Questionnaire & Contract to Adopt Akita and

Applicable Health Guarantee

NOTE:  If you have adopted a puppy from us before, you don't have to fill out a questionnaire again as the same rules will apply to this pup as they did to your last adoption! 

1.  Name:

2.  Address:

(please include entire mailing address as well if different from physical address)

3.  Phone number:

4.  Email Address:

5.  Fax number:

6.  21 years or older, if not, what is your DOB: 

7.  If I check your name and address with your local animal control, will you have been sited for anything unsafe, cruel, harmful, neglectful, etc. to any animal?  (If the answer is yes (you have been sited for cruelty), please be assured that I do have the right to check and withdraw any interest in my Akitas now to save us both some trouble.)

8.  What is your experience with pets?  i.e. previous pets and what happened to them?

9.  Are your animals current on all of their vaccinations?

10.  Is anyone living in your home or about to live in you home allergic to animals?

11.  Do you have any animals now?  What are they species and sex?

12.  Have you studied the general background of an Akita enough to have a comfort level with the understanding of how to raise a pup that will be a dominant dog over 100 lbs?

13.  Do you understand that if you have another dog of the same sex, especially a large dog, that when the Akita reaches maturity they will have to stay separate all of the time?

14.  What sex Akita would you prefer?  (Please keep in mind that if you already have a dog, you will more than likely need to get an Akita of opposite sex!

15.  Are you willing to purchase high quality food? (Understanding that better quality means the Akita will eat less and you will spend the same...yes I do have suggestions on food that we will talk about...)

16.  Are you willing to purchase pet insurance (unless you are a vet or work for a vet office and receive massive discounts) to cover the routine medical care needed for your Akita as well as make emergency visits more affordable?

17.  How much do you intend to spend on your pup each year (not counting food)? 

        Before you answer, familiarize yourself with what is necessary here:  http://www.akitasdemacleod.com/pupchecklist.htm. 

18.  Who will be the primary caretaker of the pup?

19.  What are the ages of children living or about to live in the home?

20.  How do you plan to exercise your dog?  i.e. dog parks, walks, play in fenced in back yard, etc… 

21.  Are you willing to go to a general puppy obedience class?  (Puppy classes are more for you than the puppy but it is a bonding experience.  Many people think that they know how to train a puppy but do it better if they are in a class environment!)

22.  Do you have a regular vet in your area?

23.  Do you have emergency veterinary services within a 30 mile radius of your home?

24.  Do you intend to alter (spay/neuter) your puppy?

25.  Would you consider having Prophylactic Gastropexy (stomach tacking to reduces death caused by Bloat (Bloat is one of the leading causes of premature painful death in deep-chested breeds) to around 2 percent) at the time of your Spay/Neuter, or by 1 year of age if you are not spay/neutering, (having it completed at the same time, as both are routine surgeries, means your dog in put under anesthesia once instead of for each operation, also causing only one recuperation time as well)?

26.  Do you intend to show your pup?  If so, who is handling your pup so that I can verify that you will actually show it?

27.  Do you intend to breed your pup?  If so tell me why and elaborate as much as possible...

(Regarding questions 23 through 26, if you are not showing or breeding your pup, it needs to be spayed and neutered for health purposes.  Anyone buying a pup as a pet and not showing or breeding will get restricted AKC papers so that you may not produce AKC registered puppies.  Anyone intending to breed your pup, please tell me what you can contribute to the breeding community and what you know about breeding Akitas because you will be expected to know as much as I do.  I am not saying that breeding our puppies is not allowed, however too many people are breeding that shouldn't be resulting in unwanted and unhomed puppies/adults and adopters not knowing enough about their dogs prior to the purchase!)

28.  Will the pup primarily be inside or outside?  If outside, what accommodations are you making for the pup?

29.  Does anyone living in your home smoke?

30.  How did you hear about Akitas de MacLeod?

31.  Tuscon, California, and surrounding area adopters and anyone who lives in a snake prone area or hikes/camps near one:  Are you willing to have the Akita snake tested or provide yearly anti venom vaccines as soon as possible to avoid potentially fatal rattler attacks?

32.  Do you plan to take a vacation without the pups in the next 4 four months?  If so, what are your plans for the puppies?

33.  If you plan on having children in the future, will you still be have the space for the Akita and be financially be capable of caring for them?

34.  Is there a chance that you will be relocated or deployed and unable to take your pup with you?  If so, what will happen to them?  (I ask this because of the thousands of Akitas that are turned over to shelters when their owners are sent overseas or relocated in the nation.  This is avoidable if we plan in advance.)

