Visitor’s Policy

Doodlesville Visitor’s Policy

Hopefully this info will educate you a bit on the dangers associated with breeders that allow people to come into their facility to choose a puppy!  This is a problem I have had reported to me after folks have purchased from other breeders,  more then a few times, and the families ended up paying veterinarian bills well more then the cost of the puppy to try to save their puppies life.

Visitor’s policies vary as much as breeders! None of us has exactly the same policy, that’s for sure. Several of us  are very strict for good reason.  Let me explain why, beginning with a discussion of Parvo virus, a deadly disease in dogs.

You Should be very concerned if a breeder allows visits and interaction with their pups, you will understand why by reading below.

*Parvovirus**
Workingdogs.com defines Parvo in this way: “Parvovirus is a viral disease of dogs. It affects puppies much more frequently than it affects adult dogs. The virus likes to grow in rapidly dividing cells. The intestinal lining has the biggest concentration of rapidly dividing cells in a puppy’s body. The virus attacks and kills these cells, causing diarrhea (often bloody), depression and suppression of white blood cells. In very young puppies it can infect the heart muscle and lead to sudden death.”

Parvo is an opportunist disease that can live for years on pavement where a sick dog has vomited or defecated and thus continuing to re-infect other animals. Some strains are more deadly than others and we have recently heard reports of already-vaccinated dogs getting sick with it.

Parvo has been around for years, and seems to come and go – sometimes lots of outbreaks, sometimes not as many. Recently there have been many outbreaks and this causes us great concern as owners and breeders, as we do not want any of our puppies or dogs exposed.

Once you see a dog infected with Parvo, you’ll do anything you can to ensure you never see it again. It’s one of the worst viruses around. It will break your heart to see a dog with it. Many who get it do not survive, and puppies have the highest death rates.

Fortunately, there are vaccinations available for Parvo, and we make sure all our dogs and puppies are fully vaccinated. For puppies, the series is not complete until the pups are 12 weeks old. Of course if you are picking your puppy up at around 7-8 weeks old, you’ll need to finish out the series with your own vet to ensure he is completely protected.

**Visitor’s Policy**
All this discussion about Parvo leads us to our visitor’s policy, which is as follows.   (Please note: visitors are defined as individuals coming to see what Doodles are all about – not individuals picking up their puppy.)

Although we completely understand your desire to visit and see for yourself what amazing animals Doodles are, we will not – under any circumstances – permit visitors unless you have placed a deposit on a pup, and  they have had all their shots (complete series of vaccines, last shot is given at 12weeks old in most cases) you may be able to choose from 2 Puppies, if we have any still available at 13 weeks, which rarely happens.

Our pups are normally sold before they are born, , if the above happens, we now have a small viewing area. A non refundable deposit on a pup is required to schedule appointment. If the pup you come to look at is not what you are looking for your deposit goes to a pup in a future litter. This has never happened, I screen you for specific pup before you make the trip, so if i dont feel it would be a good match rest assured I will tell you.

Since we normally have puppies of all ages at our kennel, You will only be allowed in one certain area. This option is NOT allowed with pups under 13 weeks of age, Im sorry.

References are gladly provided after initial screening process!

**Choosing Your Puppy**
We realize many people like to meet the parents of their prospective pup and see where they live prior to making a purchase, or even want to pick out their puppy in person before they make a lifetime commitment. This is understandable, BUT this puts our dogs and puppies at risk for Parvo and other diseases that you can potentially bring in on your shoes, clothing or hands.

Instead, reputable breeders are now doing things a little differently,  we have worked out a compromise we hope is acceptable to you.  We actually do request  your input thru pictures, in which pup appeals to you , what you are looking for in your perfect puppy, etc but we do match pups with families and have final approval on which pup you will get.

From the moment our babies are born, we spend every waking hour with them and truly believe we are the best ones to judge each puppy as far as fit for your family situation. We judge temperament, personality, coat type, etc., and start making tentative decisions on fit with specific families from early on in the puppy’s life. We think this is far superior to your picking out your new baby yourself.

Let me tell you why.
Assuming you were allowed to come pick out your puppy, you’d only get to spend a few minutes with him before deciding if he’s for you. All puppies are cute and cuddly; some just wouldn’t be right for your family, and you can’t know that unless you spend the time with them that we do. By the time you pick your puppy up, we will have spent around 50 days with him, not the 50 minutes or less that you would get to spend , if you were doing the picking.  So from the time you complete your puppy application until we do final picks starting at about 6 weeks of age, we ask you questions about your family, such as where will the pup live? how active is your family, How many children do you have? What will the pup’s life be like?, etc.

This helps us choose a more boisterous pet, one that is quieter, one that is a bit more stronger personality of the litter, \or something else.  Not all pups would be an ideal fit for your individual lifestyle, and we help out by providing this service for you. Of course you’ll see pictures and hear about your puppy’s antics regularly before you come pick him up. We hope this is a compromise that works for you.

**Rationale**
Although this is a great benefit for you, from our perspective the reason we do this is as follows: We are not a puppy mill – we do this for the love of the breed. Our Reputation speaks for itself! We are dedicated to preserving that living and our fine reputation by making sure all our charges are safe. We definitely want to see you happy with your new baby, but we need to be, above all else, guardians for our dogs and puppies – >as well as for your new puppy, always putting their safety and well-being first.

**What Else Can Be Done?**
·If you wish to see a Doodle or learn more about how we raise our dogs, we can refer you to people who have bought puppies from us and who don’t mind showing off their Doodle. They can tell you about how our dogs are raised.

·When it is time to come pick up your puppy you will be able to view your puppys parents from a distance but will not be allowed to walk in their play areas.

**Preparing to Pick Up Your New Puppy**

·Please do not visit any other kennels, breeders, pet stores,vet hospitals or places where there could be unvaccinated dogs.

·Please wear freshly washed shoes.

·On the way home with your new puppy we suggest that you do NOT  stop at a rest stop, or  allow your pup out in any area where other dogs could have been. Instead put newspaper down in the trunk of your car and let the puppy relieve himself there. Also take care not to expose your pup to public dog areas before he has had all his boosters at 12 weeks of age. You will NOT be allowed in our kennel area, the parents of YOUR pup will be brought to a safe kennel for your viewing, away from Puppy area. We apologize for the disappointment this may cause some families who would like to visit our Doodles But we know a number of breeders who have lost entire litters to Parvo this year and we are not taking any chances with our babies. We understand this is alot to think about, but we hope this increases your respect for Doodlesville to protect and assure you that you will be getting a healthy happy puppy from Doodlesville. However, Parvo is a serious issue; we are dedicated to not bringing it into our facility.

It is only in this way that we can assure you your puppy will not contract this horrible disease from our kennel.

NOTE: We do Not ship our puppies! This is entirely to stressful on a puppy and can be fatal we do Not take chances with our Babies!  The Puppy can fly with You In the cabin of the aircraft in a soft sided carrier. We prefer your coming here to pick up your pup that way you get to meet us both, your pups parents and we are not pressed for time and can go over our orientation completely.