We work very hard to take the guesswork, anxiety, fear and frustration out of puppy adoption. We want your adoption day to be one of the most wonderful memories of your life.
We work very hard to take the guesswork, anxiety, fear and frustration out of puppy adoption. We want your adoption day to be one of the most wonderful memories of your life.
We work very hard to take the guesswork, anxiety, fear and frustration out of puppy adoption. We want your adoption day to be one of the most wonderful memories of your life.
We don't have any puppies available for adoption today but we will later this week.
DCDogFinders
Virginia, Maryland and DC's most trusted and loved breeder of happy, healthy Cavachon & Shichon Teddy Bear puppies born, raised, and adopted from our home to yours, with TLC
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Frequently Asked Questions
We know you have a million questions about your new puppy and how to choose the very best breeder. You should always ask questions before you adopt your new puppy.
We have prepared the information below to help you find the very best answers for your new puppy. It will also help be the very best puppy guide and puppy reference material when adopting a small breed dog.
The most frequently asked questions are indicated by a diamond (◆)
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◆ Who is DCDogFinders?We are a local Mom’s and Dad’s who live, work and worship right here in the Virginia, Maryland and DC area. We are real people not a company, we promise. DCDogFinders is a fantastic & fun website we created for people just like us that are looking for the very best small in home private breeders to adopt their next puppy from. We found it really helps ensure that you know your breeder is ethical, educated in animal husbandry and that your new puppy has the very best start in life. Everyone in the family is a AKC accredited professional breeder with a great career, a wonderful home and loving and caring family. We are dedicated to the health, happiness and well-being of every puppy we raise. In our family breeding is a “passion” not something that we do to make a living.
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◆ What is the price of your puppies?We will always post price, age and information on our website and each puppy may vary in price.
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◆ Do you provide a Health Warranty or Health Guarantee?No one can "guarantee" the health and well-being of a puppy but we do the next best thing. We provide a 5 Year Health Warranty that is a 100% money back warranty.
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◆ Can we meet the puppy parents when we buy our puppy?Yes, of course. Please be sure to discuss this with your breeder prior to your appointment.
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◆ Can we come by and visit or play with the puppies?We would love to have a way to offer that to all of our customers. At his time we have chosen to invite adoptive puppy parents only to our home due to time and the courtesy of adopting families. For the safety and security of your family, the health of the puppies and our family we take appointments only. This will ensure your puppy is reserved for you along with knowing that the puppy you choose is healthy and has not been handled by previous visitors that may transmit something picked up at a recently visited pet shop or kennel.
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◆ How do I request to adopt puppy from DCDogFinders?We make it super easy and fun. When you find “your” puppy on our website, simply click on the picture and follow the instructions to pay a small deposit to secure your puppy’s adoption. We will contact you to talk about your puppy, to answer any questions you may have and to arrange your Adoption Appointment at our home. Click here for more details. Please read the answer to: How Can I Pay for My Puppy below for further payment details. Our goal is to create memories that last a lifetime. We have found inviting you to our home is the very best way for you to adopt your puppy. We suggest to always meet your puppy for the first time in the home they were raised. We post available puppies when they are ready to go home. This allows you to view photo, movies, prices and request to reserve / adopt your new puppy on our website and allow us to call you and chat. Instructions can be found on our website at DCDogFinders. We have found that allowing you to request and adopt online really provides a sense of security and allows us to provide you helpful information before you arrive at our home for your new puppy. It's really that simple.
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◆ How can I pay for my puppy?After the payment of the initial online deposit, you may pay the balance when you arrive for your Adoption Appointment. We accept all major credit cards and cash. We do not accept personal checks, bank checks or money orders. Please Note: Balances paid with a credit/debit card are subject to a 3.5% transaction fee.
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◆ Where do we go for our Adoption Appointmemt?You will be coming to our home. We live in Virginia. We all work in Virginia and Maryland and some in DC. You will meet your puppy in the privacy of our home. The appointment usually lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. At the appointment you will have playtime with your puppy and you will spend time with us going over our Health Warranty, Immunization Records and other important information. You'll see where your puppy was raised and just how much your puppy and parents have been loved. To protect your safety and ours, we provide our home address by email with your Appointment Confirmation, as soon as you adopt your puppy and we have spoken. The address at Box 206, Tackett's Mill, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 is strictly a mailing address. There are no puppies at that location and we do not schedule appointments there.
