Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Click on the question to be taken to the answer. If you have questions that are not answered on this page, please feel free to contact us, via email, at nancy@nancys-westies.com.

What is a Westie? Click this link to go to the American Kennel Club site and review the standard for a West Highland White Terrier (aka Westie)
What is the process I follow to buy a Nancy's Westies Puppy?
How do you, Nancy's Westies, protect the future of your puppies? Do you have requirements of the new families?
Do you give any kind of a health guarantee?
Do the puppies have any sort of health problems?
Are the puppies registered?
How about Microchips?
What's up with those ears?
How do I make payment for the puppy?
How do I get my puppy? (Transportation)
How do I take care of my puppy?
What dog food should I feed the puppy?
What about house-breaking?

What is the process I follow to buy a Nancy's Westies Puppy?

Send us an email requesting the contract for the puppy you want. Please include some information about yourself and your family. We really appreciate knowing about your intentions for our puppies, and about our puppies' future homes.
We email you the contract in html (web page) format. Since it is a web page, you can open and print it using your web browser (Internet Explorer). Once you have read the contract, sign it and snail-mail it back with at least a $200 deposit. (You can use PayPal for the deposit, if you prefer)
Once the contract and deposit are 'in the mail', and you have confirmed that you 'for sure, no doubt about it' want the puppy, we will acknowledge you as the new family on the web site.
When the puppy nears 8 weeks old, and old enough to go to its new home, we will contact you to make arrangements for the puppy exchange.

Contract

Any person buying one of our puppies must sign a contract (see example contract) agreeing to maintain the well-being of the puppy.
The buyer must agree to take the puppy for yearly exams, maintain the vaccination schedule, provide parasite (fleas, ticks, worms, heart worm, etc) preventive, provide the puppy with a high quality dog food, and a loving, comfortable living environment.

AKC Registration

Our puppies are registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Beware of other registration organizations. There are many other registration organizations, some of which are not reputable.
The American Kennel Club is the most prestigious and recognized registration organization in America.

MicroChips

Our puppies are microchipped and enrolled with AKCCAR.org at no cost to the new family.
When I send the puppy to their new home, I enroll the puppy in AKCCAR.org pet recovery, so all the new family has to do is go to the AKCCAR.org website and change the puppy's name to the desired name. The needed paperwork will be provided with the puppy.
I always list myself as the alternate contact because I want to make sure that none of my puppies are ever, ever, ever, left in an animal shelter with no one to rescue them! It is my understanding that the new family can change the 'alternate contact'. However, if neither the primary contact or the alternate contact can be reached, AKCCAR will contact the original purchaser of the microchip, which is ME!

What's up with those ears?

Why do some puppies have erect ears and some floppy?
1. It's because of the cartlidge in the ears. Most puppies will have erect ears by the time they are 3 or 4 months old. Some puppies never have erect ears, which is considered a fault. It is rare that I have a puppy whose ears do not stand up by the time they are an adult. (I only know of one) I have been told that if you trim the hair on the ears and tape them, it will help the ears stand up, though I've never tried this myself.
2. I have noticed that, generally speaking, the smaller puppies' ears become erect at an earlier age, while the larger puppies tend to be laggards in the 'erect ear' department ... and some puppies never have floppy ears.
Whoa ... is that a Westie or a donkey? Why are the ears sooooo big?
1. Puppies go through an awkward, gangly stage, just as children do. When they are between 3 months and a year old, their ears generally appear to be far too big for their bodies. I call it the 'jack-rabbit stage'. Not to fear ... they will grow into those ears.
Why is one ear up and the other flopped? Is my puppy deformed?
1. Naw ... tomorrow they'll be the other way ... then suddenly they will both stand up straight and all those good photo ops are gone for good. Take all the pictures you can while they are in this stage. It is just so darn cute!

Health Guarantee

Our puppies are current on their vaccinations and worming schedule.
We provide a one month health guarantee with each puppy we sale.
Our adult dogs are free of genetic disease, to the best of our knowledge. We guarantee our puppies to be free of genetic disease for one year.

Payment

We accept personal checks, cashier checks, money orders, PayPal, or cash.
If you wish to use a credit or debit card, please use our PayPal account: nancy@nancys-westies.com
1. Go to PayPal.com, choose the 'Send Money' tab, send it to nancy@nancys-westies.com
If you have paid with a personal check, the check must clear your bank before it will be considered 'paid'.
The full price of the puppy must be paid before the puppy can leave our premises.

Deposit

If you wish us to hold a puppy for you until it is old enough to wean, a $200 deposit is required.
The deposit on a puppy is non-refundable.

