Holding Agreement
Upon being accepted for a puppy from a given litter, you will be asked to pay a $500 holding fee. Here is an example of our holding agreement and receipt:
Standard vs Non-Standard
The vast majority of people looking for a puppy want a loving companion and lifelong friend. For most, showing or breeding the dog is not even a consideration. As such, all of our puppies are sold as pets first and foremost, with very few ever going on to have a show career. We try to avoid using the terms "show quality" or "pet quality" because it may give a mistaken impression about the dog's suitability as a pet or the owner's desire and/or responsibility to show the dog. All too often we've heard from people that they don't want a show quality puppy, when what they really mean is that they don't intend to show and don't want to pay extra for the right to show or breed it.
Instead of using show quality and pet quality, we objectively evaluate each puppy against the breed standard. Pups that conform to the standard are "standard" and those that deviate from it are "non-standard." Non-standard puppies are sold at a reduced price, but are fairly rare given the careful selection of our breeding pairs; each mating is planned to minimize faults and improve upon each generation, producing higher quality puppies. Standard puppies may go on to have a show career if the owner meets our strict show/breeding criteria, but we do not charge extra for show prospects. All standard pups, regardless of sex, color, or what owner plans to do with the dog are the
same price.
Rarely, a puppy that was sold as a show prospect may develop a condition as a young adult that would disqualify it from show or necessitates the dog be spayed or neutered. If the condition is genetic and occurs before the dog is 31 months of age, we will refund the price difference between a standard and non-standard puppy from its litter. This refund does not apply to puppies sold as pets only with a limited privilege contract.
Sales Contracts and Breeding
Our full registration sales agreement does not restrict the breeding rights of the new owner. However, the full registration contract is only available for a standard puppy and applicant who passes our show/breeding application process. Full registration for a Japanese Akita puppy includes AKIHO and UKC registration in the owner's name and a year of membership in both AKIHO and JACA. Full registration for a Hokkaido puppy includes NIPPO and UKC registration in the owner's name and a year of membership in both NIPPO and HANA. With membership in the breed clubs comes limits on how the dog is bred and cared for. A prospective owner must agree to the club rules before a puppy will be sold to them with a full registration contract.
Puppies sold with a limited privilege contract come with AKIHO or NIPPO pedigree and limited UKC registration. All non-standard puppies must be sold with a limited privilege contract, but owners interested in a standard pup may choose the limited privilege contract if they do not wish to show or breed. The limited privilege contract does not allow the new owner to breed the dog and it will be spayed or neutered before leaving our kennel to prevent accidents.
In some circumstances, we are willing to enter co-ownership of a puppy. The co-ownership contract will be specific to the situation and parties involved. Note that AKIHO and NIPPO do not allow for co-ownership of dogs, so the pedigree remains in our name until the conditions of the contract have been fulfilled.
Sample Contracts
