How does Sunshine Acres handle its waiting list for families who have placed a deposit for an upcoming litter? How will I select my puppy?
Once the litter has been born that matches the criteria/timing you indicated on your application and is one to two weeks old, all applicants who are a match for that litter will be notified. We will ask if you would like to consider choosing a puppy from the current litter or wait for a later one. We do not ask families to pick their specific puppy when they are newborns, but rather ask them to let us know if they wish to be included in “puppy picking time” for that litter.
If you would like to selecting a puppy from a litter that has already been born, and is currently show in group litter photos on our website, a deposit can be placed to reserve a picking spot for the litter. This deposit is also fully refundable and transferable between litters, since is its a deposit for a picking spot, not a deposit for a specific puppy. When our puppies are newborns, their gallery on our website is shown with group photos of the litter. Then when puppy picking time for the litter is getting near, their information posted will be updated to show indiviudal photos of each puppy in the litter.
We will notify you a couple of weeks before puppy choosing time to make an appointment for you to come and have a window visit with the puppies, or to schedule a time that you will be available to have a virtual visit to meet the puppies. We usually make a few recommendations as to which puppy would be a nice match for your family (based on your application or phone visits) but the final decision as to which puppy you would get would be yours. Puppy Choosing is done when the puppies are 3-5 weeks of age when we can start seeing the minor differences between their personalities and coat types. The puppies’ individual photos will be posted on our website and we will start working down our deposit list, in the order the deposits were received, so each family can select their pick from their litter. You can come here to choose your puppy with a “window visit”, with a virtual visit (Facetime or Zoom) or via photos/video clips posted on our website. At Puppy Choosing time, you will have the opportunity to consider which puppy from the litter you would like to select.
When Puppy Choosing time arrives, if you feel like none of the puppies are exactly what you wanted you can forward your deposit on to a future litter. You would be placed on that list after any other family who had already committed to that litter. We are happy to share our observations of the puppies as they have been growing and which would be the best match for your situation.
We are committed to helping you select the puppy who is the best match for your situation. Puppy love is waiting at Sunshine Acres!
