# Should I call my breeder, or continue to wait?



## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I don’t have experience with this, but I would reach out to her again. I’m good friends with my breeder and visited often with all the puppies for socializing. I can imagine things are pretty crazy and she probably forgot.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

could you reach out via phone call?


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

One communication since they were born? There really is no excuse for that. 
If she can't email pics or a note once a week how much time are the puppies getting? Admittedly, puppy people are low on the totem pole but certainly pp need to know pups are being well raised. Call her. If this is a normal sized litter she's communicating with some people, she has to be. Not everyone knows her FB story and it's not rude of you to expect normal treatment.


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

Call her. You are the client and a reasonable amount of communication should be the expectation, especially since you will be bringing the dog home soon and some planning will be necessary.


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## pnky68 (Jan 16, 2020)

What should I say to her? I have a lot of anxiety when it comes to this sort of thing and I'm worried she won't be thrilled I'm contacting her again. 

She told me to friend her on FB when she put me on her wait list, and judging by the comments on her puppy picture posts, did the same for the other puppy buyers, so it's not like we're completely in the dark about what's going on.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

Frame it very positively. “I hope you are doing well and I hope all is well with the puppies! We are so eager to know how the litter is doing and would love some puppy photos if possible. I know this is a stressful and uncertain time, and we are so lucky we have something to look forward to in the coming weeks. We also want to be prepared to bring our puppy home and would love to start to plan for that.”

Breeders can chime in but that would be a cheerful and positive way I would reach out if I hadn’t heard.


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## pnky68 (Jan 16, 2020)

That sounds really great! I appreciate the help


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## pnky68 (Jan 16, 2020)

So I left the breeder a voicemail two days ago and haven't heard anything back. Is it too soon to expect a call back?
I'm worried that she might decide she doesn't want me to have a puppy anymore since I've been attempting to contact with no response. She did tell me in response to the email 2 weeks ago that I was for sure getting a pup from this litter, and has cashed my deposit check. Might she be so busy with the litter that she hasn't had time to get back to me? It's now ~8 days until the pups turn 8 weeks. I don't even know if she's sending them home at 8 weeks or later.
Sorry for the overly worried vibe. I'm having a very hard time with the combo of shelter-at-home and will-I-get-the-puppy 🙃


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I think something is up. 
There is NO way I would do that to a puppy person.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

I would definitely want to find out what the deal was...especially because she cashed your check. At this point I would assume at LEAST you would know if you were getting male/female and which puppy as well as details about pick up day..at this point I would be calling again OR seeing if I could reach out to other puppy buyers to find out if this is happening to others. I’m sorry you have to deal with this. This definitely is not the norm.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

So sorry your going through this. I can’t imagine! At this point I would want an answer. You've been patient.

Im wondering if there’s something more to it. I would e-mail again so I had a written record of my attempts to contact.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Argh - that is so frustrating. I hate to say, but I would be worried, too. My breeder was sending us photos and video of the pups regularly from the time they were born.


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## Rastadog (Oct 24, 2006)

Ask them on Facebook.


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## pnky68 (Jan 16, 2020)

I did send another email, no response. I contacted two other puppy people on FB two days ago, and they still haven't even read my FB message. I'm worried that contacting the breeder too many times will put me on her bad side and I'll loose the puppy.

I plan on calling her tomorrow or Tuesday if I haven't heard anything back by then. Tomorrow is their 7 week bday.

Thanks for the advice and support. I've been feeling a little crazy being so worried about this, and it's nice to know her behavior is impolite and out of the ordinary.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Does your agreement with the breeder look like a contract?


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## pnky68 (Jan 16, 2020)

Unfortunately, I did not sign a contract or anything else. ... We talked on the phone first, then I met her at a GR show and brought her the deposit then. There was some bad weather on the forecast, so we were both considering not going. I completely forgot to ask for a contract beforehand. On the positive side, she didn't cash my check until the pups were born ~5 weeks later.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

I had a similar experience with my boy's breeder. Called us 2 days after the litter was born to tell us, but then pretty much no contact otherwise. We DID visit the puppies at 5.5 weeks, but I never got any pictures or updates. She sent us the supplies list like 4 days before I was due to pick up my puppy. It was my first experience with a breeder and I didn't really know at the time what was common in terms of how much communication I should be expecting, so I didn't make that much of an effort to get in touch with her (I figured she was busy with the litter + her adult dogs and maybe she just forgot).


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

It is totally reasonable for you to try to make contact with this person to find out if you are getting a puppy, when, what sex, and ask any pertinent questions you have. It's totally unacceptable that she has gone radio silent.

However, with the current health crisis, I would worry that she may be sick and that's why you aren't getting a response.


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## pnky68 (Jan 16, 2020)

My breeder called me today! She said she has been completely swamped between dealing with her personal stuff being slowed by coronavirus and her puppy care. She also said typically prefers puppy people to call her than the other way around since she doesn't know our schedules. Add to that the amount of people working from home now, I guess I get it. I think my most recent email was lost in cyberspace because she only referred to the one I sent 2.5 weeks ago. Not sure about the voicemail. 

Either way, she was very reassuring. Male puppy, will send a picture of the type of food, pickup date is unsure because she hasnt heard back from the vet about their last appointment. She didn't answer all my questions, but I feel more confident about contacting her again. They will be 8 weeks in a week! I cannot wait to bring that puppy home! 

