Reservation FAQ
Breeders of Non-Shedding and Allergy-Friendly Family Dogs
- How do I reserve a puppy?
- How do the Waiting Lists work?
- How long is the wait for a certain type of mix?
- How does the Puppy Selection process work?
- Is it necessary to send in a deposit?
- Are deposits refundable?
- How do I request refund of my deposit?
- How does shipping work? What about picking up the puppy locally?
- How can I (the customer) make things easier for you (Mike and Lucy.)
QUESTION: How do I reserve a puppy?
ANSWER: Click here for your Reservation Form.
QUESTION: How do the waiting lists work?
ANSWER: Each of our mixes has a separate waiting list. Some lists are long, and some are rather short. For example, the waiting period for a shih poo is generally between 4 and 8 weeks, though it depends on your preferences for color and gender. And, it depends on the colors, genders, and the sizes of the litters that we have at the time, or that will be born soon.
You are welcome to reserve a single puppy, and select several of the different mixes that we raise that are suitable to your needs. We then place your reservation form in each of the separate waiting lists (no extra deposit is required). Then, we'll call you when your name comes up on top of any of those lists. You are also welcome to have your name added to our other lists at a later date - in this case, we use the date of the request.
You are not held to the color preferences that you put on the form. These help us make our breeding decisions. For example, if your form states that you want a white schnoodle puppy, we'd still call you if we had only a parti colored schnoodle available. Frequently, people do change their minds, especially in regards to the color preference. Of course, you're welcome to "pass" and you'd still retain your placement on the list.
We do the puppy selection process at 6-7 weeks of age. At this age, we are able to evaluate temperament, size, mature color, hunting instincts, etc., much better than at an earlier age.
We don't send confirmation of receipt of your reservation form unless you send in a deposit. We often get 20 reservations a day without deposit. When we receive the deposit, by Paypal or through the mail, we will then send you a confirmation that we have received the deposit. Do feel free to check in with us to make sure we have received the deposit - sometimes we may be tardy sending confirmation when litters are being born, or we a placing puppies due to time availability. Please be understanding about this ;-)
QUESTION: How long is the wait for a certain type of mix?
ANSWER: Length of wait varies by the mix involved, your preferences for gender, color, etc, and the preferences of the folks ahead of you on the waiting lists. For some of the mixes, the wait may be as little as a few weeks, for others, it may be 2-4 months before you have the opportunity to choose a puppy. You can visit the link to the individual mix description page to access a page with the most current information regarding timing, and the upcoming litters for most of the mix types. These links are toward the bottom of the row of links on the left side of each page. For example, one button says Maltipoo, and will take you to a page with photos of maltipoos, and a link to current litter information.
We are frequently asked to predict which puppies and when a puppy will be available to a certain person on the waiting list. This is a question that is impossible to answer. Most people are very specific about wanting a certain color, size, gender, and temperament for their puppy. So, even if you are quite a ways down the list, you are likely to be able to choose a puppy before all or even most of those ahead of you do choose a pup. And, since we do have a refund policy for our deposits, the list shortens over time because people find a pup locally, get married, get pregnant, lose jobs, etc. The final complicating factor is that many, if not most, of the people on our waiting lists are in several of our lists, so as people choose a different type of pup, the list shortens. For example, someone may be on the Maltipoo, Yorkiepoo, Shih Poo, and Maltese Yorkie list, but will only choose ONE puppy.
QUESTION: How does the Puppy Selection Process work?
ANSWER: We do puppy selection when the pups are between 6 and 7 weeks old - that's when their personalities begin to emerge. We start from the top of the list (in order by reservation date), and offer all the available pups (of that type of mix) to each person in order by date of reservation. We call regardless of color preference. We do consider gender preference on reservations. We discuss individual personalities, predicted adult size and color, etc. Then, the person can either choose a pup, or decide to wait for a later litter. That decision must be made within a reasonable time period - We can't hold up the selection process for a day or two for someone to make that decision - it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the list. If a person decides to wait for a later litter, that person still retains his place in line. Each person is given up to 24 hours to respond to our calls, though it sure is helpful if people respond promptly, especially when they decide to pass.
Many people feel that if they decide to pass on a pup, that they must be at the very top of the list. This is not necessarily true. In most cases, other people ahead of you have passed too - they will still get the opportunity to select a pup before you will get the opportunity to select a pup again. True, you may only have to wait until the next litter, or you may have to wait some time again. So much depends on the colors, genders, and litter sizes of the puppies born.
QUESTION: Is it necessary to send in a deposit?
