Buying One of Our Puppies

All of our dogs are bred for temperament, intelligence and conformation.  We give them all puppy personality tests at the appropriate age as well as shots and wormings.  We have chosen and placed many dogs in loving homes where they are living happy and active lives.  We are quite proud to say that no one has ever been unhappy with their new puppy.

WAITING LISTS & DEPOSITS:

• All upcoming litters are announced elsewhere on our website.  Once you have read the information about a litter, you may contact us to be placed on a waiting list.  At this time you can make your preference as to a male or female known.
• Once the litter is born and the puppies are at least 10 days old, we will begin contacting all those people on our waiting list.  We will try to contact you by phone as well as e-mail (which will include a litter photo).  After contact (including by leaving a message), you will have 48 hours to contact us and arrange the transfer of a non-refundable deposit of $300 into our PayPal account.   You can certainly use the postal service to send your deposit, but we cannot guarantee arrival in time to fulfill your choice.  We usually have a long list of people waiting for one of our home-bred puppies as well as our Stud Service litters.   If you are uncertain about your decision to purchase a puppy, we suggest that you not send a deposit.  Payment of your deposit indicates that you have read, understand and agree to these terms and conditions.  
• Priority is based upon reception of a deposit.  If you are uncomfortable having US choose a puppy for you, we suggest that you NOT place a deposit.   
• Deposits are transferable from litter to litter so if you don’t get one from one litter, we may have another available for you in a different litter.  
• Now comes the fun part!!

CHOOSING A NAME:

• All of our puppies will be registered with the RaeLew name on the AKC & UKC papers. A registered name is the one that appears on the AKC  papers.  A call name is the one you call your dog by. Ex.  Your dogs’ registered name might be RaeLews’ Captains Courageous, but you might call him “Cappy”.  Most dogs don’t even know their registered names!

PUPPY PICTURES:

• We will send weekly photos. You will be surprised at how much they can grow in just one week! 
• Our puppies are identified by colored collars.  We will include a legend so that you can see which one you are looking at.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

• Before we can match a puppy to a family, we have to get a little information.  Nothing serious!
• We just need to know who will be living with the puppy, ages of children, will anyone be with the puppy during the day etc…..
• Our questions will help us match you with your puppy. 
• We are always available to answer any of your questions, so please feel free to ask.

PICKING UP YOUR PUPPY:

• We have two locations available to pick up your puppy.  The Kennel is located in Virginia and we also have our second kennel in Maryland. 
• When you get your puppy, you will receive a puppy packet containing, a contract,  all of our contact information, business cards, shot and worming records, a copy of the German Shepherd Dog Standard, AKC & UKC registration papers, a pedigree, and photos of the parents.  We also will include a small supply of dog food to hold you until you are able to get your own supply.  We also send the puppy home with a  toy and a cloth with the scents of all the pups.
• We prefer the payment of the balance due to be made by Money Order, but we will accept a check. 
• With that last bit of business taken care of, your new family member is now ready to go home.

Warranty

All RaeLew Shepherd puppies are guaranteed to qualify for OFA certification for hips and elbows.  Should hip or elbow dysplasia be diagnosed preventing OFA certification a pre-lim x-ray and submission to OFA at 1 year and another x-ray and submission to OFA at 24 months is required,  RaeLew Shepherds, at their discretion, will exchange said dog for a puppy from the next available litter or will return 25% of sale price.  Since studies show that hip dysplasia can be attributed to improper nutrition and exercise, we require that all of our puppies be fed a well balanced diet based on a raw food foundation.

Further warranty specifics are included in the puppy contract.