Transportation

The new owner is responsible for transportation of the puppy after purchase.
You may pick your puppy up in person or we are sometimes able to meet you part of the way.
We are more than happy to meet you at the airport if you would like to fly into either the Little Rock, Arkansas airport (LIT) or the Fort Smith, Arkansas airport (FSM). You can then take the puppy back in the airplane cabin as your 'carry-on'. If you choose to use this option, please be aware that you must coordinate your flight with a time when it is possible for me to meet you.
If feasible, as a courtesy to our new families, we will gladly make arrangements to ship the puppy via airplane.
There are times when we travel to locations around the nation and can give a puppy a ride with us, either in the passenger cabin of the airplane, or, if it is a road trip, in the car.
1. For instance: the grandbaby is in Southen California, so I fly out there quite often to visit the little gentleman. I often take a puppy or two with me as my 'carry-on' in the 'people cabin'. The cost to the new family is the same, and they don't get a 'travel crate' because I bring my personal carry-on travel crate ... but the puppy gets to ride at my feet in the passenger cabin.
Please understand that we make travel arrangements as a courtesy. It is not our obligation.

AirTravel

Many new families are concerned about flying the puppy. They are afraid it will be too stressful on the puppy. They have read horror stories about the way airlines treated puppies, etc. I am always happy to see a concerned family. That means they will be good care-givers. But lay your concerns aside. Perhaps airlines have treated puppies poorly in the past ... that was before my time, I guess, because ever since I have been flying puppies (since 2005), there have been Federal regulations that ensured the health, safety and comfort of the puppy. The airlines are very concerned that the puppies are safe and comfortable. The new families report that the puppies come off of the plane bouncing and ready to play. It is really pretty hard to intimidate a Westie.
The cost of shipping the puppy is $300 anywhere within the Continental United States. This includes the airfare, required vet check, certificate of health, travel crate, and my trip to the airport (80 miles each way).
1. Buy two, fly one free! Two puppies can travel for the same cost as one, as long as they are the same age / size, are under 6 months old, and travel in the same crate.
2. If your puppy is riding with me in the passenger cabin as my 'carry-on', the new family does not get a travel crate. See # 5 under 'transportation', please.
We will not ship a puppy unless we know the puppy can be shipped in relative comfort. When the weather is extreme, shipping puppies via airplane can become problematic. There are Federal regulations to protect the safety of animals during travel. Airlines can not, and will not, ship a puppy if the temperature is below 20 or above 85 anywhere the puppy touches down. Therefore, there are times when flying a puppy is not possible.
There are two airlines which have live animal accommodations from the Little Rock Airport: American Airlines and Delta.
1. American Airlines generally has better flights for puppies going North or West. They have a 'Priority' service which allows the puppy to be checked in through the 'people' terminal ... actually checked in through the same line as people. The new families generally, but not always, pick up the puppies in the luggage department. The new family should call their airport to find out where to pick the puppy up. AA does not accept reservations. I just show up at the airport and stand in line (usually before dawn). The puppies are given priority in boarding and unboarding, which means they are the last thing loaded and the first thing unloaded, preventing them from having to spend long periods of time sitting in the plane on the tarmac.
2. Delta generally has better flights going to the East. They allow reservations up to 7 days prior to the flight. I make the reservations a few days ahead of time, and then I take the puppy to the Delta Cargo facility at the Little Rock Airport (again ... usually before dawn). Though this is a 'cargo' facility, these folks are excellent in caring for the puppies. I have been extremely impressed with their attitude. Their personnel keep the puppies in the office until just minutes before the flight leaves, ensuring that the puppies are stressed as little as possible.
Both American and Delta provide an 'Airway Bill Number' which can be used to track the puppy's flight. As soon as I put the puppy on the flight, I call the new family confirming the puppy made the flight and providing the Airway Bill Number so they can keep track of the precious baby across the nation!
The puppy will be in a travel crate. (This crate can also be used as the puppy's 'training crate'.) There will be a small bag of the puppy's food strapped on top of the crate. The puppy will have, at the least, a soft blanket and a toy for the trip.
Here is a suggested check list for when you go to the airport to pick up your puppy:
1. collar
2. leash
3. fresh water
  1. food will be strapped to the top of the crate
  2. a small water / feed dish will either be in the crate, or in the tray on top of the crate
4. fresh / clean bedding (in case the puppy has had an accident)
5. puppy wipes or a clean wash cloth
6. lots of hugs and kisses ... they come out of there ready to play!

How Do I Take Care of My Puppy?

coming soon ...

What Dog Food Should I Feed the Puppy?

All of our dogs eat ProPac High Performance (30%) Puppy Food, even the adults. I want to make sure that they have plenty of everything they need, and the mamas especially need extra calcium, so they all get this excellent puppy food. I believe it is one reason why we have such large and healthy litters.
There are other excellent dog / puppy feeds available. If you are unable to get ProPac in a convenient location, then please be sure to get an equally high quality puppy food. Examples are Iams, Eukenubia, Science Diet ... Gradually mix the new food in with the food that was supplied with the puppy, to give the baby's tummy time to adjust to the new food.
Many Westie breeders suggest that Westies should eat Lamb and Rice formula, since the Lamb and Rice formula is generally considered better for allergies. I'm sure this is fine, if you want to purchase it. However, we have not had any allergy problems, so we don't feed the Lamb and Rice formula. As a matter of fact, every time I have tried it, it gives my dogs the 'back door trots'.

What About House-Breaking?

CRATE TRAINING IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO. It is the most humane, effective, and least stressful (for pup and owner) method. The Humane Society does an excellent job of detailing safe crate training techniques on their website. Do yourself and your puppy a favor and give it a try!

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