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FAQs from Puppy Buyers
We invite questions and inquiries about our
breeding program and home-screening/sales practices, but there are several
questions that we tend to get asked often. Please read the
following FAQs to see if your question is answered here, but please don't hesitate to
ask us for more info.
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 All
of your dogs seem to be show dogs, but I'm just interested in a
pet/companion. Do you ever have just pets available?
Of course! There is a common misconception that
show breeders ONLY sell show puppies and do not have "pet"
puppies. The truth is that no litter will produce all puppies of
the same quality. There will always be several grades of quality
(referring to "show ring quality," only, not soundness or
temperament) in each litter. Be wary of any breeder who claims
that their litters are all show puppies.
What differentiates "show" from
"pet" quality puppies are oftentimes very subtle physical
characteristics that will go completely unnoticed to the untrained eye,
but that we, as breeders, do notice. Sometimes this can be as little
as an upper arm that is a bit too short, or a few too many white
markings, or a loin that is slightly too long, to give you a few
examples. Sometimes a puppy that is sold as a pet could very
easily have won awards in the show ring, it was just that there were
other puppies in the litter who were even better, and we have to make a
decision and rank the litter somehow.
By buying a pet puppy from a show breeder, you are
getting the best of both worlds. You know that your puppy was
produced with correct structure, correct temperament, and sound health
in mind, and has all of these things, it just maybe wasn't one of the
picks of the litter, from a show ring standpoint. Most show
breeders (us included) provide pedigrees and written health guarantees
on ALL of their puppies, not just the show puppies, and offer life-time
breeder support on all of their puppies, too. |
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How
do I reserve a puppy from you, or get on your waiting list?
We require that you fill out a short questionnaire
(which we can provide via email or snail mail), provide two letters of
recommendation (from dog-savvy friends, veterinarians, co-workers,
neighbors, etc.), and provide $200 initial deposit, which, of course, is
included as part of the puppy purchase price.
Please do not be offended when we ask you for letters of
recommendation, or ask somewhat personal questions in our initial
screening process. We work very hard to find well-suited
homes, and make sure that you get the individual puppy that fits your
needs and expectations the best. Everything you will be asked will
directly relate to the Pharaoh pup you are buying so that both you and
the pup will be as happy as possible.
Likewise, please do not take it personally if we tell you that we
don't think a Pharaoh Hound is the right breed for you. Most of
our most serious inquiries wind up being suitable homes who have
done their research on the breed thoroughly before deciding to add a
Pharaoh Hound to their family. However, once in a while, we must
refuse a sale due to unsuitability. Again, this should not be
taken personally. There is a breed of dog out there for just about
everyone, but the Pharaoh is not the right breed for everyone, just like
the German Shepherd is not right for everyone, and the Chihuahua is not
right for everyone. Each breed has its own unique set of
considerations and requirements, and, while we cannot claim to know
exactly which breed is right for you, we do know which people are right
for a Pharaoh Hound.
We love this breed dearly and take a vested interest in the puppies
that we produce FOR LIFE. Our relationship with you does not end
when you leave with your puppy, or when we put your puppy on a plane to
you! We enjoy updates on all of our pups throughout their lives,
and we enjoy keeping in touch with our puppy buyers and offering support
and advice whenever necessary. |
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Is
the deposit refundable?
The deposit is fully refundable if there is not a suitable puppy for
you in the litter. For example, if you wanted a male, but the
litter turns out to be all female, your deposit would be refunded.
Or, if you wanted a pet quality male, but the only male(s) in the litter
are show quality and we have show-male homes on the waiting list, it
would be refunded. If we find that we have more deposits than we
have puppies, we will refund deposits in the reverse order that we received
them in. Since we usually have the majority of the puppies
in our litters reserved before they are even born, we do not know what
we will have available when you send in your reservation
materials. Please note that your deposit will NOT be refunded if
you simply "change your mind," or get a puppy sooner
elsewhere. This is to ensure that our potential homes are, indeed,
serious and committed to owning a Pharaoh Hound. |
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What
is the price of a puppy?
