The deposit is non-refundable.
We plan litters, at least tentatively, based on the number of deposits we’ve received. Sometimes, a potential puppy buyer will choose NOT to do business with us because there are too many families already on a waiting list. So if you occupy a place on the waiting list and then opt out, we’ve not only lost your family but potentially other families who passed on our puppies due to a full waiting list. Also, we sometimes spend quite a bit of time speaking with the new puppy buyers by phone, text or email about dogs or raising puppies, and have often spent time taking and sending pictures, etc. So taking a deposit covers us for our time, but also helps us should we need to fill a spot on a waiting list or place a puppy in a home in the later stages of the process.
Nature is unpredictable.
When dealing with animals and nature, things can happen. Perhaps momma didn’t get pregnant (there are many things that can affect hormones and potentially cause problems with the momma getting pregnant) or there was a problem in the pregnancy. Maybe momma only had a few puppies when more were expected. Or, maybe one of the puppies isn’t healthy. These things happen and are often unavoidable. In situations like these, we will keep your place in line to choose and you can pick from a future litter. Additionally, while we’ll do our very best to match specific requests such as sex, hair type, hair color or size, these are traits that are out of our control and we cannot guarantee. If there is such a request that cannot be met, you are of course welcome to move your deposit to another future litter.
And please remember, dogs aren’t like humans! They cycle only 2 times per year, generally. So, in the unfortunate event that a pregnancy doesn’t take, the wait might be an additional 6-8 months. (Unless you choose to take a puppy from a different momma/litter…which is perfectly ok!)
Once a family chooses us and places a deposit, we make every effort to immediately welcome them into our Lost Creek family. The deposit not only locks in the family’s position to select a puppy, but also protects us in the event a family, for whatever reason, changes their mind.
