What is the cost of a puppy?

Our prices as of March 1, 2007 for pet and family puppies are $600-800 for males and $975 for females; quality females are scarce, as well as quantity of females. Usually only one or two females are born in each litter. *Please note that all our puppies are sold with spay/neuter contracts and some will be spayed or neutered before they leave here.

Our 50% Irish / 50% English puppies are boys 800 and girls 975 price, and the 100% Shamrock or IKC Irish puppies are 1200 - 1500.

Rough coats are 1,000. All previous reservations for rough coats were at the 800-975 prices. Effective Sept. 17, 2007 rough coat prices increased as they are harder to come by. Few are born and they are hard to find.

You will find the cost varies across the country from about $350 up to $3500. You may find puppies at a lesser cost, but can the breeders/owners show you the parents, and grandparents? Does the breeder know the people who have lived with and developed the pedigree lines? Does the breeder have references that can contact you or who you can talk to? Will they be there for you to call with questions for the life of your puppy? Do they offer a health guarantee and a temperament and disposition guarantee? These are important factors in your decision.

We offer our pups with a spay-neuter contract option at these lower prices so families will have the opportunity to enjoy these special Irish & English JR's we have come to know and love. We are very selective in our placements and we are searching for discriminating families who will appreciate and agree to preserve these rare bloodlines.

 We are not a bargain basement breeder, nor are we typical breeders.  Our puppies are part of our family, each one is precious, and we are looking for the perfect forever home for them. Our prices are fair and competitive with the current market. This is not how we make a living, this is a very expensive hobby,
that we greatly enjoy.

How do you determine pricing?

PRICE vs. VALUE

"It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money ----- that is all. When you pay too little, 

you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing is was supposed to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying too little and getting a lot ----- it cannot be done.

If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that, you will then have enough to pay for something better."               

                               John Ruskin, Philosopher 1819 - 1900

 "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." ~Aristotle 

What does for 'pet and family purposes' mean?
These prices are for pet and family purposes. We typically do not sell breeding rights with our puppies. Our puppies are ideally suited for family homes. Upon providing proof of spay/neuter with an invoice/ letter from your veterinarian we will then approve the transfer of permanant ownership to you.  When you take your puppy home it is considered temporary guardianship until you fullfill the spay/neuter part of the contract. Please read the entire contract that follows later on this page. You will not officially be the legal owner until we receive the vet's proof of spay/neuter.

                        Pet and Family prices: to be spayed or neutered 
50%Irish/50%English         600-800 M/975 F               

100% Irish select lines 800-1200 M/F, some 1500.                            

100% Irish IKC show lines   800-1200 M/F            

N.B. Please note that the Irish Kennel Club show lines reflect the fact we have the only imported breeding pair from these two lines in this country.

Breeding is not for the faint of heart and untrained lay person. It is complicated, nerve wracking, worrisome, and requires a great deal of time, talent, money, blood, sweat and tears, sleepless nights and extreme patience. So many things are involved and so much very often, goes 'not according to plan.'  We have worked with vets, for vets, lived next to them and around them all our lives. My son has worked for several years in vet clinics as a vet tech. And we continue to learn from each whelping.

Whelping, or birthing, is not an easy process, so please don't think you can have a litter so your children can watch for fun. It is not a guarantee of a pleasant process by any means, it can be quite sad and often very heart breaking. So please revisit and rethink about why you want to breed your puppy in the future.

What do I do next and how do I send a deposit?

The easiest and quickest way to get your deposit to us is to go to the bottom of the 'Reserving a Puppy page' and scroll to the very bottom of the page. There is a button that says 'Place a deposit on a puppy'.  It takes credit cards, debit cards or echecks. You don't need a Paypal account to use this button and it walks you through each step. It is maintained by Paypal.com.  It time dates and stamps the order when it arrives and provides you with an instantaneous receipt.  It doesn't cost anything to register and set up an account with them, though it can take as long as a week to set up a new account. You can send credit card or debit card payments with peace of mind as they are extremely secure and protective of our privacy rights.  If you've ever bought anything on eBay, then you are familiar with paypal and know how easy and convenient it is to use. Please try it if you have not had an opportunity to do so before. 

I recommend paypal because I am usually talking to several people on the same day about our puppies. Once people have filled out our questionnaire and we have talked with you about how you have prepared for your puppy and what research you have done, only then will you be able to go on our approved list to have one of our babies. When I encourage folks who have been approved to place a reservation deposit, then there are usually two or three families at the same point in this reservation process are you are. So the first family to place a reservation gets a place higher up on the waiting list.  

