# Non-refundable deposits?



## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

What is the purpose of these? I can understand a refundable deposit to hold a puppy you're interested in but why do some breeders charge a non-refundable deposit on an unascertained litter? Doesn't this force potential waffling owners to buy the puppy anyway if they don't want to lose their deposit?
Is this a sign of a good, selective breeder or greedy breeder that just doesn't want their time wasted?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

> Is this a sign of a good, selective breeder or greedy breeder that just doesn't want their time wasted


I think it is a bit of both, though some aren't greedy & some are!

If you do your research before commiting to support a breeder by purchasing a pup from them, then the deposit should be a sign of your trust in them. 
I would never give a deposit to a breeder I didn't trust, and it would be fair for them to keep it if I defaulted on the contract.
Many people rush into getting a pup, deposit down, then regretting it before the litter even is whelped. 
It is not usually the fault of the breeder when that happens. Usually if someone has regrets it is because they are not doing their homework.


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

I feel its greedy. What IF there is a emergancy. And you have to cancle and then u lose depsot. Car axidents, illness, death in the family ECT. Stuff like that deareves a refund. Not doing the resurch not and a few other BS excuses do not. I think the breeder should really talk and disect what excuse they are being givin before giving the refund.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Usually a good, ethical _reputable_ breeder will do that...because they know their pups are sought out and can be placed in a well matched home so the deposit they refund would not be a burden down the road(reputation word again) 
They also should have the right to withdraw a deposit if they discover a buyer isn't what they portray themselves to be. The homework works on both sides of the issue.

With the internet~ negative feedback is always louder than positive.


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

I feel its greedy. What IF there is a emergancy. And you have to cancle and then u lose depsot. Car axidents, illness, death in the family ECT. Stuff like that deareves a refund. Not doing the resurch not and a few other BS excuses do not. I think the breeder should really talk and disect what excuse they are being givin before giving the refund.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

What is the purpose of a non-refundable deposit?

A good breeder has a list of people interested in their puppies before breeding. That list of people have already been talked to one or many times. They are waiting for a litter to happen. 

The breeder chooses to breed the litter because she has a list of buyers. Once the litter has been bred, and perhaps she has done an ultrasound or an x-ray to ensure that the bitch has puppies in her, she can contact the people on the list to see if they are STILL interested in a puppy. (Many people find that you do not have one and run out and get a puppy from someone else.)

The people who are still interested in a puppy are told when the puppies will likely be born, and when they should be available. They are contacted again when the puppies arrive to discuss how many males/females, etc, etc. And to discuss when they can come and visit and when they can put a deposit down.

I do not take deposits until puppies are on the ground. Deposits can be for an individual puppy, or it can be for a puppy of a particular sex, or it can be for a puppy. 

From three weeks onward, puppy buyers can come and visit the puppies, given they do not go to pounds, shelters, or other breeders on the same day prior to coming. 

I had one buyer come at 4 weeks, 6 weeks, at seven weeks he brought a grooming table and chose his puppy, and he came again at eight weeks to pick him up.

Each time he came, I had to be there, prepare for him, spend an hour or more with him, etc. But all of this was fine because the dog was getting an excellent home. Other people come over and over again and hang themselves with what they say. Then you find another buyer for that puppy.

Once a deposit is made on a puppy, I will not sell that puppy to anyone else. If I have enough deposits for the whole litter, I turn potential buyers down. I explain when my next litter is likely, but many of these people will go and find another breeder. 

The deposit is a contract between me and the buyer. On my side it says I will not sell the puppy to anyone else, or that I will reserve a puppy from this litter. On the buyer's side they are promising to purchase the puppy from me, and not to go to anyone else for a pup in the mean time. 

The contract spells out clearly that if I am unable to provide the puppy, I will return the deposit. If the puppy buyer chooses not to purchase a pup out of the litter, they have options, they can either transfer the deposit to a litter of equal value within 18 months, or they can lose their deposit. 

I word it this way because sometimes Life happens, and it is simply not as good a time for a puppy as it was five weeks ago. Cancer surgery, death in the family, etc. It happens. It makes more work for me, but if a buyer recognizes that it is not the right time to add the responsibility and work of a puppy, then I will give them time. 

But I stuck up to my part of the contract and will not return the deposit. That is like earnest money. It means, I am going with you, and if not, you keep it for all the added trouble of placing the puppy later on.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

ChristenHolden said:


> I feel its greedy. What IF there is a emergancy. And you have to cancle and then u lose depsot. Car axidents, illness, death in the family ECT. Stuff like that deareves a refund. Not doing the resurch not and a few other BS excuses do not. I think the breeder should really talk and disect what excuse they are being givin before giving the refund.


For all the work and money that is put into breeding. At the end of the day, you are lucky to have paid for dog food and/or vet bills. It is greedy. Well, lots of people think people selling pets for money are greedy. Should we all just quit selling pets for money. Should we breed a litter, give them to friends and family, keep one for ourselves and cull the rest because otherwise we are being greedy???

There is WORK involved in screening people, letting them visit, talking to them over and over on the phone, answering e-mails, answering questions about breeding practices, etc, etc. We have to get a good feel for who is getting our puppies, it takes time and effort. And then we turn down good people because we only had three males and they are ALL spoken for. We promised NOT to sell the puppy out from under them. 