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Will you ship or deliver my puppy?All Adoption Appointments take place in our home. We do not ship or deliver puppies. We strongly discourage taking puppies on domestic or international flights due to the recent unpredictability of commercial airline schedules.
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When are your puppies ready?We make our puppies available for adoption at 10 to 12 weeks of age. We do not offer a puppy for adoption unless it is at least10 weeks old.
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How old are your puppies?Most of our puppies are 9-12 weeks of age when adopting.
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Do you do genetic testing on your puppy parents?Yes, we do. We will be happy to discuss CERF, CHIC ,OFA as well as other programs and testing. Clearances of Companion dogs is an important part of breeding and an integral part of how we can provide to you a 5year Health warranty with your new puppy.
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Are you members of breed clubs or breeding groups?Yes, we are. Many of us take part in social groups, services dogs, therapy pups and agility. We are all members of AKC, CKC and ACA. We also take part in helping local dog rescues and support ASPCA and shelter adoption.
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Are your puppies socialized?If there was a University for puppies our little pups would all have a Masters degree in social skills, personality and good manners.
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How big will my puppy be when they are an adult?Please speak with us directly, we love to share . We also suggest that you read about Cavachons & Shichon Teddy Bears on our website for more information.
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What's the best puppy for my family?We think any puppy we breed would be GREAT for your family. We are often asked "What's the best puppy or the best breed of puppy for my family?" We think Hypoallergenic , Non shed, Cute, Cuddly puppies are always the BEST! You may find the information on the Our Breeds page helpful in making that all important decision.
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Why do your puppies sell so quickly?It’s simple … our reputation, referrals and repeat customers. Our family has over 50 years in the breeding world. We have the experience, knowledge, education and reputation. We have always provided healthy and happy puppies and our 5 year Health Warranty for each pup. Our grandfather used to say “Quality doesn't just happen by chance. It comes with quality care, concern and commitment”. We take that statement very seriously.
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Why do you reserve puppies?Reserving a puppy avoids any disappointment and eliminates the anxiety when adopting a puppy. Our approach is in your best interest and avoids delays, misunderstandings. It allows you to arrive at our home and be greeted by a wagging tail and a little wiggle when you arrive at our home.
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What does F1 mean and why is it so important?F1 indicates that the puppy is a First Generation Hybrid. It means that both of the puppy's parents are pedigreed registered dogs. For example, a Shichon Teddy Bear's parents should always be a pedigreed Bichon Frise and a pedigreed ShihTzu. The reason that our puppies are always only F1 Hybrids is that it gives us a very high level of confidence that your puppy will have the general appearance, size, and temperament expected of that hybrid breed. F2 means that one parent is a hybrid and the other is pedigreed so the puppy simply cannot be 50% of each breed. F3 means that the parents are both hybrids and unless you know the lineage of the parents, it is impossible to know the puppy's genetic makeup. It is a much more sound practice to breed only F1 puppies and that is why we do exactly that.
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Are your puppies vet-checked, immunized and de-wormed?"Yes, Absolutely!! We Vet check, groom, provide Parvo testing and all immunizations that can be given to date. We provide a very detailed list of immunizations as well as a de-worming chart both before purchase and as an up-to-date form when adopting.
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When are you available?We try very hard to give everyone our time during these hours. Due to the limited amount of time we kindly ask that you understand that our time and attention will be give to adoptive puppy parents as the need our time, attention and chat time during adoption. We know you and your family will appreciate this attention when you are ready for your puppy adoption day. We are available by phone from 11:00am to 5:00pm Wednesday through Friday. All appointments are on Saturday in our home. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday we are closed/away.
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Can you hold my puppy for a later adoption day?We are sometimes asked to hold a puppy for a future date. We choose not to hold puppies for two very important reasons. First, the puppy is prepared to go home, with a vet check and grooming before being placed on the website for adoption. If we held the puppy, the vet check and grooming would have to be repeated at a substantial additional cost. That cost would have to be passed along to the adoptive parents. Second, and most important, the puppy would be left alone without the companionship of its littermates. It has been with its littermates since birth so staying in the same environment without them will cause a high level of unnecessary anxiety and stress on the puppy with possible repercussions on its personality and behavior.