How we work

The phone call

All puppies are sold off our waiting list. There is no money required to be on the list. You call so we can get to know each other — a friendly conversation, not a sales pitch. After that you will be asked to text your name, address, email, and the sex of puppy you hope for.

We reserve the right to deny a sale for any reason, including a gut feeling. We will not sell to breeders. We will not sell into a home we find questionable. These are our puppies, and we care what happens to them.

Deposits and money

Truly Catherine's least favorite subject, and a necessary one. Once puppies are born and you go through selection, there is a $300 deposit applied to the total. From October 16, 2016 forward that deposit is nonrefundable.

The balance is due over 8 or 10 weeks, depending on whether it is a Mini or a Giant. Prices stay fluid because feed and supply costs move. We aim to keep them fair and to pass savings on when we can. We work with honest payment plans. We are also open to barter — jewelry, clocks, furniture, farm animals, garden and farm equipment, appliances, tools, and similar.

If we keep a puppy past go-home by arrangement, there is a $50 a week boarding fee, and the puppy needs to be paid for by 10 weeks. If you cannot pick up after that, we refund what the current market will bear. An older puppy does not bring the same.

Tails and dewclaws

After looking into why Europe and Australia banned docking tails, ear cropping, and dewclaw removal, we can no longer, in good conscience, dock a tail or remove their thumbs. We used to. Once. We witnessed the puppies feeling it — crying out — and that pain lasted. Never more.

Left natural, both schnauzer and poodle tails curve over the back. Most owners groom them into a plume, and it is beautiful. Dewclaws help a dog get out of a hole or off ice. God put them there for a reason. We keep our babies natural and pain-free.

Health guarantee

Every puppy goes home current on shots, with a health certificate, immunized and dewormed. Have a licensed veterinarian examine the puppy within 10 days. If it is not in good health, we must hear immediately. Minor or correctable conditions are not covered. If both sides agree, we will take the puppy back with a full refund on a veterinarian letter stating an untreatable condition, within 10 days of arrival. Return travel is the buyer's cost. Contagious disease diagnosed after 3 days from arrival is not covered.

Hereditary hip dysplasia, cataracts, or elbow dysplasia: we take every reasonable precaution. No blanket guarantee, because causes are mixed. If one of those is deemed hereditary by 26 months, with written OFA/PennHIP, CERF, or board-certified cardiologist verification, we offer a replacement puppy of the same sex and quality when a litter is available, after the dog is returned at buyer expense. No exchange if the dog has been overweight, or if it is not examined by 28 months.

Stay on pawTree all-life-stages food and Superfood vitamins and the health guarantee extends — 36 months, and with continued use of the vitamins, up to 60 months. Order at pawtree.com/live4health.

Not covered: viral illness, infection, cryptorchidism, hernias, hypoglycemia, worms, giardia, coccidiosis, non-genetic seizures, portosystemic shunts, ingested objects, trauma, abuse, or a dog allowed to become overweight (body condition over 5 of 10). Keep the puppy out of public dog places until final shots, usually around 16 weeks — skipping that voids the guarantee. We make no guarantee of adult temperament. We strongly recommend a puppy obedience class. If you ever cannot keep the dog, we have first right of refusal — never turn one of ours over to a shelter.

Children and dogs

The two biggest questions: the breed, and whether your child can follow simple directions. Giant Schnoodles, poodles, and most doodles are easy to train compared with a hunting Lab's first two years. Match the dog to your family's actual life, not a whim from a pet store.

Supervision is on the adult. Puppy teeth are sharp; toddler hands are fast. We train both together in our own house — a two-year-old granddaughter and a young poodle — and it is a blessing when it is done with diligence. Letting a child help feed, brush, and walk a gentle giant does something for that child's confidence that is simple and profound.