Birth to 8 weeks
All of our Shibas live in our home and are treasured members of our family. We don't have outdoor kennels or separate buildings. The babies are raised in the house with lots of exposure to sounds, scents, sights, walking surfaces, etc.
They spend the first few weeks in a quiet, calm area with their mama (and around-the-clock human supervision for at least the first week). We do Early Scent Introduction and Early Neurological Stimulation with them (days 3-16). Once their ears open (around 2 wks) we expose them to classical music (only during some awake/ play times, as we don't want to over-stimulate them). Once they can walk well (around 4-5 weeks), they move to a spacious X-Pen in a larger area in a main part of the house, where they experience regular household noise and activity. They get lots of supervised play time outside of the X-Pen. Around this time we also start their outside potty training. At 6-7 wks old, they have opportunites to have safe supervised interactions with older (unrelated) Shibas. They have a great start on potty training and house manners when they go to their forever families at 8 wks old.
APPLICATION, WAITLIST, & DEPOSIT
We do not currently require a deposit to be added to our general waitlist. When the puppies are born, we charge a $100 litter reservation deposit (non refundable if you change your mind) to reserve a spot in that litter. An additional non-refundable deposit of $400 is due when you visit the puppies in person (usually between 3 and 6 weeks). The deposit (total $500) is applied to the price of your puppy, and the remaining balance is due by/ on pickup day. Transport/ flight nanny fees are separate and are due by the time your baby is 6 wks old. If your desired match isn't born in your assigned litter, your deposit is moved to another litter. We reserve the right to consider our obligation met if you refuse puppy options from four different litters, or if you are unable to decide on a puppy within two years, whichever is latest.
Waitlist spots per litter
Shibas have an average of 3 puppies per litter, with 2-4 being the most common. I usually accept/ anticipate three waitlist spots per litter. However, litter sizes and composition (color, sex) are largely unpredictable, and there are many variables which affect our breeding decisions. Because we do have a significant amount of people on the general waitlist, we prefer to err on the side of "too few" assigned to a particular litter, rather than "too many". This means that many times we'll have a puppy available sooner than projected. (example: mama has 6 babies, and we only accepted 3 families for her waitlist; or mama has 5 girls and our waitlist for the next two litters is for 6 boys). When this happens, I reach out to see if anyone on our waitlist is ready sooner. It's absolutely fine if you're not ready yet! Sometimes people have holiday, vacation, family, etc plans and would like to bring their puppy home next year, as they originally anticipated.
Waitlist order
Your spot on our general waitlist is primarily based on application date. However, when I initially contact you about your application, if you do not respond within a few weeks, I will place you on an "inactive" list. If you later get in touch, your position on the waitlist may be based on your contact date rather than the application date.
After being placed on our general waitlist, if I reach out about a litter and do not receive a response within a week, I will skip you for that litter, but you will retain your spot on the general waitlist. If a puppy unexpectedly is available and may be a good match for you, I will move to the next person on the waitlist if I don't hear back from you within a day or two. Before skipping you, I attempt contact via email, and I will also text if I have your number.
For those who have paid the $100 litter reservation deposit
If you would like to reserve a puppy from a particular litter/ dam, you may pay the $100 litter reservation deposit in advance (this is not an additional charge, it is just early payment of the normal deposit that is due when the litter is born). This places you in a priority spot for that litter/ dam, ahead of the general (unpaid) waitlist. Please note that, due to the unpredictable nature of breeding, there is no guarantee a puppy will be born for you in that particular litter. If this occurs, you can either transfer your deposit to the next available litter or wait for the next litter from that mom.
Anyone who has already paid the litter reservation deposit has priority ahead of the general (unpaid) waitlist.
We allow payment of the $100 litter reservation deposit in advance if you would like to reserve a spot for a particular litter/ dam.
PICTURES, VIDEOS, & VISITS
From birth to 8 wks I share pictures (and text "extras" to my families for that particular litter). I also post occasional videos to YouTube. We have recently started a very small, private Facebook group for our families who have a Starfire baby or who are on our waitlist. We share updates, pictures, and videos of the babies in the group, and we love to see posts from our families after the babies leave our home. You're welcome to ask and/ or answer questions in the group as well, our families have wonderful ideas and experiences to share. It's also fun to see your baby's siblings! If you are on our waitlist (or have adopted a Starfire baby), please text or email me for an invite link.
