What is the process for getting one of your puppies?

I have a puppy application that is a few pages long and you will fill out online. It asks questions about your household (such as people, kids, pets, general time in/out of the house), your home itself (own/rent, fencing), and your plans for the puppy (companion, agility, obedience). This helps me make sure that Havanese are a good fit for your household, and also to choose the right individual puppy from the litter.

If the application looks good, we will meet up, usually at a dog show, where we have time to chat and you can meet one or more of my dogs. If distance makes that impractical, we will do video chats, but please note that, all else being equal, I prefer pet homes driving distance from me.

I do not promise puppies until they are several weeks old and personalities are becoming clear. At that point, I may ask for a deposit, which is your commitment to a puppy from me. If, for some unforeseen reason, I no longer have a puppy for you of course I will refund the deposit.

I choose the puppy I plan to keep between 8-10 weeks, and then make selections for families and puppies go home at 10-12 weeks old. I provide my recommendations and suggestions for continuing with litter box training and transitioning to outside, feeding, grooming, and more. Puppies go home with some basic supplies to get you started, as well as 30 days of free pet insurance. I strongly recommend extending the insurance for at least the first year or two of your pet’s life. Not only because puppies can be stupid, but also because it provides you with a unique opportunity to have insurance with no pre-existing conditions, so any puppy accidents or unexpected chronic illnesses can be covered for life.

Please keep in touch! I love pictures, videos, and holiday cards. I am always available to help answer questions, troubleshoot, and celebrate any accomplishments. 

How much are puppies?

Havanese puppies in New England typically range from $2500 – $3800. While cost alone is not a good indicator of quality, I suggest you carefully scrutinize anyone charging notably less OR notable more than this. Someone charging less might be cutting the corners that drive the cost; someone charging much more is might be focused on profits over puppies.

You should insist that you get:

• A contract that offers a health guarantee that does not require you to return the dog, but rather provides that and other options for your needs and preferences. Many unscrupulous breeders offer a guarantee that requires you to return your dog, knowing that the majority of people won’t want to give up their pet and they won’t have to honor it.

• A contract that requires that if you can no longer keep the puppy, it must be returned to the breeder. This protects the dog from ending up in a shelter and shows the breeder is responsible for every puppy they produce.

• A breeder who is invested in making sure you are a good fit for the Havanese breed, and carefully selected the individual puppy who has the most potential meets your needs.

• A breeder who is available for the lifetime of your new dog to provide support, answer questions, and enjoy photos and updates.

• Puppies raised with an early socialization plan to enable well-adjusted and confident adults (this enrichment program goes well beyond basic obedience skills).

• Puppies from parents and grandparents with multiple generations of health testing available publicly on the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) website.

Do I get to pick out my puppy? Can I ask for a color or sex that I prefer?

Finding the right forever home for my puppies is my highest priority, and in the long term, temperament is the single most important factor. To this end, I will pick your puppy for you, based on their personalities and your unique household and needs. Because I have spent many, many hours over many, many weeks hands-on with these puppies, and also their parents, grandparents, and relatives, I am in a better position to select the right puppy for you. Trust me, it is better than you trying to choose in an hour or two on a day a given puppy may be especially tired or especially overactive!

You are welcome to have superficial preferences. However, you must understand that simply because you want a cream colored girl and I have a cream colored girl does not mean that you will get her. The personality has to be right. So you can wait for the gender/sex of your choice with the personality I think fits, or you can be open to my selection process as I see fit – and that will increase your chances I will have a puppy for you.

Do you sell breeding dogs?

My pet puppies are sold with AKC Limited Registration, a spay/neuter agreement, and a contract that outlines substantial penalties for the intentional or accident breeding of that dog. I do sell show-and-breeding dogs to fellow preservation breeders. Because this is a serious matter to me, I only sell to people I know and feel that I can trust.

That being said, if you are new to showing and breeding, or new to Havanese, feel free to reach out to me so that we can get to know each other. It is better if you are in the New England area, so that we can meet up at shows and you can get an understanding of what’s involved. If you are not in New England, I can also recommend a few people or regional clubs who might be willing and able to help you in your area.

I want to be clear that if you are new to all this, it will take time for us to establish a relationship, and even then, the dog will be sold to you on a mentorship contract that includes co-ownership and my direct involvement with your initial breedings, so I can help you get off on the right foot. However, there is an amazing community of dog show breeders, it’s a challenging and rewarding hobby, and I am always happy to answer questions.

Can I visit your kennel?

I don’t have a kennel; my dogs are my pets living my house. This can create a tough situation; on one hand, I absolutely understand why you will want to see where and how your potential puppy is raised. On the other hand, for the health, safety, and security and myself, family, and dogs, I simply cannot invite strangers from the internet to my home. We will do video chats as part of the application process, and also to meet in person at a dog show. Once I feel comfortable with you and the other general circumstances (like pandemics!), we can discuss an in-person visit.

Can I get on your waiting list?

I do not begin the formal puppy application process until right around when puppies are born. My plans can change, your plans can change, and rather than juggle a wait list of people who may get a puppy elsewhere, or who may not be ready when my litter is, I simply start talking to people when I know I have puppies on the way. Girls are pregnant for nine weeks and then puppies are 10-12 weeks old when they go home, so this still allows for several months of preparation before a puppy is ready to go home.

Aren’t you contributing to the dog overpopulation problem by breeding dogs? Shouldn’t everyone get a rescue?

Being a responsible dog owner means knowing what you want and can realistically handle. A 120-lb dog won’t be a good choice for most apartment-dwellers; a fear-aggressive pet is a recipe for disaster with an inexperienced owner.

While it’s possible to find a terrific dog in a shelter, these dogs are adopted quickly, and the uncertainty about their heritage, upbringing, and life experience can be a real concern. The consistency and predictability of a well-bred, well-raised purebred is unmatched. In addition, well-bred dogs don’t end up in shelters. My contract requires you to return the dog to me if you can’t keep it; never to a shelter, rescue, or put up for resale. And only about 5% of dogs in shelters are purebred - that’s not driving any kind of “overpopulation” problem.

Plus, there’s a secret the rescue industry doesn’t want you to know: there aren’t enough dogs. There are 3 million pets in shelters, not nearly enough to meet the annual demand of 8 million dogs. This has led to the rise of the completely unregulated Retail Rescue industry, unscrupulous brokers who buy dogs from breeders and market them as rescues (here’s a Washington Post story about this, and here’s one from the Chicago Tribune), or acquire from overseas breeders (who usually have fewer regulations than USA-based breeders) only to traffic and flip them without appropriate veterinary care, leading to scary health situations that put people and animals at risk (here’s an NPR article). They often lie about their origins; I met a woman once who had a purebred Boston Terrier who she said was rescued from the meat trade in Korea. Why would any reasonable meat farmer cultivate a small, non-muscular, flat-faced, purebred dog? They wouldn’t, but an overseas puppy mill would be happy to sell the lie - people love a good story, afterall.

In the end, there are responsible breeders and reputable rescues who are devoted to dogs and are a great source for your new pet. And there are unethical breeders and unethical rescues who are in it for the money alone. Make sure your puppy comes from a reputable source; but past that, where you acquire your pet is a choice, not a competition.