I have avoided posting this question on the FAQs page for many years,
as I think that initial puppy price is next to nothing compared to the
price of *responsibly* owning (not to mention the price of showing) a
dog. However, as this seems to be a very important question for
many potential puppy seekers, that can make or break the decision to own
a Pharaoh pup (sadly), I've decided to add it at long last. The
price of a pet/companion puppy is $1000. Please email us for the
price of show potential puppies.
Do
you ship puppies?
We have shipped many puppies by air over the years, to
all corners of the USA, Canada, and even to Europe. In fact, the
majority of our pups have gone to homes so far from us, and outside of a
reasonable driving distance, that shipping has often been a
necessity. Ideally, we prefer new owners outside of driving
distance to fly out and take their puppy home as carry-on (placed in a
small soft crate under the seat). However, if money or time
constraints make this impossible, we will ship puppies as cargo, and
have done so many times. We are happy to recommend flights for
specific puppies on the airlines that we have used frequently and been
very happy with. We will even book a flight for the new puppy
owners, if requested (this is only possible on COD flights).
Is
shipping included in the puppy price? How much is shipping?
Shipping price varies hugely and is NOT
included. We have no control over shipping charges, which vary
based on several factors (airline, distance, season, time of day, day of
week, and weight of puppy + crate), therefore, there is no way we could
possibly come up with a "flat rate" for shipping. We
are, however, happy to help new owners book their puppy's flight on an
airline that we have used before and trust. We also know which
airlines over-charge, or have bad records, and therefore, which airlines
we would NOT recommend.
It should also be noted that every puppy that is
shipped (either as cargo or as carry-on baggage) needs a health
certificate, and this cost is also not pre-factored into the puppy
price. Health certs for all domestic flights are $40. Also,
the puppy will need an airline-approved crate to fly in. The new
owners can either send us a crate to use, or we can purchase on for
$35-50, depending on the size of the puppy at time of shipment.
How
much money do you make off of breeding Pharaoh Hounds?
None. $0.00. Nada.
This is another common misconception, that, somehow we reputable Pharaoh
breeders make money off of our breeding programs. In actuality,
showing and breeding is like a huge hungry "money pit" for
us. It's not about making money - if it were, then no one would
breed these dogs! The payback is the joy and satisfaction we get
from seeing dogs that we have bred do well, be it in the show ring, on
the coursing field, in obedience/agility/rally, or simply by being a
great companion and promoting the breed in a positive way. The
payback is knowing that the dogs we breed will be useful to the future
of our breeding program, or others' breeding programs, and contribute to
the betterment of the breed as a whole.
By the time you factor in the cost of showing and campaigning the
bitch, and the cost of her health testing and certifications prior to
breeding, you're already well above any revenue that selling her puppies
will generate. If you're using a stud dog from outside your own
kennel, there is the cost to ship a bitch to and from the stud dog, plus
the stud fee, to factor in. If you're using a stud in your own
kennel, you have the cost of health-screening and showing him, too, the
same as for the bitch. If you're using frozen semen, you must pay
a stud fee to the owner, pay to ship it, and pay to have a repro vet
perform a surgical implantation or an artificial insemination. Not
cheap.
For the litter itself, you have the special whelping equipment,
pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and post-pregnancy veterinary care for the
bitch, 2-3 sets of shots, 2 wormings, dewclaw removal, and microchipping
of the entire litter before they go to their new homes. Also, you
may occasionally have delivery or newborn complications that may require
extra veterinary attention. You're looking at quite a bit of money
to breed a litter the right way! If we, as Pharaoh breeders, break
even on a litter, we consider our selves very lucky. Usually we
end up deep in the hole financially after the last puppy is sold.
So, no, there is no money to be made in this type of breeding. We
only do it for the love of the breed. |
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