35.  What are the names, addresses and telephone numbers of two people (at different addresses and phone numbers) that you consider your "emergency contacts".  (I will be contacting them should anything happen where I have to get in touch with you, should you move.  I will also call them before I let you take a pup for their opinion.)

1.

2.

Any additional comments or questions?

You understand that by proceeding with this contract, you know, and have verified as needed, your own local laws regarding dog ownership, BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) and/or breeding rights as they pertain to you and your family (Akitas de MacLeod cannot be responsible for verifying the laws for every locality (including CCRs of a HOA) that a puppy may go to but you as the owner should be responsible enough to do so prior to adopting a dog that will be reliant on you for the rest of its life!  HINT:  We say this so that you will do it if you haven't already!):

(NOTE:  Deposits are non-refundable and while US Postal Money Orders are preferred (due to scams with money orders),  the deposit must be cash, personal check, cahiers check or money order.  They can be mailed to Stanley MacLeod P. O. Box 2162, Apache Junction, AZ  85117 (please do not make checks payable to me or to Akitas de MacLeod because if the babies are very young, I cannot leave the mother to cash them!).  Deposits must be be at least $250 to hold the dog of your choice.  If you send a personal check, the money is not considered received until the check clears.  Deposits represent a firm commitment to buy a pup from us so be sure in your decision prior to providing a deposit.  Once a deposit has been applied to a specific pup and the pup is taken out of sight of the general public on our website, the deposit cannot be applied to a different pup, regardless of the pup's age at the time.  This is to discourage you from holding a pup that you do not intend to buy which only makes it more difficult for the us to place the pup as it gets older which just isn't fair to the pup or other people searching for their dream puppy.)  Now - many people ask why the deposit is non-refundable.  First, let me say that non-refundable is standard when getting a puppy regarding whatever the deposit amount is!  You can ask many breeders and get all kinds of good reasons why the deposits will never be returned but here are the most valid for myself:  I invest a great deal of time in you as a puppy buyer, going over things with you for your puppy and sending daily pictures etc that the person after you will not receive on that puppy because I delete them daily due to them using up so much space on my hard drive.  You have tied that puppy up for however many days or weeks, when another perfect family may have missed the chance to get him/her.    Also, if you had simply reserved a waitlist position with a deposit, other families after your reserve may have gone elsewhere because the next position was too far down in their mind to get an appropriate puppy pick for their wants/desires, depending on their plans for the pup.  Another reason is that I take the pups to the vet around 7 weeks which is a large ordeal and also exposes them all to anything at the vets office while we are there.  I get any health certificates at that time and know whether or not to do this based on who has paid for the pup.  I incur many more fees in the event that I have to go back for more health certificates and that is only if my vet is available because he usually has a wait for appointments because he is so sought after.  Also, he is three cities away!  Lastly, and mostly, BECAUSE THE CONTRACT SAYS SO!  You know, when you send the contract and deposit that your pup must be paid for by 6 weeks for flights and 7 weeks for pickups with cash only, without exception!  If it isn't possible for you to gather the funds by that time then you shouldn't have placed a deposit on the pup in the first place so please be responsible!

If you are picking up a puppy that is ready to go home with you, only cash will be accepted.  Remainder amount is required by the time the pup is 5 weeks old.  (NOTE:  Puppies are $950 with restricted registration unless otherwise noted.  If you are approved as a reputable show home and/or breeder, full registration will be $1200.  My shipping charges are $50 for a airline crate (subject to change) and $25 travel doc fee.  The actual flight fee depends on weight but is approximately $250.  However, this is $325 fee is based on an eight week old pup in the US.  If the pup is older, it will be more expensive as it is per pound and older pups need a larger, and therefore more expensive, crate.  I do not charge for travel expenses to and from the airport as many breeders do.)

 

By signing below (or emailing this in) you agree to provide a loving home for the Akita pup you receive from Melissa MacLeod throughout it's entire life. 

You have studied the general background of an Akita enough to have a comfort level with the understanding of how to raise a pup that will be a dominant dog over 100 lbs! 

You will keep a fenced backyard of fencing materials that an Akita cannot get around, over or under.  Hot wire and electric or other underground fencing is not acceptable.  Fencing under 6 feet is not acceptable.  If your fencing does not meet these requirements, you will have your Akita on a leash or be with it at all times when in your yard.  (This is not only for the safety of the Akita but to prevent it from hurting another animal that may come into your yard as Akitas are very territorial.)

Your Akita will never be on a chain staked in your yard or on a chain attached to a wire run, or any other chain of any kind other than for short periods of time on camping trips.