Thanks for all your help, you guys kept me sane the past few days!


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## OscarsDad (Dec 20, 2017)

pnky68 said:


> My breeder called me today! She said she has been completely swamped between dealing with her personal stuff being slowed by coronavirus and her puppy care. She also said typically prefers puppy people to call her than the other way around since she doesn't know our schedules. Add to that the amount of people working from home now, I guess I get it. I think my most recent email was lost in cyberspace because she only referred to the one I sent 2.5 weeks ago. Not sure about the voicemail.
> 
> Either way, she was very reassuring. Male puppy, will send a picture of the type of food, pickup date is unsure because she hasnt heard back from the vet about their last appointment. She didn't answer all my questions, but I feel more confident about contacting her again. They will be 8 weeks in a week! I cannot wait to bring that puppy home!
> 
> Thanks for all your help, you guys kept me sane the past few days!


Great news!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Great to hear!


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

Oh, I am so glad. I have been lurking and hoping this would end happily. 😊


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

Yay!!! I’m so glad she got back to you. Exciting times ahead!


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## pnky68 (Jan 16, 2020)

Thanks everyone! She actually texted a few hours ago and said puppies will start going home on Saturday! We got the first slot and we're picking up our boy at noon!


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

Congratulations!!


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## Everlore (Mar 27, 2008)

pnky68 said:


> Hi there!
> 
> Back in January I put down a deposit with a great breeder and the puppies were born in early March. I really like this breeder, but she isn't very great at communication. Since the puppies were born, we've had contact one time, initiated by me. We're Facebook friends, so I know she has quite a bit of personal stuff going on to take up her time, not to mention Covid-19 making everything in general more difficult to do. I know her life isn't only about her dogs and I'm trying so hard to respect that.
> However, besides the fact that I will be getting a puppy from this litter, I've gotten no other information. I emailed her two weeks ago asking for a bit more information. I tried stressing that I wasn't looking for a quick response, just an answer whenever she got the time. Between caring for the puppies, her other dogs, her personal stuff, and her actual life, I know she has quite a bit to deal with that's more important than me getting a response. She quickly shot back an email saying we'd talk during the following week since she had a lot going on at the moment. Great! I have been so excited for this new pup and I want to know everything I can before he gets here. But the call never came. It's been two weeks since that response and I haven't heard anything else. The puppies will be 8 weeks old in less than 2 weeks and I don't even know if we're picking one up then.
> ...





pnky68 said:


> Hi there!
> 
> Back in January I put down a deposit with a great breeder and the puppies were born in early March. I really like this breeder, but she isn't very great at communication. Since the puppies were born, we've had contact one time, initiated by me. We're Facebook friends, so I know she has quite a bit of personal stuff going on to take up her time, not to mention Covid-19 making everything in general more difficult to do. I know her life isn't only about her dogs and I'm trying so hard to respect that.
> However, besides the fact that I will be getting a puppy from this litter, I've gotten no other information. I emailed her two weeks ago asking for a bit more information. I tried stressing that I wasn't looking for a quick response, just an answer whenever she got the time. Between caring for the puppies, her other dogs, her personal stuff, and her actual life, I know she has quite a bit to deal with that's more important than me getting a response. She quickly shot back an email saying we'd talk during the following week since she had a lot going on at the moment. Great! I have been so excited for this new pup and I want to know everything I can before he gets here. But the call never came. It's been two weeks since that response and I haven't heard anything else. The puppies will be 8 weeks old in less than 2 weeks and I don't even know if we're picking one up then.
> ...





pnky68 said:


> Hi there!
> 
> Back in January I put down a deposit with a great breeder and the puppies were born in early March. I really like this breeder, but she isn't very great at communication. Since the puppies were born, we've had contact one time, initiated by me. We're Facebook friends, so I know she has quite a bit of personal stuff going on to take up her time, not to mention Covid-19 making everything in general more difficult to do. I know her life isn't only about her dogs and I'm trying so hard to respect that.
> However, besides the fact that I will be getting a puppy from this litter, I've gotten no other information. I emailed her two weeks ago asking for a bit more information. I tried stressing that I wasn't looking for a quick response, just an answer whenever she got the time. Between caring for the puppies, her other dogs, her personal stuff, and her actual life, I know she has quite a bit to deal with that's more important than me getting a response. She quickly shot back an email saying we'd talk during the following week since she had a lot going on at the moment. Great! I have been so excited for this new pup and I want to know everything I can before he gets here. But the call never came. It's been two weeks since that response and I haven't heard anything else. The puppies will be 8 weeks old in less than 2 weeks and I don't even know if we're picking one up then.
> ...


As Dr. Phil would say, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior? How well will this breeder communicate with you if you have questions or problems with a pup once you take it home?


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

pnky68 said:


> Thanks everyone! She actually texted a few hours ago and said puppies will start going home on Saturday! We got the first slot and we're picking up our boy at noon!


How exciting! Congratulations!


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## NokKoster (Apr 24, 2020)

Very happy and you will have male puppy 🐶 in less than a week.
We are also looking for a GR puppy any recommendations on the breeder. We live in Bay Area. We both had GR before but pass away almost 20 years ago. Thanks in advance.


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