1) We require a $250 deposit upon placing a reservation, usually before the puppy is born. The next $250 deposit is due when the puppies are born. The people who have reservations will see the pictures of the new babies first. We do not post pictures on the website until they have gone to their new homes or have confirmed reservations. Or unless we have an extra puppies which is a great surprise. Then we offer the extra puppies to the people on the waiting list to see if they would like a puppy earlier. Occasionally we have a puppy become available again, such was the case recently when a lady took a new job and it required her to travel 50%, so she moved her reservation to a future litter. Another family found they had a wedding to plan, and also moved their reservation to a future litter. So the folks who were persistent in calling, and got their answers in on the questionnaire, got approved and found there was a puppy available immediately! It doesn't alwasy happen that way, but life is complicated for us all and life happens when we are making other plans. So we understand that and will help our families work through things if we can.

2) The next payment of $250 is due when you pick out your puppy or when I have chosen one that I think will be the best match for your family and household, and you decide to chose that one too. All deposits and payments go towards the price of the puppy.

The balance is due by the time the puppy is 7 weeks old and preferably one week before you are to pick up your puppy, preferable here or at an airport location. If you have an out of state check it will take 10 -14 days to clear so, then it will need to be either paypal or paid two weeks before anticipated pick up, or bring cash or a money order. Money can get complicated, we try to make it as simple and as painless as possible.

What are the shipping costs?

Puppies must be fully vet checked no less than 10 days before travel date and the Clemson University Dept. of Agriculture issues the final state vet certificate to travel out of state, to fly or out of country.

We are within close proximity to Augusta, Georgia, just  35 minutes away. And we are 1.5 hours from Columbia, S.C.; 3 hours from Charlotte, N.C., and 3 hours from Atlanta, Georgia. We have arranged for puppies to travel to many places, so we are experienced in what is necessary to make the trip for your new puppy a safe and happy one. We have shipped puppies over 8 wks to families throughout the United States, we have puppies in 42 of the 50 states.  They are also in Mexico, Canada, England, Germany and Panama, Chile, Argentina, South America and the Turks-Cacios Islands. 

Most of our families will chose to come visit and pick up their puppies. Folks have driven from Los Angeles, CA; Illinois, New York, Memphis TN, Michigan, Wisconsin, Vermont, Massachusetts and Ohio. We are located in Aiken, S.C. just 30 minutes from Augusta, Georgia. Some folks have planned a quick trip to Myrtle Beach or Charleston and then pick up their puppy on the trip home. You are welcome to come by and meet us, and see the parents, aunts and uncles, and the puppies by appointment. An appointment is required and very much appreciated. If you are unable to visit us in person, we will be more than happy to explain the process of what to do next in acquiring your new family member.

There are no shipping charges if you come to pickup your new puppy. Shipping costs are only if we have to fly the puppy to you within the US or out of country.

The shipping costs include:
$35.00 ·Airline approved travel crate, which can be used for the life of your dog. We purchase them at Walmart.

$50.00 ·Vet fees for the check-up/shots to fly and for the vet certificate to travel.

$22.00  Airport security fee charges and the actual shipping charges to Delta, which vary from $235-250.

$15.00 Airport fee or weight fee of $1 per pound with puppy in the crate prior to security clearance checkpoint. They even check the puppy, scan inside the crate and check any attached papers, biscuit treats or collars.

We do not charge for gas to airport, 38 miles one way.

Free:  we purchase travel insurance, on your behalf, to ensure a safe trip for your puppy. No cost to you. Declared value is $2,000.00

Total delivery and shipping:  approx. 368 to 388 so we round it off to $375.00.

We do not medicate or sedate our puppies for the actual travel. They usually sleep for most of the trip to you! Airline personnel check on them often and many times ride up with the flight attendants. We can't give you the exact cost until determining the actual dates, the destination airport, getting a price 3 days prior is least expensive and it all depends on where you live.

The airline shipping costs (from Augusta, GA to you) vary from about $236-288 depending on the carrier, the destination and the weight of the puppy and crate combined, estimated $1 per lbs for about $20.

·Estimated costs are $ 35 + $50 + $246 + $22 + $20 = $ 373+/-.  We round this to 375. This would all need to be prepaid in advance and in addition to the cost of the puppy.

We do accept checks, but it will take 10 days to clear and we will not ship until it has cleared. Most folks like the ease and accessibility of Paypal which is usually same day almost the same hour, or use FedEx or UPS next day,  and give you an instant receipt. Money orders or checks can also be sent by Priority mail or by FedEX or UPS next day letter.

If you know of someone in your family traveling to or through this area you may arrange for the pick-up by someone you trust. Please call us for more information.