Your Akita will never be in the back of a vehicle without a person with it, holding the leash it is wearing or without being in a crate - riding freely, without restraint, in the back of any vehicle is usually illegal as well.  Tying the leash to something in the back is not acceptable as the Akita can hang itself.  You agree to sit with the Akita or buy a crate.

Any crate used for potty training or short period confinement will be large enough for the Akita to stand up, lay down, and turn around without being squished into the top or sides.

Your Akita will not be walked off-lead (without a leash) in public.

You agree to provide veterinary care as needed including but not limited to the rest of its puppy shots, annual vaccine boosters, annual rabies vaccines and other care as needed. 

You will maintain a healthy living and learning environment and show your love to your Akita to the best of your ability.  If for any reason you are unable to care for your Akita throughout it's life, you will contact Melissa MacLeod to allow her to take in the pup/dog before any other arrangements are attempted. 

You will keep in contact with Melissa MacLeod so that she can update you should any medical concerns arise. 

You will supply Melissa MacLeod with pictures of your pup once you get your pup home, and at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year and twice yearly thereafter.

You will maintain your contact information with Melissa MacLeod so that if your Akita is lost, and found through AVID microchip readers, Melissa can contact you to arrange pickup of the dog.  (NOTE:  You may also purchase a registration to yourself through AVID and will need to contact them to find out the details!)

You will maintain homeowners insurance that allows for Akitas and covers them *many do not.

You agree to hold Akitas de MacLeod, Melissa and Stanley MacLeod, and the parent dogs harmless once your Akita is purchased.  No member of Akitas de MacLeod, canine or human can be held accountable for behavioral issues once the dog leaves our premises.  You agree that if, at any time, your Akita gets out of your control, you will return it to us to keep it away from potentially dangerous situations.  ***No Akita will be sold with a temperament problem and all are temperament tested prior to leaving Akitas de MacLeod.  No parent dogs are bred with temperament issues.  Temperament issues are more a result of nurture than nature.  You understand this and agree to take proper precautions when your Akita is in the public such as muzzling at vet visits or anywhere else where the Akita may come in contact with other dogs.  You will socialize your pup and maintain a healthy growing and learning environment to avoid such issues.***

If you are purchasing a puppy for show/breeding that turns out to have a fault that absolutely should not be passed on, we will restrict the registration.  You may still get the pup if you choose to or we can roll your deposit to a new litter.  If you are purchasing the puppy as a pet, we will inform you of why we are restricting the registration but your deposit may not roll as the pup will still be a suitable companion.  This does not happen often and we have never had it happen at Akitas de MacLeod, but an example would be a male whose testicles did not drop so literally cannot be bred.  Keep in mind that sometimes we do not know these things until the pup goes to the vet at 7 weeks due to how their bodies mature!

Purchaser                                            Date

NOTE:  Puppies will be held until they are eight weeks old.  If the remainder amount amount is not received, the breeder will attempt to contact the purchaser three times.  At this time, if the breeder is unable to make contact with the purchaser, the purchasers rights to the pup will be forfeited; the deposit will not be refunded.  Puppies that are being picked up can usually leave around 7 weeks.  If your puppy is flying, it must be a minimum of 8 weeks old to board aircraft.  We know you are excited to get your pup so we try to board him that day.

AKC:  MacLeod will be the prefix of your puppy's name, no exceptions.  Ex:  You want to name your puppy Fido and your last name is Smith, your puppy's registered name will be MacLeod's Fido Smith.  When you get your registration certificate back from AKC, check it thoroughly several times!  They have made many errors on mine and the longer you wait, the harder it is to get the problem corrected.  (I had one dog where they corrected the mistake on his registration and returned it to me with a new mistake!)

Note:  Your registration papers are attached to your crate that you receive your puppy in unless otherwise noted.  If you lose your AKC registration papers, you will need to pay the AKC fee for duplicate registration.  At this time the fee is $25, subject to change per AKC.

All items on this contract will be verified, including the registered name, if coverage for any genetic default becomes necessary.

If this contract must be enforced, it will be in the county where the kennel is currently located.  All expenses and/or attorney's fees related to the enforcement of this contract are to be paid by the buyer.

NOTE:  Not abiding buy all terms of this contract voids the health guarantee as well as may result in the removal of the pup from your property and/or reporting to proper authorities of your locality.

NOTE:  If you are copying this into an email format:  please copy entire page or contract will be null and void.  Thank you!  If you receive this in an email from me, once you hit your reply button, you will be able to fill in the answers to the questions below...

