A. JOVAL does not ship Brussels Griffon puppies unaccompanied (as cargo). You will have to come in person to pick-up your puppy. You can drive your puppy home or you can fly him/her home with you. The Airports we recommend flying into are Washington Dulles IAD (35-40 min away from our home) or Reagan National DCA (1 hr away and beltway traffic dependent).
A. Yes, your puppy can fly on all air carriers that allow carry on / in-cabin pets. They travel inside the cabin with you in a carry-on pet (Sherpa) bag. It is not allowed per our contract to check your puppy in as cargo or as checked baggage. Every air carrier has different rules and you will have to check each for specifics. Let us know if you are planning to fly and we will make arrangements to provide you with the required veterinary airplane health certificate (the cost will be $125 dollars). That will need to be done 10 days prior to flying. Every major carrier accepts pets in the cabin, typically the cost is $100-$125 dollars for their accompanying "pet ticket". Some breeders utilize “flight nannies”. We don’t have a personal relationship with any and can’t provide such recommendations as there is a lot of trust and liability involved in hiring a stranger and responsibility is solely on the Buyer if they choose that option.
Questions and Answers
- Yes, tail dock and dewclaw removal procedures are usually performed when puppies are around 5 days old. The AKC standard was recently changed to where either docked or non-docked tails are allowed. We prefer the look of docked tails and usually dock all our litters. Although occasionally we get international buyers and sometimes leave some puppies undocked.
- In some areas of the world, docking tails is not allowed and against the law. Wikipedia has a great write up on tail docking why it was originally performed and where it is not allowed; read more about Docking.
- We also remove dewclaws so they don’t get accidentally caught or ripped off during brushing/grooming or getting caught while playing outside.
- Ear cropping is not performed on young puppies. Later on, when puppies are older, cropping can be done but it is the sole decision of the new owner. Some of our pups have small ears and they can be left "natural". Other pups might have a larger, “floppier” ear, and in those cases if the new owner does not like the look, they can elect to have the ears to be cropped. The cropping procedure is usually not performed until puppies are older and bigger, around 5-6 months old. That procedure needs to be scheduled to be performed at a veterinary hospital that has expertise and experience in cropping and is done under general anesthesia. JOVAL highly recommends that this procedure be performed using laser surgery, as it significantly decreases bleeding and seals nerve endings. Laser surgery minimizes the post-operative pain, expedites the healing and decreases much of the discomfort associated with this procedure.
A. JOVAL feeds Purina Toy Breed Puppy dry food initially due to tiny kibble size and Stella & Chewy Freeze-dried food. When pups get older, after 4-6 months old, we switch to Purina Small breed adult food or a Fromm Grain free diet. We recommend that you don’t switch the puppy to a different brand of food for at least a month after you take them home and if you do switch, please do it very gradually.
Q. Does JOVAL take credit cards?
A. For Payments …No, JOVAL does not. However, we can take your credit card info and hold it to secure your deposit until your check arrives. A regular (personal) check is fine for the deposit payment.
We can also accept Venmo, Zelle and PayPal (using the Friends and Family option only), but we treat this as a cash transaction with no credit card protection services.
If contested it will be ruled in our favor by the card company.
Cash or a Cashier’s check are required for the final balance due when you come to pick up your puppy.
If you choose to do Venmo for the final payment, it has to be submitted 5 days prior so the payment clears the bank.
A. Deposits are the way JOVAL “holds” a puppy in your name until it is ready to go to your home. So, if you want to guarantee that you get a puppy, submitting a deposit is the best way to go. You are welcome to pre-pay in full if you prefer.
A. Typically, your puppy can leave by 12 weeks of age – but the true stipulation is the puppy can go to their forever home when they are eating on their own and are fully self-sufficient
Q. How does a puppy deposit work?
Q. When can my puppy come home with me?
Q. Do you ship puppies? Can I take my puppy home with me on a plane and what are the requirements?
Q. What food do you feed your puppies?
A. Yes, we do. It will be completely outlined in your sales contract, but to paraphrase, it states:
1) At the time of sale, this DOG has been examined by a veterinarian and found free of contagious diseases. The DOG’s vaccination record will be provided to the Buyer.
2) Pursuant to Virginia law, if within 10 days from the date of physical delivery, a licensed veterinarian finds the Dog to be unhealthy or unfit for sale due to a contagious or infectious disease, the Buyer can return the Dog to JOVAL and, at Seller’s option, receive a FULL refund of the purchase price of the puppy or receive a “replacement puppy” of equal value from a subsequent litter.
3) Buyer will have the opportunity to inspect the dog prior to taking possession and must be completely satisfied with the dog and accept the Dog with no reservations or concerns. However, if a congenital defect that affects or shortens the life of the Dog is found within the first year of life, a replacement Dog of equal value will be provided to the Buyer at no cost from a future litter as determined by the Seller.
