ADOPTION PROCESS
Not All Poodle puppies are created equal. At Moonrise Poodles I strive to marry Nature with Nurture to produce ultimate companion poodles who are quintessential representatives of the poodle breed in mind and body. Moonrise poodle puppies are raised in an enriched environment, handled and socialized from birth, exposed to car rides, grooming procedures, pets, adults and children alike. And most importantly, our puppies come with lifetime breeder support. We love working with prospective homes who prioritize the value of personality and temperament match over specific patterns and colors.
ADOPTION PROCESS WALKTHROUGH
PREPAID PRIORITY WAITLIST
It is my goal to produce, raise, and match families with the best companion poodles. My reservation process starts with an application, followed by a phone chat and a consultation. Once approved, the prospective family is placed on a Prepaid Priority Wait List. This model allows me to prioritize communications with committed prospective owners above all other inquiries. Once a prospective family becomes a PPW member, they have my personal phone number and are encouraged to reach out with any questions they may have about upcoming litters, or help to set up their puppy or poodles in general. PPW members are encouraged to communicate and should never feel guilty about "taking my time".
| APPLY |
ASSIGNMENT PROCESS
To match each family with a puppy who is perfect for them, I use your application answers, notes from phone consultations, and subsequent conversations to help me determine a prospective home’s needs. I use my observations and temperament testing performed at seven weeks to assign puppies. Click the button for boring nitty-gritty...
The Boring Nitty-Gritty
My reservation process starts with an application, followed by a phone chat and a consultation
- Once approvedOnce approved, a non-refundable $100 waitlist fee is due within 72 hours from the phone consultation to hold one’s place on the waitlist. Waitlist fees are non-refundable but are transferable for up to three liters, and go towards the full balance.
- Once puppies are bornOnce puppies are born, I will let you know the colors and genders available. At 7-10 days when it is clear the puppies are thriving, a non-refundable $500 puppy reservation fee is due within 72 hours to hold a puppy. This reservation fee is non-refundable and goes towards the full balance.
- Applying for an available puppy or a puppy from already born litterIf you are applying for a puppy from a litter that has already been born and not reserved yet, once you are approved, a $500 reservation fee to hold a puppy for you is required. The reservation fee is due within 72 hours from the phone consultation and approval. The fee is non-refundable and non-transferable but goes toward the full balance.
- Pick up in personThe new owners are required to pick up their puppy in person. I do not ship my puppies in cargo or with auto transport. Moonrise Poodle families have come from as far as California, Wisconsin, Florida, NY, Maine, and everywhere in between. Moonrise puppies are well socialized and did great on their journeys. I can meet you or your puppy flight nanny at CAE airport with careful advanced planning.
- Pick up scheduleThe puppies are scheduled to go home on a Saturday following their eight-week birthday. The exact date will be posted on the individual litter page, complete with important updates and pictures, and communicated through email. Pick-up time is between 9am-12pm in Columbia, SC to allow for travel and settling in at home.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Unfortunately, I do not offer home visits anymore. In times past, visiting the kennel grounds and breeders’ homes to meet the parents was a sound piece of advice! Unfortunately, the times have changed. Puppy buyers nowadays have to worry about unscrupulous breeders and breeders have to worry about the unscrupulous public. Personal safety, the comfort of my family, and biohazard safety are my priority.
What can we do instead of visiting? I do maintain an active Facebook page, Instagram, and private Facebook group for Moonrise Poodles. I encourage you to look at the candid videos, photos, reviews, and puppy owner interactions on my social media to gain an insight into the level of care my dogs receive and see for yourself how my puppies and dogs are raised.
Any local prospective owners on the waitlist are welcome to meet my dogs in public or at my workplace by appointment, or we can schedule a video call.
What can we do instead of visiting? I do maintain an active Facebook page, Instagram, and private Facebook group for Moonrise Poodles. I encourage you to look at the candid videos, photos, reviews, and puppy owner interactions on my social media to gain an insight into the level of care my dogs receive and see for yourself how my puppies and dogs are raised.
Any local prospective owners on the waitlist are welcome to meet my dogs in public or at my workplace by appointment, or we can schedule a video call.
The short answer, poodles are amazing human-oriented dogs and both males and females make great companions. There are some slight differences in the personality that may appeal and be better suited for your family.
People tend to assume that male poodles have stronger, more forward personalities and are prone to naughty and dominant behavior like marking and humping; and females are more affectionate and won't challenge authority.
In my experience poodle males actually are more owner dependant, affectionate, and willing to please. They love the whole family, favoring those who pay attention to them. They also tend to be more sensitive. Male poodle attentiveness makes them excellent candidates for service work and companionship alike.
