PUPPY INQUIRIES
CONTRACT INFORMATION
LIFETIME HEALTH WARRANTY
All Fireside Fernweh puppies are sold with a lifetime health warranty against genetic conditions which preclude them from living an otherwise healthy and normal life. This warranty excludes conditions which are mild in nature.
REGISTRATION POLICIES
Puppies from Fireside Fernweh may never be re-registered as German Shepherd Dogs under any registry, including the American Kennel Club (AKC). All of our puppies are registered with the Federacion Canofila de Puerto Rico (FCPR) as White Swiss Shepherds, and they may be registered with the United Kennel Club (UKC) as White Shepherds, on request, for competition purposes.
BREEDING RIGHTS
We are very particular about which dogs from our kennel are bred, and we only want them to be bred by thoughtful, responsible breeders. Most of our puppies are sold on our typical contract, which permits breeding after the dog has been health tested and titled. On some occasions, we may have dogs that are available on a strict no-breed contract for a variety of reasons.
SPAY/NEUTER TIMELINE
While we do not ever require that any dog be altered, our health warranty will be rendered void if an owner spays a female prior to 18 months of age, or her first heat cycle (whichever is later) or neuters a male prior to 24 months of age. This is due to adverse health effects caused by the removal of sex hormones before maturity. For dogs sold on no-breed contracts, registration papers will be given only after we receive proof of sterilization.
COSTS
The price of a Fireside Fernweh puppy can vary widely, though the majority of our puppies will cost around $5000-7000. Although our puppies are more expensive than most, we believe that our standards of health testing, temperament, and beauty leads to some of the very best White Swiss Shepherd puppies out there. That being said, we do, on rare occasions, have puppies, older puppies, or young adults that are sold at a much lower price due to various circumstances. If you are looking for one such dog, do not hesitate to reach out.
PURCHASE PROCESS
STEP ONE: INQUIRE
If you are interested in a Fireside Fernweh puppy, please send an email to firesidefernweh@gmail.com introducing yourself and your family. In this email, give us as much information as possible about your lifestyle, previous dog experience, any current dogs or other animals at home, your plans for the puppy, and any additional relevant information. This is your chance to tell us about yourself and why we should place a puppy with you. We will now be using this conversational approach in place of a puppy application.
STEP TWO: CONTRACT & DEPOSIT
If you are approved based on our communication, we will send our contract to you via DocuSign for digital signature. The deposit ($1500) must be received within 48 hours of signing the contract, or the contract will be voided.
STEP THREE: WAIT
After the contract is signed and the deposit has been received, you will be placed on our waitlist for a puppy. At this point, we will add you to our private Facebook group where you can see almost-daily videos of any puppies on the ground as well as updates from other puppy owners. When a litter born, we will contact those on the waitlist, in the order deposits were received, to ask if they would like one from the current litter or if they would prefer to wait until a later litter.
STEP FOUR: GET MATCHED TO A PUPPY
When you have decided to move forward with a particular litter, you will be matched to a puppy based on sex, coat length, and temperament preferences. We usually determine matches at 7.5 weeks old--just before they are ready to go to their new homes! This is because we want to use the maximum amount of information collected about the puppies prior to determining which ones will go to which homes. If we do it any sooner, we would be choosing without knowing the entire picture.
STEP FIVE: PICK UP DAY
Everyone's favorite day! If you are paying using an online method, we ask that you please pay in advance of picking up your puppy to avoid any payment issues at pick up, otherwise, cash or cashier's check may be brought with you to pick up your puppy. All puppies receive dewormer (effective against all worms, giardia, and coccidia) and a bath on the morning they go home. All vaccination and deworming records will go home with the puppy in addition to a Fireside Fernweh go-home back full of toys, treats, chews, and a blanket that smells like mom.