Puppy deposits

I was surfing the net yesterday; looking at different breeder pages. I was mostly looking at standard poodle pages but you know how when you surf you can end up far from where you started? So I was ended up looking at lots of other breeds as well. As I surfed around I noticed the deposit amount for puppies. It varies alot between breeders and breeds.

So it got me thinking about the whole deposit thing. I've only once put a deposit on a dog and that was a along time ago. Jessie we bought when we went to look at Jack Russell puppies; we had not seen her before that day. And Luke; that is quite the story but I never put a deposit on him either.

Deposits are a good thing; it let's a breeder know that you are for real. And it makes the puppy purchaser think twice. Most people who give a deposit have thought long and hard before handing over deposit money. With Tilley there was a deposit and I had pick of litter. I also had pick of litter with my now gone brown boy Clyde. There was no deposit on Clyde; just a verbal agreement that did not hold up when the time came.

I had first seen Clyde when he was 5 weeks old. At the time I asked about putting a deposit on him, I wanted first pick. That was back when you got to see all the puppies and pick what one you wanted. I had a great relationship with the breeder (I thought) and it never crossed my mind about "what if?" On the day I was to pick out my puppy I called to confirm my visit time and the breeder told me that there was a family there in the morning that had chose the biggest boy. I was shocked and pissed off to say the least.

Nowadays a deposit means that it holds "a puppy" not a particular puppy. Unless of course you are shopping from an online dealer where you choose from a photo (more about that deal in a later post). Most reputible breeders do temperament testing and have a really sound knowledge of which puppy should go to which type of home. There may be a couple to choose from but the breeder usually helps in the decision.

So what if you put a deposit on a puppy and then change your mind? This is where I do not like alot of the deposit contracts. I don't think people should give up their hard earned money if for some reason they change their mind. There are a million reasons why someone might change their mind but whatever the reason I don't think a breeder should keep the deposits.

This is just MY OPINION so I don't want all you breeders who are reading this to attack me, k? If I was a breeder.................yes I would take deposits but if someone changed their mind I could not justify keeping their money. The breeder still has the puppy and the opportunity to sell that puppy. After all when you decide to breed this is something you risk; loss of money.

My deposit contract would state that if you decide not to purchase a puppy that your money will be returned to you in 60 days from the time I was contacted about the change of heart. This alone would make people think twice about having their money tied up so to speak. But I could not in good conscience keep someone's money when they get nothing in return.

Just something else to ponder........