Frequently Asked Questions
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I am interested in adopting a puppy, what do I do next?
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What is "limited registration"?
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What is the difference between a "show/breed quality" puppy and a "pet quality" puppy?
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Why do you require a spay/neuter contract to adopt a puppy?
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Why do your puppies cost more than puppies I see in the newspaper?
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I want to adopt from your kennel, but I really don't want the work of an 8 week old puppy. Do you have older puppies that have already begun their training?
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Do you allow visits or tours of your kennel?
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Do you sell "white" labs?
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Do you ever sell "full registration"?
~ I AM INTERESTED IN ADOPTING A PUPPY, WHAT DO I DO NEXT? ~
After you have explored our website and decided you would like to be considered to adopt one of our dogs, we ask that you go to the "Adoption Process" page and read it fully to understand how things work here and understand our adoption requirements. There, you will also find our adoption application, please fill it out and submit it to us. After we have received and reviewed it we will contact you for a phone interview and to allow you to ask us any questions you might have. Upon approval you will then be offered the opportunity to place a reservation deposit on one of our current or future dogs.
~ WHAT DOES "LIMITED REGISTRATION" MEAN? ~
With limited registration your dog is registered with the AKC, has registration papers, & a pedigree. However, if a dog with limited registration is bred, the resulting puppies in the litter are NOT able to be registered. Limited registation dogs can still compete and title in many AKC events as found on our "Activities" page. The only event your limited registration dog cannot compete in is conformation showing. Limited registration is always required with our pet quality puppies. Full registration is reserved only for our show/breed quality puppies going to active show homes. Full registration allows the owner to show and breed the dog, AFTER, it has passed all required health clearances and exhibits both physical and temperament traits that will better the breed. Please click here for information on a full registration puppy.
~WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A "SHOW/BREED QUALITY" PUPPY AND
A "PET QUALITY" PUPPY? ~
You might find ads in your local paper or online, that give two different prices on any puppy in a litter. The lower price is for "limited registration" or sometimes "without papers", and the higher price is for "full registration" or "with papers". This is NOT something Moon Creek Labradors condones or practices. Simply offering someone the option of paying more money to have "full registration" or "with papers" does not change the conformation or temperament of the dog making it worthy of breeding. Not every puppy produced, even in a planned breeding of two very correct dogs, is going to be of show/breed quality. When we breed a litter we always hope to produce a few puppies that are very correct by the breed standard and have the potential to mature to be an assett to our breeding progam; this is why we breed, for the next generation. Each one of our puppies is evaluated for conformation and temperament. They are then placed into one of two catagories. "Pet quality" and "breed/show" quality. "Pet quality" puppies are not as conformationaly correct as we would like and are not suited for the show ring or a breeding program. These pups will go on to do many great things and will make amazing and loving pets, but as they are not going to better the breed, they will be placed in pet homes and spayed or neutered. Our "show/breed" quality puppies are the ones we feel have the potential to title in the show ring and enter our breeding program. They either remain with us, or are placed in show homes with established reputable breeders.
~ WHY DO YOU REQUIRE A SPAY/NEUTER CONTRACT TO ADOPT A PUPPY? ~
Bringing puppies into this world is not for the faint of heart or the uneducated. It requires a lot of time, money, emotion, & education to do it properly. We as breeders always strive to better the breed each time we select a sire and dam to produce a litter. We do extensive health testing on each of our dogs before they are considered for our breeding program. We study pedigrees for proven bloodlines in health, correct conformation, coats, and proper temperaments. When we decide to breed a litter from a chosen sire and dam, it is to produce the next generation of dogs that are better than their parents. Puppies sold as pets should not reproduce (as explained above). Unfortunatly, there are people out there that have purchased "pet quality" puppies with limited registration, knowing they are not supposed to be bred. Fast forward a year or so and you will find their ads selling unregistered purebred puppies from parents that are both registered. Sadly, trusting peoples integrity and selling our puppies with only limited registration does not prevent them from breeding their "pet quality" dog. These people are not doing any health testing and they are not breeding with the intention to better the breed. It is for this reason, we now require all pet quality puppies to be spayed/neutered. This protects the bloodlines that we, and those befor us, have worked so diligently to produce, as well as the future quality of the Labrador Retriever breed.
