We try to add in questions and answers here that are most commonly asked by
new visitors to our site and breeding program. But, feel free to email me or call anytime
with your personal questions as well ~ we'll be glad to try and help if we can... thanks...
We look forward to assisting you in finding your next family member !
 

 


Q) Can you ship your puppies and do you ship them year round?
A) We are able to fly our puppies into all of the major airports in the lower 48 states and in addition some of the minor airports. Most often, our flights can be scheduled any day of the week ~ however,  during the Summer months, we have to travel out of state to a larger airport and in that case, we combine trips and may only offer 1-2 days per week that we are shipping.   During flight schedules the temperature ceiling is 85 degrees, so this can at times be a conflict with extreme temperature destinations and in those cases we could not fly. We do offer limited ground delivery when possible within certain distances.

We have been able to help families in Canada and Alaska during the cooler weather so yes please inquire we'd love to help.
I'm afraid though we cannot fly into Hawaii simply because they require an extended quarantine for the puppies upon arrival, so I'm sorry about that...

Q) What is the cost of shipping and how is that paid?
A) Our shipping charge is currently $250 for all types of delivery as of April 1, 2008. We use Delta airlines as our primary carrier whenever possible. We do also use Continental Airlines.   The charge for shipping your puppy is $250 and when shipping live cargo we include the approved airline pet carrier in your shipping price. It is yours to keep upon arrival, and is suggested as the best house training option so by all means use it.

The shipping charge is the same for ground delivery out of our area during the Summer and in this case the pups are not confined to individual crates and therefore is not included. The shipping charge can simply be included in the purchase price and our agreed form of payment for each family.

 

Q) Is there a warranty on your puppies?
A) Yes, we offer a limited warranty on our puppies. We require that our buyers schedule a visit with their veterinarian within three working days of receiving their new puppy to validate their warranty. At that time, you may have your vet inspect the puppy for general health concerns. If at that time you are displeased with the puppy for a valid health concern not detected with the puppy prior to delivery, you may return it in the condition received to the airport of original departure or arrange to meet us in person if the puppy was ground delivered within an agreed prompt timeframe (or not over 5 days) for a return of the sale price. We do require a valid health certificate for return of a puppy so that the puppy is known to be in the same health as when it arrived. All shipping arrangements and costs are the responsibility of the buyer at this point. We do not in this case, reimburse for shipping charges to or from our nearest airport which is BHM or cost of traveling expenses if delivering by ground. Our purchase agreement/warranty found here on our site  will explain in detail all types of specific conditions covered or excluded, the time frame in which they are covered and the conditions by which we handle particular situations - please review this contract before purchasing and make sure you are comfortable with our terms of sale before proceeding with a purchase from Deb's Darlings - we do our best to provide these guidelines in an effort to be fair to both parties and will follow these guidelines when circumstances arrive to warrant use of our warranty - so please make sure you are familiar with our warranty and know that it is what you will consider fair should the unexpected occur after purchase or delivery. Naturally we hope to never need our warranty terms, but when unfortunate circumstances occur - these are the guidelines we set before time of purchase so that our families know entering into a purchase agreement how we handle various situations. We want to offer a limited warranty to our families and especially our families who do purchase out of state to allow them to know their puppy has the opportunity to be examined by a veterinarian of their choosing also. Please research any breed before purchasing and discuss with your veterinarian the common ailments to expect, the required upkeep of this animal and their particular pricing accordingly. I cannot stress that enough to our out of state families. Our veterinary care in the South is what we deem reasonable and fair, but unfortunately in other areas of the country, we have experienced this to not be the case and although unfair in our opinion, this is not under our control and all warranty terms and pricing by our establishment is based on our veterinary terms and cost in our community. So please understand, we do not pay vet bills ~ we are very fortunate to have a family veterinarian we trust and who treats our dogs with a reasonable expected fee for his service. We have over the years, learned all families are not so lucky and in our opinion have been unfairly charged for common treatments. So, if this becomes the case... don't be mad at me - be mad at your vet. I have heard of outrageous charges for simple tests and medications and I would be upset too but not at the wrong party - I would in fact blame those who have treated me unfairly and I hope you as a potential customer feel the same and will understand if you fall victim to price gouging within your state. So, just some advice as you make a decision to adopt a new pet into your home.... check with your veterinarian of choice and ask for general pricing - i.e. initial veterinary office visit, standard pricing for followup office visits and expected routine for such visits, well checkup visits, vaccinations, wormings, stool slides to screen for wormings, office care, overnight stay, cherry eye procedures, fluids for dehydration if they develop a virus... normal things that during the life of a young dog of any type might possibly occur if they were to become sick or develop conditions that require treatment beyond emergency situations and the unexpected. I think over the years of working with families, that's one of the single best pieces of advice I could ever offer is to just know that dogs are living breathing animals, they are like children. They will undoubtedly have times where they need medical care and be ready to assume that responsibility as well beyond your initial investment and be educated going into it what that might include. But, I would also say having my own animals it's a small price to pay to keep them healthy and have a friend for life you will love more than you could ever imagine at this point. So, final word, be educated before purchasing a live animal of any type into your family. 

