Bringing Home a Mill Creek Pyrenees Puppy
We have been sending home pups for several years, and as word has gotten out, have started to see a very high demand for our puppies! This is something we are grateful for, and humbled by! However, this makes our process a bit more in depth than the usual "see a cute pup and bring it home" that might be available with other breeders. Almost all of our puppies are reserved prior to birth (and often prior to conception!) —- so although it may happen, an available puppy from a current litter isn’t something you can count on. The best way to get a puppy from us is to get on the list as soon as you decide we are the breeders for you!
One of our previous puppies----Oshie----at home in Maine
Before Puppy Is Born
To get on our waiting list currently requires a $500 deposit. This deposit is non-refundable, so make sure you are certain about bringing one of our pups home before you send it! (The deposit does go against the total puppy price of $2300!) At the time of deposit, you will specify whether you need a male puppy ONLY, a female puppy ONLY, or if you are open to both male and female puppies when your turn comes. If you are not set in stone on the gender you want, we encourage you to select the “open to either” option so that you can keep your choices more open on timing and have selection of the most puppies possible on your turn. Due to the fact that it may change the plans of families below you, you are not allowed to switch your preferred gender after deposit. Deposit day is also the time to tell us whether you are looking for a puppy as soon as possible, or just getting on the list early so that you are higher on the list for a puppy at a future time. This deposit locks your spot in for choosing a puppy from our litters.
Once your name is on our list, you are part of the Mill Creek family! You will be emailed each time there is an update that has to do with our Great Pyrenees.
Puppies Have Arrived!
Throughout the time you are on the list, you will be kept up to date as we have litters.
Two quick definitions before we continue into the process:
AVAILABILITY DATES: For families that have a specific time period that they cannot take a puppy in, I must know about this BEFORE the birth of a new litter. So if your timing has changed, a litter announcement is the time to let me know if your need to wait until after a certain date to bring puppy home!
SWAP: Each family has one swap built in on the list. This can be used for any reason one time (preferred Mama, unexpected timing change that you didn’t get to me prior to the birth of the litter, preference on markings or not, etc, etc.) In the case of a swap, I will check with the families below you one at a time until finding one that wants to jump to your spot in the current litter. Then you will move down to their spot.
When we get to a litter that reaches your name on the list, this is the process that happens:
When you are up for a puppy from the current litter:
You will be sent an email just like the litter announcements you have received while you were waiting, but this time, there will be an extra paragraph that says we have a puppy for you in this litter, and will let you know the dates of the go-home window!
When you receive this email, I NEED to hear back from you as soon as possible! Here are your choices at that point:
1. You confirm with me that you have received the email, and are ready for your puppy! Yay!
2. Each family on the list has one “swap” (detailed above) to use. If you haven’t used your swap yet, you also have this option at this time.
3. If you aren’t ready for one of the puppies in this litter AND have already used your swap, you have a one time option to either of the choices below without forfeiting your deposit:
a) Go to the bottom of the list (with a change to the current price if applicable).
b) Have your name removed from the list for the time being, with the option to start back from the bottom of the list (with the price at the time of your return applying) when you are ready for a puppy again.
If I do not hear back from you within 3 days of notification that your name is up for a puppy on the current litter, you will automatically use option 2 if your swap is still available, and option 3 b if not. In all the puppies we have sent home, we have very rarely gotten to this part of the process, so please don’t worry! But we do just want to have all the steps lined out just in case.
Registration:
This is also the point where you let me know if you are wanting AKC registration with your puppy. All of our puppies are born to the same AKC registered parents—we just don’t go through the paperwork, cost, and process of registering all of our puppies. If you are looking to breed or show in the future (or if you just want their AKC registration) that is something we need to know at this point. This is an added cost. (See details here)
If you have the choice of a puppy because you have been offered another family’s “swap”:
If you are not on the initial puppy list, but get an email after the litter announcement that there is a puppy available for you, this means that a family above you is using their one “swap” option to wait for a puppy from a future litter! In this case, I will send you an email, and you have 24 hours to respond and let me know whether you would like to take this option to jump on the current litter or not. There is no penalty to your position on the list if you choose not to take the offered spot, and you are not using your own “swap” option if you choose not to take the offered spot! If I do not hear back from you in 24 hours, I will go ahead and pass on to the next family with no penalty to you or your position on the list :)
When puppies are 3-4 weeks old:
At 3-4 weeks, we will begin working through the list in order to select puppies. When we get to you, you will have a choice of all of the puppies of the gender you deposited on. We will visit with you (usually via email, but we can arrange a phone call, too!) individually in order to select you pup, and from that point on, you will receive pictures of your pup weekly.
Once you know which puppy is yours, a payment of $500 is due and can be paid via Venmo, CashApp, or by a check, certified check, or postal money order in the mail. This is also the time that we will start working with your pup on his or her name if your family has decided!
Puppy at 3 weeks old :)
5-6 weeks old:
At the 5 week mark, we send a BIG 5 week info email and we begin planning and discussing the logistics of puppies heading home!
For driving families, this involves beginning to map your route and work with us to get an approximate planned time so we can start scheduling out our very busy pick up window! We understand that many people drive from a long ways away, so we stay as flexible as possible, but we just start working toward it :)
After your digest all the info in the 5 week email and respond to the questions, we will send your final invoice:
For driving families, this includes everything and can be paid with Venmo / CashApp (no later than 3 days prior to pick-up), check / cashier’s check / money order in the mail (mailing deadline will be discussed in your email), or cash at pick-up.
For families who will have their puppy flown to them, this includes everything EXCEPT the actual cost of flight. This can be paid with Venmo / CashApp (no later than 3 days prior to pick-up), or check / cashier’s check / money order in the mail (mailing deadline will be discussed in your email).
After puppy turns 6 weeks old, we can begin planning for them flying to our shipping families! This is something we all must remain flexible for, especially in very hot or very cold weather! For our families who are having puppy shipped, payment in full must clear prior to us sending puppy off. When we receive your puppy’s flight cost and schedule, we will pass that on to you immediately, along with a list of what to expect and how to prepare for picking you puppy up from the airport. The cost of the flight must be paid via Venmo or CashApp no later than 3 days prior to go home.
We will be in touch about this through email, so you will be reminded as the time approaches!
Puppy at 6 weeks old
8 weeks old:
Our puppies go to their homes at 8 weeks old. We do not allow pups to leave before that as they need that time with their parents and litter-mates in order to learn the basis for what they need to be a great dog! At 8 weeks, pups are ready to head out, and (although it makes a CRAZY few days for us) we like to keep everyone going home in as tight of a window as possible. We ask that all puppies are picked up by the end of the Saturday that they are 8 weeks old. We do not, as a rule, keep puppies longer than this. When the litter splits up, puppies are looking to bond, and it is the perfect window for them to bond to their new family----be it your people family, or your animal family!
8 weeks old and forever HOME
You will have plenty of notice to plan for picking puppy up at the appropriate time. If, for some reason, you are absolutely unable to pick puppy up at 8 weeks old, we need to be notified as soon as possible. IF we are able, we will keep puppy longer with a $35 per day boarding fee. Again, this will start the Sunday following the pick-up window.
If you cannot pick puppy up within one week following pickup weekend, we do reserve the right to pass the puppy onto another family. Don’t let this worry you, you will have plenty of notice and time, we will be in regular contact, and this has never happened before :)