~ WHY DO YOUR PUPPIES COST MORE THAN THE PUPPIES I SEE IN THE NEWSPAPER? ~
While I cannot speak for the breeders you are seeing in the paper, I will say this, if they can recoup the costs of raising their dogs and producing puppies for what they are selling their puppies for, then that should speak somewhat as to what they are putting into their dogs.
Here is a breakdown of what it costs us to produce a litter:
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Cost of a show/breed quality dam puppy $3,000 to $5,000
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Food and vitamins for 4 years $3,800
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Veterinary expenses for 4 years $800
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CAER eye certification and OFA registration annually for 4 years $400
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OFA hip & Elbow certification preliminary and again at 2 years of age $600
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Genetic DNA testing $350
Total cost to raise a dam for 4 years = $8,950 - $10,950
To breed this dam (provided she passes her certifications and is of breed quality) we will need to research for the right stud dog. We will need to pay the stud fee if not breeding from our own sires and, if the dog is not local, a shipping fee.
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Outside stud fee $1,000 - $2,500
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Using our own stud $8,950-$10,950 to raise him. (Not factored)
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Shipping (either the dam or frozen semen) $250 - $500
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Progesterone testing, vaginal smears , AI $1,500
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Ultrasound at 3 to 4 weeks $75
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Xrays at 8 weeks $145
Total breeding costs to outside stud (provided there aren't complications) = $2,970 to $4,720 ~ Not to mention the extra feed and special meals for a pregnant dam.
If all goes as planned we have healthy puppies to whelp and raise.
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Supplies (including whelping box, towels, thermometer, heat lamp, scale, puppy collars, etc) $250
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Dewclaw removal for 8 puppies $45
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Litter registration $40
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Vet check expenses $75
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Puppy packets $45
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Vaccines & worming $120
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Microchipping $100
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Puppy food $100
Total cost to raise a litter of 8 puppies = $675
We did not include the cost of training and showing this dam which can easily be $4,000+, or the expenses to run our kennel properly, such as informative website, club dues, travel expenses, kennel supplies, training classes, heating and cooling our kennels, etc. If the breeding doesn't take, there are several expenses we'll have to pay again. If the dam requires a C-section we can add approximately another $2,000. If we assume this dam will have two litters in 4 years and the litters will average six to eight puppies each we will spend approximately $8,220 to $10,970 per litter.
What does it cost to produce a litter advertised in the newspaper?
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Cost of a dam puppy from the newspaper $500
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Dog food for one year $250
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Vaccines for dam $50
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Stud fee $100
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Litter registration $40
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Vaccinations for puppies $80
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Newspaper ad $50
Total average cost per litter $623
Will this "breeder" make money on a litter? Probably. Are the sire and dam tested for genetic health problems? NO. Will he guarantee the health of his puppies? NO. Has he trained and/or shown the dam? NO. Does he know anything about the dogs in the sire or dam's pedigrees? NO.
Here is an article that explains things from a buyers perspective and the logic behind purchasing from a reputable breeder.
www.forbes.com ~ The Surprising Economics Of Purchasing A Purebred Puppy
~ I WANT TO ADOPT FROM YOUR KENNEL BUT I DON'T WANT THE WORK OF AN 8 WEEK OLD PUPPY. DO YOU HAVE OLDER PUPPIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEGUN THEIR TRAINING? ~
While we don't usually have older/trained puppies available for immediate adoption, we do have an even better option for you! You can put your deposit down and choose the exact puppy you want and then we can keep your chosen puppy here with us and begin his/her training for you. There is an additional fee for this as they will continue to be wormed, receive their full series of puppy shots, be kept on a high quality diet, and receive daily one on one training and additional socialization. Puppies remaining here with us for training will learn the following basics: (although the kids do like to teach them a few tricks as well) crate training, potty training, sit, down, come, walking properly on a leash, etc. Please contact us to discuss your specific needs and we can put together a training plan just for you and your new companion.