When we have puppies, we only allow our waitlist families for that particular litter to visit (to minimize risk of the babies getting sick). If you've been assigned to the current litter, you're welcome to visit your baby multiple times if you'd like, once they're at least 3 weeks old. Since we raise the babies in our home, we require that you make an appointment prior to visiting. We will never expect you to pay the $400 deposit prior to us making the babies available for you to meet in our home.
PUPPY SELECTION
If we are not keeping a puppy
Most of the time, we plan to keep a puppy as a show potential/ program prospect. This is usually a female, but can sometimes be a male. If we are not keeping a puppy from a particular litter (or are not keeping a puppy of a particular gender), you're usually able to make your selection when you visit the babies at 3-7 weeks.
"Breeder Pick" litters
As a breeder dedicated to the preservation of these amazing dogs for future generations, my goal is to produce healthy, well-bred Shibas who are excellent representations of the breed and advance its future. Many times we keep a puppy back as a "breeder pick" (show potential/ program prospect). We do evaluations at 8 weeks to make our final decision. This means that you won't know for sure which puppies are available until after we make our selection. I encourage you to visit the babies at 3-7 weeks and decide if you would be happy with all of them, if there are any that you don't feel particularly drawn to, and/or if there are a couple favorites that stand out for you. I'll text you after their evaluations at 8 weeks to let you know who is available, and then you'll decide who is going home with you. Between the visit and the pictures & videos you'll receive while they grow, you'll likely have a good idea of your favorite(s) by then.
Selection order
Puppies will be assigned in deposit order by the first or second preference of the depositor as indicated on the application (color, gender), and also based on appropriate personality/ lifestyle match. We will not place a puppy based solely on gender/ color if their personality appears to be a poor fit. Our adult Shibas have outstanding temperaments and most of the puppies are compatible with most lifestyles/ situations, but there are occasional exceptions. If you/we do not feel there is a good match for you in the litter, you may transfer your deposit to another/ future litter. We ask that you make a choice within 24 hours of notification since there may be other families waiting for a chance to choose. Should you elect to not take a puppy from the litter, the deposit will be applied to the next available litter. This will not always be the next litter due, as the waitlist for that dam might be full.
SHOTS, VET-CHECKS, GO-HOME BAGS
We do regular deworming until 8 wks. Close to 8 wks, the babies all take a trip to visit our wonderful vet, where they receive well-baby exams, their first set of vaccines (DHPP), another round of deworming, and microchips. I keep the babies overnight after their shots to make sure they don't have a negative reaction, and they feel better having their Shiba mommy for comfort. When they go to their forever homes, the babies take a go-home bag with food, a few favorite toys, a blanket that smells like mama & littermates, their paperwork, vet/ shot records, etc.
GO HOME DAY!
Your baby can go home with you once they're 8wks. You're welcome to meet at our home to pick up your baby. We're located in Graham, WA (approximately one hour south of Seattle). You can bring a crate, bed, or laundry basket to hold your puppy on the ride home, or they can sit on your lap.
If you're traveling from out of state, we're located approx. one hour away from the Seattle -Tacoma airport (SEA). If needed, we can meet you at our airport for a $100 fee.
FLIGHT NANNY
We can also fly your baby to your nearest major airport. To avoid potential issues, we prefer not to use a 3rd party nanny service (but will consider individual requests). I either fly the puppy myself, or a very trusted family member/ very close friend with many years of Shiba experience does it. This way your baby goes directly from our loving arms to yours with minimal stress. Your baby flies in-cabin and remains with us the entire time. We love each of our babies and are 100% dedicated to their health, safety, and comfort.
Our flight nanny fee starts at $350 and depends on flight time. In addition to our fee, we also charge the cost of roundtrip airfare, any airline fees, and the in-cabin pet fee charged by the airline ($100-$150). Alaska, Southwest, and United all allow in-cabin pets at 8wks old. All airline costs are transparent and provided to you on request.
Proud member of NIPPO (Japanese Dog Preservation Society)
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