform to sign our contracts. You will receive a signed PDF copy via email with your puppy's information after you've met your puppy. The contract is available to view in advance upon request.
Step 7. Meeting the puppies Starting from 8-9 weeks of age, it will be time to find out which puppy will be your furry companion! Puppy placement follows after temperament tests, vaccinations, evaluations, fecal tests, and health exams are all completed from 7-8 weeks of age. By this time, your puppy will be of age and can leave with you during our meeting, or you may schedule pick-up for a later date if unavailable. This process works the best for us. We operate our meetings this way to ensure that all puppies are evaluated and health is fully cleared before meeting their new potential families to minimize the possibility of introducing illnesses and to prevent clients from being let down if a certain puppy that they like isn't available or the right fit. Only clients who have placed a reservation are welcome to visit our home to meet the puppies and parent(s) in person! Sometimes only the mother will be available to meet when we do not own the sire. Each puppy will have a different-colored collar, litter reference names, and a microchip number for identification. All health, temperament, and personality information is presented at this time or often just before the meeting. The puppies will have very similar temperaments, but personality, drives, and energy levels may be slightly different. See our Policies/FAQ for more information.
Step 8. Bring your puppy home with you From 8-9 weeks of age, you will be able to bring your puppy home with you. The remaining balance is to be paid via Cash(USD), GoodDog, Zelle, or Apple Pay. Unfortunately, we do not accept Money orders, Cashier's Checks, Personal Checks, Venmo, PayPal, or any Direct Cards at this time. Puppies will not be able to leave our care until the balance is paid in full before or at the time of pick up. We will accept a payment plan as long as the balance is paid in full before the puppy leaves. See our Breeding program and scroll to the bottom to see what your puppy will go home with.
|