Litters

Please email us to request an application if you would like to be considered for a Marshy Hope family member.

Socialization is a top priority for Marshy Hope - hence our reputation for producing confident, friendly, intelligent and relaxed dogs. The pups are born in my sunroom just beside the family room & kitchen! They spend their first 4 weeks enjoying all of the comforts of home, while still in their whelping box. This environment lets them become adjusted to typical household noises and routines - TV, friends & guests, vacuum, phone, furniture, etc.

Once the pups are ready to start weaning and running around, they are moved into a huge indoor/outdoor, heated and air-conditioned run and play area. Here, they quickly learn to use the doggie doors to go outside to the bathroom, get lots of muscle building exercise, and begin their more advanced socializing. Their huge outside area has tons of textures: grass, concrete, climbing toys, swimming pools, and toys that maximize their thinking power. Best of all, they are placed right in the middle of my "big dogs" running area so they can watch and learn - so important in their journey to become good citizens in the dog community.

By spending their time in the kennel from weeks 4-8, they are exposed to an entirely different set of stimuli from their first 4 weeks in the home. They learn to accept big dog barks, work equipment noises (saws, tractors, slamming doors), weather factors (thunder, snow, heat, etc), and different kinds of people visiting and passing through. These are foundation building exercises that are incorporated into everyday life here at Marshy Hope.

After weaning, we start our daily neighborhood off-lead walking sessions as a family pack. Our "neighborhood" includes over 100 acres of family- owned walking trails, crop fields, creeks, ditches, and pastures. These walks build confidence, intelligence, and bold curiosity in our pups. The walks also help to establish the alpha (that's me!) pack leader and move all of our dogs towards a calm, happy, and tranquil frame of mind!

We work extremely hard to put together an extensive package of information on each puppy for their new owners. Pedigrees as far back as I can research, as many pictures of relatives as I can gather, an accumulation of my favorite articles around training, health issues/clearances, and feeding programs, and a personalized CD of pictures of the litter from birth to when they go to their new homes - all in professionally spiraled kits.

Puppies are evaluated by our family veterinarian, micro-chipped for permanent identification, and issued health certificates before they are allowed to leave us. When possible, we also have a base-line CERF exam done for each pup.

The pups receive their first puppy vaccination at 7-8 weeks of age, and they are wormed with Nemex II at least twice before they leave us. If weather permits, our pups are introduced to water, gun shot, and birds by 7 weeks of age.

We will happily accept applications for our puppies and answer any inquiries you may have, but will make no commitments to puppy buyers until we have pups on the ground. Once our puppies arrive, we begin accepting non-refundable $500 deposits from families we choose after interviews (in-person preferred!). Each puppy is placed in the home that is most appropriate - based on the puppy's personality and the dynamics and needs of the family as determined by our interviewing process - not based on sequence of deposits made or which pup runs to you first, for example.

It is a team effort that we take very seriously. It is in everyone's best long term interest to be matched with a puppy that fits each family's needs for the long run, not just for today.

Your deposit holds a puppy of a specific color and sex, not a particular puppy. Of course, in the unfortunate case that we are unable to provide you with the sex & color of the pup you were looking for, we will certainly refund your deposit.

We encourage families to visit our home before puppies arrive - to meet us and our canine family. After pups are whelped, we will gladly schedule a visit with each family from whom we've accepted deposits - after the pups are 5 weeks old. For the health and welfare of our new babies, we absolutely limit foot traffic until their immune systems can more easily tolerate new germs, bacteria, and viruses that can come along with seemingly harmless visitors. An ounce of prevention . . . as the saying goes!

In the meantime, I post new pictures of the litter often and it is so easy to follow the progress of the pups as the weeks fly by!

All puppies placed from Marshy Hope are sold on either Limited Registration (quality pet puppies that will be spayed or neutered) or co-ownership basis (if the puppy is one we would like to follow into maturity as a potential show and/or breeding prospect). Both of these options will be discussed in full with you, and final decisions about the registration of your pup will be made by us between 7-8 weeks of age. Pups will be allowed to go to their new families after they are 8 weeks old. We also provide a 26-month, written guarantee against hip dysplasia and PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). We'd be happy to review the terms of the policy with you in more detail.

You are welcomed to fly in and take your puppy home in the airplane cabin. We will do our best to help you with your travels and accommodations.