We do often have pups listed as "special needs pups" - these are pups which we know to have a pre-existing ailment or condition or flaw however you want to label it.... their price is reduced to account for this and that particular condition is not covered in our warranty terms but known at the time of sale and considered an "as is" situation. 

 

Q) Are your puppies registered and how do we receive our paperwork?
A) Our puppies are registered by the AKC or the CKC depending on each litter naturally; so if you have a preference of registry, please just ask at the time of reservation and I'll be happy to let you know which registry your pup's parents are registered with and therefore how the pups will be registered also.  If it matters, please inquire before purchasing which registry your puppy is registered with, there will be no returns based on registry. The registration papers are sent through the US Postal Service and are usually received within 4-6 weeks after you receive your puppy. We no longer send the registration papers through the airlines after having a few mishaps along the way. If you have not received your paperwork within 6 weeks, please email us with "papers" in the subject line so we can make sure your paperwork is enroute or give us a call at home. We try to be prompt and not overlook anyone, but mistakes can happen and we'll be happy to correct it when brought to our attention. Please include the nickname of the puppy when it was our website for sale and a general time frame in which you received the pup for us to reference the litter for you.
 

 

Q) Are your puppies show quality or breeding quality?
A) We represent our puppies to be pet quality only. Plain and simple. We do not guarantee them to be of breeding quality or show quality and would never make that determination as a young pup anyway. We strive to raise healthy family pets above and beyond any standard for this breed. Our goal as any breeder is to raise a dog that meets the standard in each way it can, we do not pretend to guarantee that with all pups. Please, if you are considering purchasing from us know we raise pet quality puppies that health is a priority for and that family homes is our desire for them to be a part of. We do not raise champion dogs, period. We do not suggest our pups are perfect in conformation or measure them to any standard but our own. We do naturally have many families who own our dogs and want to breed them or breeders that buy from us and that's fine, we don't limit their registration to do so. We simply choose to leave that decision strictly to the buyer if desired once the puppy has reached maturity and an educated decision can be made between you and hopefully your vet whether or not to breed your dog. We do not recommend choosing a breeding dog as a puppy, that decision should be made at maturity. We recommend if that is your desire that you seek veterinary advice and guidance before breeding any animal and learn more about the responsibilities for you, the risk to your dog and the expenses that may acquire in doing so. Naturally we understand these families need their paperwork and do care if there dog is papered and not just proof of breeding, so yes our dogs are registered primarily for this purpose.

 