DO NOT RUSH INTO THE PURCHASE OF OUR PUPPIES OR ANY DOG FOR THAT MATTER, YOU MUST BE READY FOR A COMMITMENT OF 15 YEARS BECAUSE THE AVERAGE LIFE SPAN OF AN AKITA IS 10 TO 12 YEARS DEPENDING ON MANY VARIABLES.  DO NOT PUT DOWN A DEPOSIT ON A PUPPY IF YOU ARE NOT SURE THAT YOU ARE READY OR RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO GIVE THAT KIND OF COMMITMENT TO AN AKITA.  ALL DEPOSITS ARE ABSOLUTELY  NON-REFUNDABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

If it is going to bother you that I check up on the pup as it grows up and throughout it's life, I am not the breeder for you.  I expect all of my puppy adopters to maintain some level of contact with me so that I can know what is going on with the Akita.  If you cannot occasionally answer an email with a picture and a few words that say the pup is doing well or if you are having an issue, what that issue is, then there are many backyard breeders better suited to your needs that will take your money, send your pup, and you will never have to talk to them again but I AM NOT FOR YOU - I expect you to maintain contact with me!!!!

What will you get in with your AKC registered Akita purchase from Akitas de MacLeod?  What makes us different?

You do not provide Akitas de MacLeod with pictures of the pup as it grows up

You or anyone at your address doing anything harmful and/or neglectful to animals

You or anyone at your address being sited for animal cruelty, neglect, malnutrition, abuse or anything else unhealthy to the animals

Not altering pup by first birthday (with proof from licensed vet who performed surgery) if not purchased for breeding stock

Breeding without taking the same precautions I do for stock and pups (microchips, vaccinations, vet checks for mother and pups at least once, adopter education, proper care to all breeding stock and pups, screening puppy buyers)

Breeding prior to second birthday

Breeding without prior health checks  (Brucellulose, OFA hips, patellas, elbows, thyroid check and CERF eyes) or to a mate without the same health checks

If injury appears to have been caused by neglect or abuse (I will also report you to AKC and local authorities)

If any puppies produced by the dog or any other that you own or at your address are sold to brokers, puppy mills, pet shops, etc.  You must also be able to guarantee that none of the puppies produced while you are the breeder have puppies that end up in similar circumstances: i.e. you must prove that you have screened your buyers.

If any disease in question could be the direct result of breeding.

If you do not feed high quality/density dog food.  If you consistently feed Flint River Ranch, you don't have to worry about proving that you are feeding a quality food as FRR will maintain these records for you.

If you do not maintain puppy vaccinations, yearly physical exams by a licensed veterinarian, booster vaccinations, and any other medical care as needed by a licensed veterinarian.  (A copy of all vet records must be provided to breeder.

If this dog is transferred to another owner or not registerred as MacLeod's _____ on the AKC papers.

This guarantee does not cover a dog being in-fertile as it is much less likely that it would be a defect than as a result from lack of care, proper nutrition or Venereal Disease.

If you have questions about anything stated above or below, don't hesitate to ask as I know I can be a bit wordy when my goal is to be all-inclusive!

NOTE:  Puppies change color as they grow...the color of the Akita does not matter very much as long as the color is brilliant and clear.  A dull coat would be considered a fault.  Here are some examples of color changes as the puppy grows:  black turns to brindle, silver, brown etc.  Brown turns to fawn and red.  Red turns to fawn.  White gets little black spots in it.  Silver/charcoal turns to fawn.  White can yellow.  Black guard hairs may not come in until 4 months of age, darkening the overall appearance of the pup's coat.  Small markings, especially white, fade or disappear completely.  As the skin stretches, the markings will broaden and move to another area of the body and change shape slightly.  By 5 months, your pups coat should be finished changing!  However, you may notice that the color sharpens at adulthood, especially reds!  Also I have noticed that many people do not understand what brindle means.  A nicely marked brindle will have a stripe that is a different color than the rest of the coat and is often compared to a tiger.  The color of the brindle is based off of the color of the stripe, NOT the base color.  So if you have a silver with a fawn stripe, it is considered a fawn brindle.  A brindle may also be patches of color but this is not as desirable as you want a nice clean stripe.  They come in a variety of colors such as red, brown (most common), silver (the only Japanese brindle) and black (which is a base coat of black with black stripes and the only true way to get a solid black Akita but this is pretty much unheard of.)  Many people call all other coats, especially fawns, a brindle when they are not, they just have a more noticable overcoat of black.  If you want to know if your Akita is a brindle, feel free to ask or look at pictures of our Yori and Ryu!  

