Our dogs are extensively health tested above and beyond the CHIC requirements set by our national breed club. Our vigorous health testing protocol includes testing for:

1. Hip Dysplasia

2. Elbow Dysplasia

3. Lumbosacral Transitional Vertebra (LTV)

4. Congenital & Adult-Onset Heart Defects via echocardiogram

5. Eye Disease

6. Thyroiditis

7. Multi Drug Resistance 1

8. Degenerative Myelopathy

9. Collie Eye Anomaly

10. Pituitary Dwarfism

11. Cerebellar Hypoplasia

Dogs in our program or produced by our program have earned titles in shows and in the following sports:

1. Agility

2. Obedience

3. Rally Obedience

4. Tracking

5. Nosework

6. Dock Diving

7. Weight Pull

8. Precision Coursing

9. Tricks

10. Animal Actor

11. Canine Conditioning & Fitness

We have also produced dogs certified in Search and Rescue--both in live find and human remains detection.

While we have produced many very successful show and sport dogs, the majority of our puppies are beloved family companions that enjoy cuddles with the family, long walks, games of fetch, hiking, camping, and so on.

All Fireside Fernweh puppies are backed by our lifetime health warranty, which covers any genetic ailment which would preclude the dog from living a normal pet life. In such cases, a replacement puppy will be offered.

STEP ONE: INQUIRE

If you are interested in a Fireside Fernweh puppy, please send an email to firesidefernweh@gmail.com introducing yourself and your family. In this email, give us as much information as possible about your lifestyle, previous dog experience, any current dogs or other animals at home, your plans for the puppy, and any additional relevant information. This is your chance to tell us about yourself and why we should place a puppy with you. We will now be using this conversational approach in place of a puppy application.

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STEP TWO: CONTRACT & DEPOSIT

If you are approved based on our communication, we will send our contract to you via DocuSign for digital signature. The deposit ($1500) must be received within 48 hours of signing the contract, or the contract will be voided.

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STEP THREE: WAIT

After the contract is signed and the deposit has been received, you will be placed on our waitlist for a puppy. At this point, we will add you to our private Facebook group where you can see almost-daily videos of any puppies on the ground as well as updates from other puppy owners. When a litter born, we will contact those on the waitlist, in the order deposits were received, to ask if they would like one from the current litter or if they would prefer to wait until a later litter. 

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STEP FOUR: GET MATCHED TO A PUPPY

When you have decided to move forward with a particular litter, you will be matched to a puppy based on sex, coat length, and temperament preferences. We usually determine matches at 7.5 weeks old--just before they are ready to go to their new homes! This is because we want to use the maximum amount of information collected about the puppies prior to determining which ones will go to which homes. If we do it any sooner, we would be choosing without knowing the entire picture.

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STEP FIVE: PICK UP DAY

Everyone's favorite day! If you are paying using an online method, we ask that you please pay in advance of picking up your puppy to avoid any payment issues at pick up, otherwise, cash or cashier's check may be brought with you to pick up your puppy. All puppies receive dewormer (effective against all worms, giardia, and coccidia) and a bath on the morning they go home. All vaccination and deworming records will go home with the puppy in addition to a Fireside Fernweh go-home back full of toys, treats, chews, and a blanket that smells like mom.

Yes, on some occasions we do place dogs for service work, although we do not place puppies or recommend this breed for psych work. However, they can be very good dogs for light mobility, gluten indications, heart rate indications, and so on. Service work requires a very specific temperament, and so those looking for a service prospect may need to remain on the waitlist longer to receive the right puppy.