Female poodles often display more independent behaviors while still being affectionate with their people. They are the ones who keep order in the pack and look out for everyone's wellbeing. Females are more environmentally alert and can be protective of their territory. In my experience, they are a little bit more subdued in their affection than males. They are thinkers and can sometimes be a bit more stubborn than males. Females tend to bond stronger with a person of their own choice.
These differences are very minor and barely noticeable in everyday life. I encourage you to be open minded about gender and let me pick a puppy who would be a better fit for your family.
People tend to assume that male poodles have stronger, more forward personalities and are prone to naughty and dominant behavior like marking and humping; and females are more affectionate and won't challenge authority.
In my experience poodle males actually are more owner dependant, affectionate, and willing to please. They love the whole family, favoring those who pay attention to them. They also tend to be more sensitive. Male poodle attentiveness makes them excellent candidates for service work and companionship alike.
Female poodles often display more independent behaviors while still being affectionate with their people. They are the ones who keep order in the pack and look out for everyone's wellbeing. Females are more environmentally alert and can be protective of their territory. In my experience, they are a little bit more subdued in their affection than males. They are thinkers and can sometimes be a bit more stubborn than males. Females tend to bond stronger with a person of their own choice.
These differences are very minor and barely noticeable in everyday life. I encourage you to be open minded about gender and let me pick a puppy who would be a better fit for your family.
All of Moonrise dogs are tested and screened based on the variety and their parentage status. My dogs are screened at minimum as recommended by Poodle Club of America for CHIC standard for
-PRA
-Knees
-Eye checks with an ophthalmologist yearly
In addition, I submit xrays to OFA for Hip, Elbow and CLP certifications
-Basic Cardiac
and test for IVDD, DM and OD
I will happily provide OFA links and images of health certificates to serious prospective puppy owners.
-PRA
-Knees
-Eye checks with an ophthalmologist yearly
In addition, I submit xrays to OFA for Hip, Elbow and CLP certifications
-Basic Cardiac
and test for IVDD, DM and OD
I will happily provide OFA links and images of health certificates to serious prospective puppy owners.
My puppy pick-up date is scheduled for the first Saturday after the eight-week birthday for all my puppies. I make sure every puppy is ready to travel, is eating solid food, and is developmentally mature before they leave my care. The puppies are prepared for transitioning to their new homes through age-appropriate socialization based on the Avidog, and Puppy Culture methods.
I send my puppies home at 8 weeks because The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends starting puppy classes as early as 7-8 weeks as the benefits of early socialization and training outweigh the potential risk of disease when done safely.
The first twelve weeks of the poodle’s life are the most important and formative. This is a relatively short window of opportunity for your puppy to learn everything (s)he needs to know about the world (s)he lives in and to learn to trust it. This also includes learning about YOU and
your family and the environment the puppy will live in.
I send my puppies home at 8 weeks because The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends starting puppy classes as early as 7-8 weeks as the benefits of early socialization and training outweigh the potential risk of disease when done safely.
The first twelve weeks of the poodle’s life are the most important and formative. This is a relatively short window of opportunity for your puppy to learn everything (s)he needs to know about the world (s)he lives in and to learn to trust it. This also includes learning about YOU and
your family and the environment the puppy will live in.
AKC registration in your name
-Health guarantee
-Microchip
-Age appropriate vaccination
-Age appropriate deworming
-First veterinary exam
-OFA ophthalmologist evaluation
-Lifelong membership with Bella and Baxter online training school
-Go home Pack
-Crate training started
-Started on housetraining
-Experienced with grooming
-First haircut
-Experienced car rides
-Raised with Avidog and Puppy Culture early socialisation
-Health guarantee
-Microchip
-Age appropriate vaccination
-Age appropriate deworming
-First veterinary exam
-OFA ophthalmologist evaluation
-Lifelong membership with Bella and Baxter online training school
-Go home Pack
-Crate training started
-Started on housetraining
-Experienced with grooming
-First haircut
-Experienced car rides
-Raised with Avidog and Puppy Culture early socialisation
At this time all of my puppies are sold on a pet only AKC registration known as Limited Registration. Limited registration allows the owner to participate and earn performance titles in all AKC venues - Obedience, Rally -O, Agility, Junior competitions, ext. The only limitation of Limited registration is - no breeding. Any progeny from a dog with limited registration will not be eligible for AKC registration.
If you are interested in Full registration, I am happy to discuss this on a case by case basis. I value miniature poodles’ performance abilities and open to serious owners earning Full Registration by titling and health testing their dogs.