According to current AKC guidelines, Akitas come in these colors:
Black S 007
Brown Brindle S 065
Brown, Black Overlay S 421
Fawn S 082
Fawn, Black Overlay S 423
Red S 140
Red, Black Overlay S 422
Silver, Black Overlay S 424
White S 199
Black Brindle A 279
Black, Brown Undercoat A 425
Black, Fawn Undercoat A 428
Black, Red Undercoat A 426
Black, Silver Undercoat A 427
Brown A 061
Fawn Brindle A 088
Red Brindle A 148
Silver A 176
Silver Brindle A 303
White, Red Shading A 429

with these markings:
Black Mask, White Markings S 005
Blk & White Mask White Markngs S 105
Pinto, Black & White Mask S 103
Pinto, Black Mask S 079
White Mask, White Markings S 104
Black Mask A 004
Pinto A 018
White Markings A 014
White Mask A 015

 

            Also, regarding the size of the pup, it's size at 8 weeks is directly determined by nourishment.  Unless there is something wrong with the pup or the mother's milk, you can generally say that for the first year of it's life, it's body size will be determined by it's litter size.  For example:  you have two puppies, both male, from the same parents but different litters.  Puppy A is from a litter of 3 and Puppy B is from a litter of 11.  For the first year, maybe two, of its life, Puppy A will be noticably larger than Puppy B.  This does not mean that there is anything wrong with either of them.  Puppy A just got alot more nourishment in the womb, more of mom's milk was available and he had to fight less siblings to get a nipple.  Puppy B will be catching up on Puppy food.  At three years, the two males will be probably be generally more close in size.  (Taking into account that one could have taken more of mom's gene pool than dad's and things like that.)  If you have questions about this, I am happy to explain it over the phone in more detail or show you examples.  The rest of size is left up to genetics.  Our females range from 77ish to 115ish.  The males range from 90ish to 140ish.

We have also included an evaluation form that may be helpful to you in choosing your new pup and you will also want to see our Behavioral Analysis.  I have also attached a sample K9 pregnancy chart so that you can better understand the stages and length of k9 pregnancy.

 Come visit our Akitas and see the difference with Akitas de MacLeod!  Our doors are always open and we welcome your visit!

    We have visitors often that come to see our dogs.  If you would like to visit us prior to your decision to adopt an Akitas de MacLeod puppy, let us know and we will be happy to help you make the arrangements for your visit!  HOWEVER, we do not allow puppies to be seen until they are at least 4 weeks old and visits must be brief so that the pups can get back to mom!  UNFORTUNATELY SUMMER VISITS FOR 2008 MUST BE POSTPONED DUE TO VET RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON VOLATILE PARVO STRAINS CAUSING AN AZ EPIDEMIC.  WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE BUT CANNOT ALLOW RISK TO OUR PUPS.  FEEL FREE TO SCHEDULE A FALL VISIT WHEN ARIZONA IS OUT OF PARVO SEASON!!! 

    *****Please keep in mind that we are not a business or a petting zoo!  We will only allow meetings with serious interested puppy adopters, therefore please send us your questionnaire/contract before scheduling a visitation.  These Akitas are our pets; there is a great deal of liability and responsibility for us to allow you to come to our home to visit them.  Do Not bring unruly children if a babysitter can be arranged.  Do NOT bring your other Akita or other dog breed (While we are happy to look at pictures of your dog and hear about them, it is not safe for our dogs to bring others here when we don't know about their temperament, obedience and vet records.  Do NOT show up with a dog in heat and ask us to breed them on the spot because we require research before deciding whether or not we will allow our Akita to mate yours and this takes a lot of advance planning.  Unfortunately, we wouldn't be bringing these things up if they hadn't happened before.  We have to ask these things for our own safety and the safety of our dogs!!!******

Summer Visits:  If you are planning to visit during Arizona summer (Mid-April through beginning of October) please limit your visits to prior to noon or after 4 pm and remember that Arizona does not observe daylight savings time.  (During the hottest point of the day, the dogs need to stay in air condition so it makes it difficult for you to play with them.)  Thanks!

Visits During Heat Cycles:  If the girls are in heat or preparing to come in heat during your visit, you may witness some behavior that is not the norm here.  Hormones make dogs do crazy things!  You may notice them to be much more vocal, they may even bark at you, they will be fiesty in play and more assertive toward each other, the males will guard females and may hump them as they begin foreplay and dominance, preparing for a future mating.  This might also make the girls snap to get the boys away if it is not time to mate yet.  We will not be able allow you to visit if it is during the actual mating time of any of our dogs which lasts a week for any given female.