What to after you have contacted us about a puppy​​

 

We get approximately 10 enquiries a week about our puppies, through email, the waiting list on our website, Instagram and Facebook.  Of these roughly 40 enquiries a month, one or two maybe serious. The rest are impulse shopping (I want a puppy right now!), thinking of getting a puppy in a year or so (and then forget they ever filled out the form) or have such unreasonable requirements (I want a black and white Chi girl with heart shaped markings, show quality, that comes fully trained, and is ok with being left alone 12 hours a day while I'm at work).

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The more specific you are, the harder it is to fulfill your request and the more likely that we will skip over your application for someone who has said, "I'd like a Chihuahua that will fit in with my family of 2 adults and 3 kids. Happy to talk about what you have available".

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We may not respond immediately, but don't mind if you follow up with a text message to arrange a call. We are very busy so text is better as will not always answer a call from a number we don't recognise.

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What to do next

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Follow up and organise a phonecall time with us via email.

• Once once we've contacted you, if we dont hear back from you within 1 week, you will be taken off the waiting list as we will assume your enquiry was not serious.

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You must text before you call.

• On the call, we will discuss what you want and what we have availalble or coming in the future.

• You may talk to Jenny in the first instance and then Tracey in a follow-up call as her clinic schedule makes her hard to pin down, sometimes.

• Jenny - +64 275 127 922

• Tracey - +64 275 127 399

• We encourage prospective owners to visit us in person, meet our dogs, see how they are cared for, and be smothered in happy Chihuahua kisses from our amazing Kitaco pack, however, this is strictly by appointment only.

• We are happy to have video calls with you if you are outside Canterbury to see the puppies and parents.

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Things of which you need to be aware

• There is no such thing as a Teacup Chihuahua, It is a marketing term coined by unscrupulous breeders selling runt puppies on social media, so there is no point is asking for one. Click here for more information about why.

• We match the puppy to what you are after so we do not allow you to "take your pick". We know these puppies better than anyone and we know what will fit best with your family, based on what you have told us.

• Understand you are more likely gat a puppy if want a boy. If you want a girl, be prepared to wait and you may need to wait for a retired brood bitch, rather than a puppy.

• Our prices vary depending the gender, coat type (smooths are more expensive than longs) and if you are after a show quality bitch with breeding rights, the price will reflect this.

• If we have a litter on the ground, and we think you are a suitable owner (once we've talked), we require a non-refundable $500 NZ for a local home and and $1000 NZD for a dog going overseas to reserve your puppy for you.

• Preference is always given to those who have paid a deposit. If you choose not to, then you will have to take your chances that a pup may be available.

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Guardian Homes

A Guardin home is when we place a brood bitch in her forever home as a puppy, and she comes back to us for breeding, otherwise she lives a happy life with her pet family.

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For more information, click here.

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​​When you collect your Kitaco puppy, what do you get?

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• We will have discussed with you prior to pick-up what sort of food you plan to feed your pup (kibble or raw) and will transition the pup over to your food before they leave us to avoid tummy upsets when they arrive (although a change of drinking water may still cause some issues).

• We supply a Kitaco approved travel crate (airline approved if the pup is flying to their new home).

• 4-5 wweks free insurance coverage with your choice of pet insurancer: Southern Cross, although you must sign up this, as we can't legally make this contract on your behalf.

• Of course, we'll provide a toy, a blanket that smells like home, and a packet of all your essential health and contract paperwork.

• A free copy of Kitaco's Guide to Caring for Your Chihuahua valued at $29.95

• We provide a harness and lead suitable for a tiny puppy.

• The pup will have had 2 DHPP Vaccines before they leave us. We also start them on Revolution, for heartworm, fleas, and dewormings.

• Dog NZ registration and official pedigree papers.

• We offer LIFETIME SUPPORT via social media or by phone for any issues you feel you need help or guidance with. Tracey can also confer with your local vet, if required, if any issues arise and your local vet requires assistance.

• We offer a LIFETIME "no questions asked" return policy for any dog we have bred if you can no longer care for your dog. This is not a refund, this is a rehoming guarantee.

• Ongoing health-screening. We work hard to eliminate health problems, but no system is infallible and nature can throw us curve balls, any time it pleases. You will be asked, periodically, to get your vet to fill out a questionnaire on the health of your dog as it gets older, to allow us to develop a comprehensive database and hopefully unearth some of those hidden issues that normally a breeder never learns about when they just sell their pups and have no further interaction with their new owners