Questions, answered

Two steps: fill out my application completely, then you and I talk on the phone. After both have happened, I’ll tell you whether you’ve been approved. Incomplete applications are the one thing I don’t consider.

One a year. Keeping it small means every puppy is raised in my home, underfoot, with the time and attention they deserve. I wouldn’t do it any other way.

They come back to me — always. At any point in the dog’s life, for any reason, I will take my dog back. No dog of mine will ever need a shelter.

My puppies are $3,500. That includes AKC registration (pre-paid by me), the seven-week veterinary exam and first vaccinations, fully health-tested parents, and a complete go-home packet — plus my support for the life of your dog.

Once I’ve approved you, a $500 non-refundable deposit holds your place — check or Zelle. The balance is paid in cash when you pick up your puppy. I never take a deposit from a family I haven’t approved.

Yes. I raise one litter a year, so approved families join my waitlist and are matched as puppies arrive. Applying early is the best way to be considered.

Yes to both. Video calls start once puppies are three weeks old, and you’re welcome to visit by appointment after they turn five weeks. I want you to see exactly how they live.

Yes. My dogs are AKC registered, and puppies go home on limited registration with the AKC paperwork pre-paid by me.

Both parents are DNA tested and OFA evaluated — hips, elbows, and heart — and I have their eyes re-examined every single year. I show the OFA certificates to approved families.

At seven weeks every puppy sees my vet for a full exam and their first distemper/parvo vaccination, and goes home with their first heartworm preventative to give after homecoming. You also get a signed letter from the vet confirming the exam — pet insurance companies accept it.

I recommend microchipping closer to one year of age — chips can migrate in young, fast-growing puppies. Your vet can place one at any routine visit.

No. Families are welcome from anywhere — I have no location restrictions — but puppies are picked up in person. I do not allow my puppies to be transported in cargo holds. Period.

Royal Canin Golden Retriever Puppy — and I recommend keeping them on it for their whole first year.

A copy of your application, your contract, a toy, potty pick-up bags — and a small blanket carrying mom’s and the litter’s scent. That blanket is very calming for your puppy on the first nights home.

Yes — potty training starts here in my home, along with early neurological stimulation and sound desensitization. Most of my families tell me their puppy is completely house trained within 2 to 2½ weeks of coming home.