~ DO YOU ALLOW VISITS AND TOURS OF YOUR KENNEL? ~
In a perfect world we would welcome anyone to come visit anytime. We LOVE meeting new people who share our love of labradors and it IS one of our favorite subjects to discuss! However, we do not live in a perfect world and it can be quite dangerous to an unvaccinated puppy. We go to great lengths to protect our dogs and YOURS. There are deadly diseases that can be unknowingly carried onto our property and into our kennel on the bottoms of your shoes, your hands, and your clothing. This would be devistating to our family and our adopting families. We try to share as much as possible via our website and blog about each of our dogs, our family, and update frequently on new puppies, and our kennel doings. We do welcome pre-approved adopting families to come meet us and our dogs by appointment only. We do not accept visits from those that are just "looking around" as that means they have been "looking around" at other kennels as well. We ask that you not have visited another kennel within 3 weeks prior to your visit here at Moon Creek Labradors. You will be asked upon your arrival, to sanitize your hands and the soles of your shoes with sanitizer we will provide. We do NOT accept visits when we have unvaccinated puppies on the premisis. We do not allow petting and handling of every dog here and we do not allow people into our home where our puppies are born or into areas where puppies are raised and play. This is asked out of respect for our family, our dogs, and our adopting families puppies. Imagine how sad it would be if I had to tell you that parvo had gotten on our property and the puppy your heart was set on was sick, or had died. Please do not bring your other pets with you when you visit. as they will be required to stay in your vehicle. We hope our adopting families take comfort knowing we take every precaution to keep their puppy safe.
PARVO (parvovirus) is a breeder's worst fear. It is shed in the feces of infected dogs and is resistant to heat, cold, humidity & drying. It can live in the environment on inanimate objects and in the ground for months to years. It can be picked up almost anywhere (parks, pet stores, streets, anywhere an infected dog or contaminated item has been) and carried on shoes, clothing, or hands and transmited to other areas.
Please learn more about it here:
PARVO ~ PARVO IN THE ENVIRONMENT
~ If you have an appointment please be on time. We are not an open business, you are coming to our home and we are setting aside our family time for you.
~ DO YOU SELL "WHITE" LABS? ~
While some of our dogs do look very light and almost white they are yellow. There are only three acceptable coat colors of the Labrador Retriever. Those colors are Black, Chocolate, and Yellow. Some of our yellow dogs fall at the lighter end of yellow, having mostly white coats but they can have very light cream to light yellow on their ears, back, hocks, tail, and face.
Yellow Labradors can range in shade from a very light cream all the way to a rich dark red color known as "fox red". Yellow Labradors should have black pigment on the nose, lips and eye rims, with the exception of a newborn, as they are born without pigment. Within the first few days of life, their black pigment will begin to come in. If, by chance, you see a two week or older lab puppy, and he/she does not have black pigment, that puppy will never develop it.
~ DO YOU EVER SELL "FULL REGISTRATION"? ~
When we decide to breed a litter it is because we are planning to keep a show/breed quality puppy, or two, for our own program. If, however, there are more puppies in a litter of that quality, and we did not need them all for us, we would consider placing them in a show home. If you are not an established show kennel, the following conditions would apply.
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You agree to be mentored by Moon Creek
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Dog will be sold on a co-own registration for the first 3 years.
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Dog MUST have all proper health clearances done.
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Dog MUST be activly shown in AKC conformation events.
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Dog will NOT be bred before 2 years of age & only AFTER all health clearances.
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Dog will only be bred to an approved sire or bitch (approved by Moon Creek)
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Offspring will be sold under the same conditions & contracts as Moon Creek.
In the event we place a show puppy with someone and they do not meet those conditions we have the right to take the dog back without any monetary compensation.