Required reading
SHIPPING - PUPPY PICK UP
We prefer that you pick up your puppy at our house in person, or fly into Bozeman/Butte/Missoula to meet us for your puppy pick up. We do not offer a pet nanny service.
Most people may not know this but Covid killed cargo shipping and Alaska Air is the only airline still allowing pets to fly as cargo! During certain times of the year we can ship puppies. Costs to consider include shipping fee, crate/bedding/water cups, out of state travel health certificate, possible overnight boarding fee in Seattle and all misc. travel costs.
OUR SPRINGER GUARANTEE/ WARRANTY
We guarantee that we have screened all of our breeding adults for issues known to be genetic with ESSFTA guidelines, using all the breed specific health tests currently available. We also do not breed dogs with bad mouths, bad flushing ability, gun shy dogs or dogs with a bad temperament, ie overly soft, timid. ALL of our dogs have been shot over. We have had FIELD springers for over 50 years and have never owned or bred a dog that had a seizure disorder. Our heart, eyes, hips, various DNA screens are certified through the OFA open database. That's all we can do. We cannot control the hunting environment, pesticide/fertilizer exposure your dog might have after leaving us, its diet/fitness level, vets who encourage you to over vaccinate and cover your dog in chemicals, or your lack of common sense regarding working/hunting puppies slowly until growth plates close. We only breed talented, high drive, sound, healthy adults with ZERO health issues and proper field springer temperament. We almost always keep a puppy for our personal use, and have very high standards of performance. Why would we want one that is unsound or sucks at hunting? We also have a long list of Buyer Responsibilities which includes Puppy school and formal socialization. We are very happy to take back a puppy/dog at anytime, for any reason, throughout its life.
Our springer purchase warranty for hunting companions and active lifestyle pets, who maintain pet health insurance after leaving us, is for 2 years. If our Buyer Responsibilities have been followed, our warranty will replace a dog that cannot perform to the job it was sold to do. After much discussion with our breeder peers, we are no longer offering a warranty for our puppies placed in agility and non-traditional dog sports (like draft pulling, etc.) as we feel these extreme activities go well beyond the scope and original intent of a hunting spaniel and active lifestyle pet.
PUPPY APPLICATION
If you have never purchased a puppy from us before, a screening questionnaire/puppy application is required to be filled out in order to be considered for a litter list. We ask questions about your work, ages of your human and pet family, and housing/fencing situation. We want to make sure we are the right breeder for you, and that you will provide one of our puppies with the best and safest home we can find. We give preference to people that have purchased a puppy from us before and people who compete exclusively in AKC sports. We do NOT support the UKC, USDAA, NADAC or any other dog sport affiliation that cannot be endorsed by the American Kennel Club. We also do not place puppies in the southern states (unless we know who you are), or in breeding homes.
NON-BREEDING CONTRACTS
All Hellfire hunting companion and active lifestyle/pet puppies are sold with AKC Limited Registration and a non-breeding purchase agreement. They are expected to be responsibly spayed/neutered between 15 -24 months old, the normal time range after growth plate closure. You can read more about why we let those growth plates close first, right HERE.
RESERVATIONS AND WAITING LIST
We accept a limited number of reservations per litter. Our $300 reservation fee is not applied to the price of the, it is used to hold a spot on our litter list. Reservations are sometimes transferable to another litter, but they are NOT refundable if you change your mind for any reason. They are 100% refundable if a puppy cannot be provided or as we deem necessary. We do not accept reservations for Sussex puppies.
EVALUATION & PUPPY MATCHING
We use well established science based puppy rearing, enrichment and socialization methods. Our puppies are matched to families, not "picked" through pictures. We begin temperament testing at week 4, and placement matching is based on a process done over an observation period of weeks. We have been breeding a long time, your input certainly matters to us, we want you to love your puppy, but ultimately the breeder knows best.
Our puppies are released only after their 9 week DAPP jab and/or when they are the most developmentally ready to leave.