But then, they should just skip away with a sob story when they really bought a white long coat from someone and we KNOW that is what happened. Good, our pup is not with them. But our deposit is not either. Too bad. They ducked out of the contract, not us. 

What is the point of a deposit if the only person that has to stick to it is the breeder?

And you can bet your bottom dollar that if the breeder does not stick to it, there will be trouble. They will call the club that we are a member of, they will tell other breeders, and other people, and we will get a name for selling puppies out from under buyers, or you can actually be taken to court for breech of contract. 

So once again, the breeder is the bad guy. The breeder should follow rules. The breeder should have compassion. The breeder should PAY. 

Good Greif.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

When I first went out to meet Stark's litter at about 5 weeks old; first off, I knew I wanted a puppy from this particular breeding, I gave my deposit.

I meet the puppies, talk to the breeder, was told which puppy would be choosen for me (I went in wanting a female, but a male was choosen) and then asked if I was still interested in the puppy choosen for me. Most definitely. I trusted/trust my breeder, loved the pairing of the parents, loved the puppies, loved the dogs from the previous breeding of this pair and so I felt comfortable putting a deposit down.

I feel like it is a good thing as it makes the breeder aware that you are serious about committing to the puppy/litter/etc. Makes people really do their homework and make an informed decision.


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

I'm sorry I worded the first part wrong. I never said the breeder was the bad guy. And sorry I made it sound that way. That's why I said they need to really talk and pick thro what the buyer says and deside then if they deserve a refund. I know puppys are a lot of work. But if it was me and the family member of the buyer did have cancer I would feel bad making them eat the $ for the deposit. When it could go to medical. If the breeder was well known enuff and had a waiting list it would not be hard to find a second buyer.


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

I feel that deposits are a good idea. It's like an insurance policy type thing for the breeder. By you giving the breeder the money to hold your pup, they can also have more confidence that you're not going to waste their time by backing out at the last second.

However, I feel that certain circumstances can call for a refund, like emergencies someone stated above. 

I feel that it's a good idea, but the terms should be discussed thoroughly before placing it. Example: if you get in an accident and are paralyzed and would be physically unfit to care for the pup, do you get it back?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

So, do you tell them to fax over their diagnosis and then you will rip up their deposit check?

There is an awful lot of lying going on on the part of buyers. They lie about EVERYTHING. They lie when the truth would work just fine. And they have no qualms about lying when it comes to trying to get their deposit back. 

Note: there is NO way you can check out their diagnosis. 

I do not think all buyers are liars. But a lot of them do. Even without a deposit to get back. You call them up, and ask when they want to come to pick up their puppy. Oh, they are not going to be able to have the puppy now... they needed the money to give to their sister whose house burned down. (Puppy is yipping in the background.) They quickly volunteer that their sister had to leave their puppy with them. And you find out at the club meeting that they purchased a pup from the lady there. No deposit, why lie? Because it is easier. 

Breeders cannot deal with potential puppy buyers piecemeal. They need to have a specific policy in place and treat all people the same. Because I feel my policy is fair, and do not take deposits until they visit the litter after three weeks old, the only time I would deviate from this is if I felt I needed to get a pup out of an abusive situation.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Konotashi said:


> I feel that deposits are a good idea. It's like an insurance policy type thing for the breeder. By you giving the breeder the money to hold your pup, they can also have more confidence that you're not going to waste their time by backing out at the last second.
> 
> However, I feel that certain circumstances can call for a refund, like emergencies someone stated above.
> 
> ...


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I imagine breeders would refund a deposit if there was some kind of emergency. The breeder we used asks for a deposit primarily because they have more buyers than pups. The deposit is refundable if they can't provide the pup or they will transfer it to another litter. But like selzer said, they put a lot of time and effort into helping a new owner pick out the puppy- we went several times, they had all the puppies brushed and clean and the mom in a separate area where she could see the pups but allow us to play with them. They took the parents out individually so we could see their temperment and build, answered and asked questions, gave feeding advice, etc. So they put a lot of work into that deposit so if I had changed my mind and went elsewhere, I figure I paid for their time and expertise.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I support and understand the non refunable deposit. It shows the breeder the buyer is done interviewing other breeders and serious about a puppy from them. I do not find it greedy at all.

I'm sure in certain situations a deposit would be refunded.


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## nikkiscriv (Feb 10, 2010)

I definitely support the non-refundable deposit. I put a deposit down for a puppy with the breeder I chose, and 1 month before the puppies were ready to go home I lost my job. I notified my breeder of the situation, and we kept in touch until I had found a new job, and she kept me updated on her future breeding plans. Six months later I was back on my feet again, and I was able to get my sweet girl. I was very happy I had put down the deposit on the front end and was able to transfer to a future litter, because by the time I was able to get a puppy all had been reserved for the rest of the year.


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## NarysDad (Apr 29, 2010)

I have a non refundable deposit only to make sure the client is 100% sure that they want this said pup, But I have in the past refunded their deposit as there are things that come up out of their control


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Stosh said:


> The breeder we used asks for a deposit primarily because they have more buyers than pups. The deposit is refundable if they can't provide the pup or they will transfer it to another litter.


The breeder we use *won't* take deposits. She keeps a list of people who want one of her pups and when she has one she thinks is a good match she calls to see if the people are still interested.


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