ANSWER: It's not required, but realistically, its the best way to get a pup in a timely manner, in the color, gender, etc, that you are hoping for. If you don't send in a deposit, you basically sit at the end of the line. If you do send in a deposit, the deposit holds your reservation date, and you keep advancing up the line as puppies are chosen by people ahead of you on the waiting list.
QUESTION: Are deposits refundable?
ANSWER: $50 of the $100 is refundable for any reason for 60 days, until you choose a specific pup. Once we have held your deposit for 60 days, it is no longer refundable. We will however, credit your deposit to any purchased puppy indefinitely. Once you have chosen a specific puppy, and the puppy is over 6 weeks of age, we do not refund the deposit, though part of the deposit can be transferred to another puppy at that time or in the future. The amount of the deposit, in that case, will be reduced by any expenses that have been incurred in order to prepare the puppy for shipping (health certificate, etc.)
Once we have attempted to contact you by telephone during three separate puppy selection processes, the deposit is no longer refundable. It's best to let us know by e-mail immediately when we send out the puppy selection announcement if you are not interested in a pup during that Puppy Selection process. Then, if you pass, this is not counted in the 3 selections mentioned above that would make you in-eligible for deposit refund.
We are trying to make customers more responsible about returning our calls and e-mails during the puppy selection process. People frequently decide that they're not ready for a pup at that time (timing, color, gender, etc) but don't take the time to call or e-mail about this, which delays the puppy selection process.
QUESTION: How do I request refund of my deposit?
ANSWER: It's best to request your refund by e-mail or snail mail, or you can call. General e-mails are NOT suitable. It is essential to put PUPPY DEPOSIT REFUND REQUEST in the subject line of the e-mail, so that I can locate the refund request easily. Because we get 60 or more e-mails daily, it takes no time at all for an important message like this to get buried when I'm unable to keep up with the e-mails (which lately is most of the time!) We generally process refunds every 2-4 weeks. Please give us 30 days to process your refund. If you have paid using your credit card or Paypal, it will be refunded directly to your account. Deposits in the form of personal check or cash, will be refunded by check through the mail service.
QUESTION: How does shipping work? What about picking up the puppy locally?
ANSWER: We can have the puppy flown to you, or we can meet you locally (near Brainerd MN), or we can meet you at the Minneapolis Airport when we are dropping off puppies that are flying (generally on Thursdays.) If we fly the puppy to you, we make all the flight arrangements for you. We make the flights about a week in advance (weather and scheduling plays a large role). At that time, we send out an email with the flight information, and payment details. To meet locally, just give us a call to set up a meeting. And, if we are meeting you at the Minneapolis airport, we send an email with directions, balance information, and schedule a day or two in advance (we often don't know a firm time until then because we have to consider the flights of all the puppies going, and some of the puppy sales are rather last minute.) Generally, the meeting time at the Minneapolis Airport is between 7:30 and 11:00 am, though sometimes we have earlier or later meeting times. Costs of shipping, handling, and travel, when applicable, are detailed on the Prices page.
QUESTION: How can I (the customer) make things easier for you?
ANSWER: We frequently find it very difficult to reach people during the selection process. So, the selection process for a litter or several litters may take quite some time. Often it takes at least a week. Making yourself available DURING THE DAY by home phone, cell phone, and/or work phone is extremely helpful. If you're in and out during the Puppy Selection Process, it really helps us out if you check your messages frequently.
Once you send in a reservation and deposit, it is best to keep an eye on the Puppy Page. You'll see each litter as it is born, and the selection date for the litter is noted. We then update the puppy pictures every two weeks (sometimes even more often.)
Once we start the selection process, we need to be able to reach you. It's important that if you head out of town on vacation, etc, during the selection process, you should send us an e-mail (marked as URGENT) letting us know that you'll be out of town. Then, if we feel that you will be able to select a pup from that litter, we can let you know to give us a call during the selection process. We try very hard to reach each person before we have to pass over their name.
Send a copy of the SUBMISSION RESPONSE - not a copy of the actual 4 page Reservation Form along with any deposits sent through the mail. Sometimes the reservation form submissions do not make it into my e-mail box due to some temporary server conflicts (yours or mine) and by sending in a copy of the submission response, I can reach you by phone or e-mail if the form submission doesn't make it through.
It is best to call Cindy to reserve a puppy or to ask general questions. Good times to call Cindy are between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm during the week. She is generally not here on weekends. Lucy and Elizabeth (Lucy's 18 year old daughter) are happy to help after hours, though they may not know about the availability of specific puppies. This is Cindy's turf.
The link below will take you to our On-Line Reservation Form. Don't forget to click the submit button at the end of the Reservation Form page. This form automatically comes into my reservation box in my e-mail.
North Country Kennels - Phone: 218-546-2811 - 