I do not sell my puppies to doodle breeders or commercial kennels.
If you are interested in Full registration, I am happy to discuss this on a case by case basis. I value miniature poodles’ performance abilities and open to serious owners earning Full Registration by titling and health testing their dogs.
I do not sell my puppies to doodle breeders or commercial kennels.
I am a big believer in trusting the natural processes and allow my moms to wean their babies when they feel it is appropriate naturally. Maternal antibodies from the milk can override early vaccines, so I start vaccination protocol at 7- 8 weeks of age. Your puppy will have at least one set of shots administered by my veterinarian, and I will provide you with a medical record so you can follow the schedule. My vet highly recommends an additional (fourth) parvo only vaccine at 20-22 weeks for full protection. The puppies are dewormed at 2,4,6, and 8 weeks and get checked for worms by our vet before going home.
Yes! No puppy leaves without a contract signed by the puppy owner and the breeder.
I offer a 2-year orthopedic and 5-year sight guarantee and comply with SC state law. I require that any puppy picked up by the new owners visits a veterinarian within 72hr of leaving my care. The contract and health guarantee sample can be found here (link) so you can review the terms before making a commitment.
I offer a 2-year orthopedic and 5-year sight guarantee and comply with SC state law. I require that any puppy picked up by the new owners visits a veterinarian within 72hr of leaving my care. The contract and health guarantee sample can be found here (link) so you can review the terms before making a commitment.
I ask you to fill out a puppy application and go through a consultation process to make sure you are prepared for a long-term commitment. Poodles thrive in active homes with humans who possess a sense of humor and can provide the time and care to make a poodle a part of the family.
Yes! My poodle puppies come with lifetime breeder support and commitment! You will have my phone number and email address after the application process is completed and the commitment to get a puppy is made. Puppy owners are always welcome to contact me with any concerns, questions or simply to share their poodle’s milestones!
I welcome puppy owners to share pictures and updates on our Facebook page.
I welcome puppy owners to share pictures and updates on our Facebook page.
Tails - I disagree with cutting off any healthy body part without sound scientific justification. There is no scientific justification for docking poodle tails. It is simply a tradition that belongs in the past. Correct poodle tail carriage is at 12 O’Clock position, and the tail is covered with a profuse coat. This makes it virtually impossible for a poodle to get "happy tail" syndrome, knock things off of a coffee table or cause bruising on your legs. Full poodle tails are as expressive as the poodle eyes and only add to their silly antics repertoire.
Dewclaws are frequently portrayed as these useless appendages. Front dewclaws have fully formed joints firmly attached to the metacarpal joint, very much like your thumbs are connected to your hands. This joint formation has several stabilizer muscles and ligaments running through it. For PROPER removal of the dewclaw to prevent the regrowth of the nail the joint has to be cut out completely causing damage to the surrounding tissue and ligaments.
This invasive procedure predisposes an active dog like a poodle to early arthritis and potentially chronic pain. Regular nail trims and a proper grooming schedule will prevent nail overgrowth and mat formation that could lead to grooming accidents.
Dewclaws are frequently portrayed as these useless appendages. Front dewclaws have fully formed joints firmly attached to the metacarpal joint, very much like your thumbs are connected to your hands. This joint formation has several stabilizer muscles and ligaments running through it. For PROPER removal of the dewclaw to prevent the regrowth of the nail the joint has to be cut out completely causing damage to the surrounding tissue and ligaments.
This invasive procedure predisposes an active dog like a poodle to early arthritis and potentially chronic pain. Regular nail trims and a proper grooming schedule will prevent nail overgrowth and mat formation that could lead to grooming accidents.
No. Parti colors are one of the original colors of poodles found in the original breed standard.
The parti colored poodles were excluded from the Poodle Club of America (PCA) breed standard due to club members’ personal preferences at the time of the club’s formation. This was not a health-related decision. The PCA excluded other colors besides black or white as well, and it took a combined effort from the breeders to add them back into the standard. Several European countries maintained parti colors as part of the breed standard and added them back in recent years.
All pets should receive regular wellness check-ups at your veterinarian regardless of color.
The parti colored poodles were excluded from the Poodle Club of America (PCA) breed standard due to club members’ personal preferences at the time of the club’s formation. This was not a health-related decision. The PCA excluded other colors besides black or white as well, and it took a combined effort from the breeders to add them back into the standard. Several European countries maintained parti colors as part of the breed standard and added them back in recent years.
All pets should receive regular wellness check-ups at your veterinarian regardless of color.
PLEASE, read before you apply for a puppy