Buying a Puppy at Critter Cabana FAQ
Where do you get your Puppies?
Our puppies are all come from local families here in the Northwest. While every breeder is different, our typical breeder:
Do you buy from puppy mills?
According to the ASPCA website, a puppy mill is “A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation that places profit over the well-being of its dogs—who are often severely neglected—and acts without regard to responsible breeding practices.”
We can say with confidence that we DO NOT buy from such operations. Never have, and never will. Further, any breeder with 4 or more mothers is USDA licensed under APHIS which means they adhere to very strict guidelines and are physically inspected on their property.
How do you screen for health problems?
We leave it to the professionals! Every litter goes through a vet examination where they screen for:
Are puppies vaccinated?
Short answer is Yes! The puppies are up to date on vaccinations but will require additional vaccinations as they get older.
Are puppies microchipped?
Short answer is Yes! The puppies are microchipped and ready for registration. Registration of the microchip is an additional step needed to ensure that your information is linked to the microchip. We offer registration through a third party at the time of purchase to make it easy as clicking a check box.
What is the adoption process?
When you fall in love with a puppy, generally the first step is a 24 hour hold. This lets you step away for a bit, think, and talk to your family. This hold is free, but not required, if you’re ready… you’re ready! Next our staff will walk you through the puppies medical records and registration paperwork. Once that’s done the fun begins and you get to pick out some essentials for your new family member. We have a comprehensive pack of crazy good deal coupons to help even the tightest of wallets get off on the right foot.
Is there a health guarantee?
Yes. We have a 30 day health guarantee. Your new puppy comes with a free first visit at one of our partner veterinarians. If there was anything has developed since the the initial vet exam, it’s unlikely to get passed the double check. If you use one of our partner veterinarians they can just bill us directly for anything needing treatment. Many people wonder why we can only guarantee health for 30 days. A puppy is a complex living creature and there are bound to be health care costs just as there is with a person. The length of time at which we’ve determined that responsibility shifts from us to you is 30 days because most of our customers feel its reasonable and it’s short enough for us to keep the price of puppies as low as we can.
How do you determine the price of the puppies?
It all starts with our cost, both direct and indirect. First we pay the breeder an amount based on several factors like breed & registration all which go back to the breeders initial investment. Then we factor in the cost of screening the puppies at the vet, microchipping, feeding and other care, unexpected medical costs. When you add it all up, it’s a lot! And it can make the puppies seem expensive but we feel like the extra work we do is worth the extra costs and our customers do too!
Do you ever negotiate the price of the puppies?
Unfortunately, we have a strict no negotiation policy on the puppies. We understand that the extra costs of vet screens, microchips, vaccinations, premium diets, and the other things we do that make our puppies more expensive might not be something you want to pay for. No hard feelings if you choose to find your new family member somewhere else! We’d still love to have you and the new pup in the store to visit.
Where to the puppies go at night?
The puppies stay in the store at night. They have a very regular routine here and adapt incredibly quickly to it. Because we buy entire litters at a time they have their brothers and sisters to keep them company. Additionally there are always more experienced puppies in the neighboring den for newcomers to get cues from. It’s a system that works and the puppies feel very secure.
What happens to the puppies that don’t sell?
We don’t know to answer this question because it’s never happened! Even if we end up with a puppy with a life-long medical condition, we’ve never had a problem finding a compassionate home. For that we thank our wonderful community! On average, we’ll buy a litter of 3 to 4 puppies and the entire litter will be adopted out within 3 weeks. We do have occasional puppies that stick around longer. Those are the lucky ones who our staff falls in love with and they get the extra special treatment in addition to the basics they would receive in any new home, training, veterinary care, treats, exercise.
What if I get a puppy and for X reason it doesn’t work out?
This can happen to anyone. Sometimes its an allergy you weren’t aware of or a drastic life change. We will help in anyway we can, sometimes its taking the puppy back or sometimes helping you find other resources. In the end we want what’s best for the puppy just like you. Ultimately, however, the responsibility lies with you, the puppy’s new owner to find a solution. We have a short period where a puppy can be brought back to us for a refund but there is a $200 service fee in these scenarios which covers the extra costs we incur.