Breeder Policies On Puppy Deposits, Partial Payments, Etc

[Tapua]

I have a waiting list, I then after I have confirmed the bitch is in whelp I will email the waiting list and check who is ready for a pup now. Once the pups are on the ground and depending on what is whelped I will offer a pup. If accepted a 10% deposit in the first 2 weeks which secures the pup for that person, then I require the balance in my account when they pick up or the day before they fly to their new home. I have no issue with returning he deposit, I have no issue with people cancelling and I have no issue if when on a waiting list someone finds a pup somewhere else as long as they tell me they want to be taken off the list. But I am lucky I have a number of people wanting my dogs and are prepared to wait for the right pup for their needs. If a person cannot get a pup from me I will help them find another pup from a breeder I trust.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Tapua

[Dogsfevr]

We never ever take deposits.

Once puppies are vet checked,microchipped & there personalities are known to us ,prospective people come out & look at the puppies.

Once puppy is selected we take a very small holding fee & the holding fee & microchip number of puppy selected is receipted ,when puppy is collected a week later microchip number is confirmed per paperwork & balance paid .

I see no reason to ask for money on pups that haven't past the crucial survival stage,not been vet checked or have any clue what the natures are & whether suitable for each family .Whilst we don't have temp issues matching puppies to the right environment is very important to us .

[Dogdragon]

Just wondering what breeders policies are when it come to deposits, payments, etc from puppy purchasers if for some valid reason, ie serious illness, hospitalisation etc of the buyer where to occur what would be the fair thing to do by the breeder if for above mentioned reasons the buyer was no longer able to take the puppy in an unforeseen circumstance? Would the monies paid be transferable to a later purchase, partial or full refund?

All info welcome, I'm just curious because I've never seen this discussed and it seems a lot of breeders that have websites and even those that don't do not seem to really inform to much on procedures regarding this.

All in all I'm trying to look at this from the prospective that for some reason the BUYER can no longer take the pup.

Whether you realise it or not, by placing a deposit on this pup you have entered into a legally binding contract. A contract does not have to be in writing, it only has to be accepted under the law.

A contract has three elements:

1. an offer – eg. this may be made when you decide to buy something and offer to pay a price. You may also offer to give something or do something in return

2. an acceptance – eg. this may be done by the seller agreeing to supply the goods or services. The acceptance may be in words or an action (eg. if you signed a written agreement accepting the terms and conditions)

3. consideration – this is the value (usually money) that is given in return for the goods or services offered to be supplied or acquired. It may also be the promise to pay at a later date after certain events occur or procedures are followed.

Consumers should be aware however, that payment of a deposit and/or signing any documents may well mean they have entered into a contract and are bound by the terms and conditions of that contract.

http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/consumers/contracts.page

The seller holds the high ground here.

[ellz]

I don't take deposits and I don't take "pre-payments" of any kind. I don't want a purchaser to be "locked into" purchasing one of my puppies and neither do I want to be forced to sell a puppy if for any reason the purchaser comes up short in some regard prior to the puppy leaving my care.

[The Spotted Devil]

I don't take deposits and I don't take "pre-payments" of any kind. I don't want a purchaser to be "locked into" purchasing one of my puppies and neither do I want to be forced to sell a puppy if for any reason the purchaser comes up short in some regard prior to the puppy leaving my care.

I feel the same way.

[Steve]

Well these days I do take a small deposit with balance payable at home time. Maremma babies are a hell of a lot of work getting them ready for particular situations they will be going home to . At 5 weeks depending on where they are going and what work they will be doing I handle them differently and start them working and bonding with their species they will live with for the rest of their lives. It isnt as easy as taking the pup thats been with sheep and swapping it over to chickens etc . you cant just take a pup thats been inside in front of the fire because thats how the new owner intends to keep it and expect it to go out without stress into a frosty paddock. So once that training has started if the buyer pulls out my chances of selling a pup that someone else wants for what the pup has been training for is reduced

In my current litter some are going to sheep, chickens, goats and an autistic child and one as a companion. Each has its training begun at 5 weeks and I replicate the type of living conditions the pup will be going home to as much as I can.

Prior to the deposit being attached to a pup I put in hours with them to be sure they know what they will be getting and what its going to take to own one. When that deposit goes on I give them all I have to help them get ready for the pup to come home so they have several weeks to ask questions, read through the training and care notes etc. and for me to build a relationship with them so they are O.K. about coming back for help and calling on me if they need me.

Those notes are necessary for people to have way before the pup comes home and its taken me 25 years to develop them so Im not that happy about simply handing them out to people who then go off and buy a pup from a farmer for a couple of hundred bucks or a pet shop either to be honest.

I dont advertise I have a litter on the way,dont take a waiting list because I would have a hundred at any given time on it . Now and then I will take a small deposit from someone who pushes me for a particular litter into the future but only after I know I have a pregnancy and usually as soon as I say there is a litter here they are all sold with deposits on them within 2 weeks.

My contract says these deposits are non refundable unless its something from my end but I do refund depending on the circumstances and depending on how long between the deposit going on and the pup going home. But if I do refund its because Im a nice lady not because I have to - if you leave it to the last minute without good reason Im keeping it . So I take a small deposit after they have thought about it for 48 hours then after the deposit is received there is another 48 hours cooling off . If they came back before the pup was 5 weeks old I do refund full amount after that - not likely.

No one has ever been locked in to taking the pup when they don't want it anymore and Im still able to change MY mind and return the deposit.

Couple of litters ago I took a deposit from a registered breeder [ another breed] and the day I rang to say when are you picking your pup up, she said "sorry I should have told you earlier because Ive known for weeks but Ive decided I dont want the pup, we have sold all the ducks so we dont need it anymore, Im happy for you to keep the deposit ,sorry to muck you around" That leaves me an 8 week old pup which I could have sold a hundred times over if there had not been a deposit on it for a variety of different work options that has been bonding with poultry. It means she has had the written information Ive provided and hours of emails and phone calls etc

Not only do I then have to go out and re advertise, seeking someone who wants a chook dog, the person who does purchase it arrives to pick it up without the benefit of being able to have the information or long conversations for the length of time my other buyers do and I havent had the ability to build a strong relationship with them so there is a higher risk that they will get into trouble and not come back to me quickly enough for me to help them.

So I take deposits because it works best for me and if you are not serious enough about purchasing a pup that you will make a commitment Id rather know straight away than play a game that disadvantages the puppy.