“The leftover puppy” or

“Why is that one still here?”

It’s a question that comes up at times. “Why hasn’t that puppy found a home yet?”, “What’s wrong with it?”. The answer simply is “The right home hasn’t come along yet.” What that means varies from puppy to puppy. To understand why a puppy may stay longer, it is important to understand how puppies are placed.

First and foremost, we want our puppies to be placed in the most appropriate homes for their potential activity levels as well as breed characteristics. This requires careful vetting, through our application process and phone conversation. We want our puppies going to their homes with owners that are fully aware and prepared for the breed.

When we breed a litter, the first reason is to add to our program. When a litter is born, we don’t know which puppies will be staying and which will be available to other homes. We raise them, watch them grow, critique over the weeks and then do formal evaluations at 8 weeks old to determine which puppies are most likely to help us fulfill our goals. Sometimes, more than one puppy is being considered as our “keeper”. We may hold back 2 puppies for a bit to see how they grow and develop. If both seem to be puppies we would like to be shown, we may be looking for an appropriate home for that purpose.

Other times, a family that was intending to bring home one of our puppies may have had a change in life circumstances, and it isn’t the right time. In this case, we usually go back to people that inquired previously, but it may not be a great match for those families. We will then continue to take applications to find the right home.

We will often get inquiries on slightly older puppies, and are asked '“Is there a discount, since this puppy is older?” An “older” puppy might be 3 months, it might be 9 months. The answer is always, “No.”

Puppies are not inventory that we need to clear off the shelves at the end of the season, nor are they perishable goods that will expire. Puppies are living, dynamic individuals with constant needs for care, training and enrichment. From the moment they are born, they are in our lives 24 hours a day, until they go to their new homes. If they are here after their littermates leave, they don’t suddenly stop requiring attention. Until they leave, they are our puppies, and we continue to raise, train and care for them as if they were going to be with us forever.

When a puppy is with us for a longer period, they get additional training (crate training, house training, leash training, basic obedience, grooming), as well as more individual, focused socialization. This puppy still has the same foundation as the ones that left at 8 or 9 weeks, plus more. That is of value, it is not discounted.

The bottom line is, puppies are more than just something you purchase. There is no magical age that makes a puppy/dog worth more or less than any other. The time, work, commitment and support are the same in every puppy we produce, and every dog we place.