PRICES VARY
We are a LOW VOLUME/HIGH QUALITY breeder producing just 1-2 litters a year. We are not cranking out puppies like loaves of bread. Our springer puppies are bred from fully health tested parents, raised with a structured puppy socialization program, we have an excellent track record of producing outstanding dogs, and Hellfire puppies are fed the very best foods and see the best vets. Our puppies are normally in the $1700-$2200 range, depending on the sire we use, and if they are repeat breedings with proven siblings. We only place our puppies in non-breeding homes and the prices are usually the same for males and females. Special breedings with irreplaceable frozen semen, National Champions, ridiculous stud fees, or when we ship out bitches to be bred, will drive up our normal prices. The costs of everything dog related have skyrocketed. Welcome to the 21st Century.
Note: Our puppies are entirely home raised. They are born on soft clean bedding in our whelping room, and they are not raised in a kennel or on sawdust or straw!
VISITORS
Our puppy safety comes first! People who have purchased a dog from us are always welcome to stop by and say hi, we love our puppy families! But we do NOT allow visitors of any kind when we have a litter of puppies on the ground. Instead we have added Puppy TV and our litters are livestreamed 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, so you can check on their progress, as often as you want.
Our home is a private residence, not a business, and we have some rules: We do not allow spur of the moment drop ins, and no strangers - people who have not filled out a puppy application. Sorry, it's not being rude or evasive, it's being cautious and smart. If you haven't met us a dog event, and have a special request, or would like to see a certain dog, puppy parents, we'd be happy to accommodate through video and photos.
DOCKED TAILS & DEW CLAWS
YES, we dock our tails and dew claws! Our puppy tails are docked to proper FIELD length, which means at least 2/3 of the tail is left on. Dew claws on both front and back legs are removed to prevent future tearing. Dew claws are a vet bill waiting to happen - they are worthless, dogs do NOT use them, and they are a pain in the butt to maintain if left on, so we have resumed our original procedures and take them off.
SUSSEX PUPPIES
We RARELY have Sussex puppies available. Sussex Spaniels are a rare breed riddled with many reproductive challenges. They are bred through AI's, whelp with pricey C-Sections, can have a high neonatal mortality rate and stay with me much longer than the springer puppies. We only breed finished champions that are fully health screened, and our puppies are socialized and enriched using Puppy Culture techniques, the same way our springers are. Our puppy prices are in the $4000 range. All of our parents have their eyes, hearts and ears screened by SPECIALISTS. A puppy application is required before one is considered for our litter list. We have a page just for Sussex information to read prior to contacting us.
PUPPY VACCINES
Safety first! We have changed our conservative vaccine protocols to a more aggressive plan and have added NeoPar vaccine at 5 and 7 weeks old, and the Nobivac DAPP (Distemper/Adenovirus/Parvo/Parainfluenza) vaccine at 9 weeks. No puppies leave our home, not even for vet check ups, without being vaccinated first. Hellfire Springer puppies are usually released between 9- 10 weeks old, after a complete wellness exam by our excellent veterinarian. Sussex puppies are released between 12-16 weeks, after having heart, hearing and health screens/check-ups, and additional booster vaccinations.
PET INSURANCE
Trupanion Breeder Program
Gun dogs, performance dogs and active lifestyle pets aren't like regular companion dogs. What they do and the drive they have can put them in harm's way. Injuries, accidents, weed awns, viruses, allergies happen and we are strongly suggesting pet insurance for our puppy owners. We've even built it into our purchase contract and have increased the warranty to 4 years, for dogs that continue on with pet insurance coverage.
Hellfire Kennels is an approved Trupanion Breeder - what this means is that our puppies go home with seasonal starter kit and a health insurance policy that is activated with our kennel's special breeder code 24 hours before or after they leave our home. (Note: Puppies residing in FL and NY require additional Trupanion accommodations.) There is NO financial benefit to us for offering this to our puppy families other than the peace of mind that our puppies will receive excellent pet care after they leave our home.
Overview of the Go Home Day Offer:
• 30 days of coverage with no obligation
• Immediate coverage, waiting periods are waived
• $250 deductible, applies per condition for the lifetime of the pet
• 90% coverage with no limits on what we pay out
• Vet Direct Pay
• Coverage for any new injuries or illnesses (more information about Trupanion online)