Q) Do you vaccinate your puppies before shipping?
A) Yes. Our vet recommends a vaccination schedule of 6 weeks, 9 weeks, 12 weeks and 15 weeks of age. Most often our puppies go to be with their new families at eight weeks of age, so they will have received for certain their 6 week vaccination while in our care. The puppy will then be due for a second vaccination at 9 weeks of age and that vaccination and all others are the responsibility of the new owners unless noted on the vaccination record at the time of sale. The 9 week vaccination or any follow-up vaccination is not administered by us unless the puppy is under our care and supervision at the exact date the following vaccination is due. If the 9 wks vaccination has been received, you will be notified at time of shipment that this is the case. Otherwise, one vaccination given 6 wks from date of birth is our routine. We will happily provide you with a vaccination schedule for your puppy by email or fax it to you if need be. We do give our own vaccinations naturally under the guidelines of our veterinarian. If your veterinarian requires that you provide a vet record only of vaccinations then that will not be available through us as a breeder. So, don't be upset with me if he/she insists on repeating the vaccination. check first if it matters to you.... I think that's the silliest thing I've ever heard and just another way for the customer to have to pay more at the vet's office, but I've run into a few vets over the years that require it in their care. All vaccinations not due at time of shipping would be the responsibility of the new owners. We vaccinate using Pro-Guard 5 in 1 by InterVet which is purchased directly from our vet and is the same exact vaccination he administers in his office.

We also worm our puppies with Safeguard at 3 and 6 wks of age. Again, if a puppy is within our care after 9 wks of age, we continue their worming cycle if flight is not pending right away. Once under veterinarian care with your family, a simple stool slide during their vet visits will let you know when your next worming is necessary. All puppies have worms, it's a simple fact. So even though they've been wormed, it's an ongoing process throughout their puppy stage and they will still need to have this monitored for some time and will undoubtedly have worms to some extent when they come home most often so don't worry. Just continue to keep this current like their vaccinations for the overall health of your new puppy and they will naturally move through the process. Worms as they continue to increase again, will also produce symptoms to look for with a stool that may become loose or even tinged with blood slightly, a pudgy belly of course is everyone's best alert it's time to worm again, etc. so just be aware of your pup's normal bowel habits and personality. If they are playful, have a good appetite, all seems normal except a stool change or a pudge to the belly and pause in weight gain, worms would be a definite possibility and common for puppies so schedule a checkup and go from there.

Please note, even though loose stool or even diarrhea can be a sign of worming needs for a puppy, do not mistake the same need if the symptom is vomiting - Vomiting is NOT a symptom to take lightly. This is one symptom that always requires immediate veterinary attention in my opinion. If you have a young dog or puppy who has a sudden loss of appetite and may seem lethargic and vomiting, that is a signal to get a vet's opinion.

One of the most common things in pups too in a community environment, we've found over the years is coccidia. This is an intestinal parasite found in puppies when they are young. It will also produce a looser stool and more frequent bowel movements which can again progress to a trace of blood in the stool as well. It is very easily treated with an oral medication or pill form of a medication called Albon that won't kill it but will inhibit the ability for it to reproduce further and boost your puppy's own immune system which ultimately has to work it out and like worming requires treatment to correct itself and not be allowed to progress, so if you see these signs over the course of your puppy's growth a stool slide again will diagnose and treat this as well before it is allowed to progress. Coccidia I've found too normally needs a simple 5-7 days of treatment, but I've had it occasionally require a second round even, so a recheck is a good idea.

 

 


Q) What do you feed your puppies and how do we change their diet?
A) We currently feed Diamond brand food for our puppies. We recommend it to anyone able to purchase it within their area. If you are not able to purchase this brand at your local feed store or pet store, we recommend that you choose a diet that is high in crude protein - look for levels above 25% whenever possible. Most of your better pet foods will fall into this range - We have had families who also have great success with Iams, Eukanuba, Science, etc. so it's o.k. if you switch foods, just choose a solid food over the first year for sure. If you are able to purchase Daimond and can slowly wean them by mixing it with the food of your choice, that would be the best course of action but if not, don't worry. We often get asked what feeding schedule our puppies are on and since they eating as a litter here, we simply don't conform them to a set feeding schedule. They are allowed to use an "open trough" system where their feeder is available at all times or fed morning and evening plenty for everyone. Once you introduce your puppy as a single feeder in your own home, we suggest you develop a feeding schedule similiar to people where they are offered 2-3 meals a day and not allowed to graze occasionally to assist in house breaking when needed. They naturally should always maintain a fresh source of water. Follow simple guidelines for your pup according to weight on the bag itself. If they eat and seem settled and relaxed they have been satisfied adequately with the amount offered. If they eat what you've given them and hungrily licking the bowl, or unsettled afterwards, try increasing the feed amount next time til you find the portion that suits your personal pet.