You’re In!
Let the Puppy Countdown Begin 🐾
Welcome to the Thunder Ridge Family!
We’re so excited to have you on board! If you’d like a better idea of the timeline, scroll down to see a breakdown of what to expect while you wait for your puppy. This will help you follow along as things progress and know what’s coming next. We know waiting can feel like forever, but we promise it’ll be worth it!
The Journey Begins!
Joined the Waitlist
Heat Cycle Begins
Breeding Takes Place
Pregnancy Ultrasound
X-Rays Before Birth
Puppies Are Born!
Visit Day
Puppy Matching
Go-Home Day
You’re officially in line! You’ll begin receiving important email updates as things move forward.
You’ll get an email update when Pivot comes into heat. This marks the start of the breeding process.
Once Pivot has been bred, we’ll send out another email update so you can start counting down! Pregnancy typically lasts about 9 weeks.
Around 4 weeks after breeding, Pivot will have an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy. You’ll receive an email with the results. (Ultrasounds confirm pregnancy but not the number of puppies.)
If you’ve been on the waitlist for a while, this is also when we check in with families to see if your goals or preferences have changed so we can make sure everything is still a good fit moving forward.
Roughly a week before Pivot’s due date, we do x-rays to get a rough idea of how many puppies to expect. While we don’t send an email for this stage, we usually share the x-ray on Facebook—feel free to follow along and try guessing the puppy count!
Once the puppies arrive, we give Pivot and her litter up to 72 hours to settle in before reaching out. Then we’ll email families to confirm continued interest and begin accepting deposits. If there aren’t enough pups or a match isn’t available, you’ll have the option to move to the next litter or receive a refund.
After their first vaccinations (around 5-6 weeks of age) we’ll host a Visit Day! We’ll send an email with the date and details a few weeks before. If you’re not local (or even if you are), we’re always happy to set up a video chat.
We complete formal temperament testing and match each puppy with the home that suits them best between 7–8 weeks of age. You’ll receive an email introducing your new pup, along with pickup details!
If it turns out there isn’t a puppy that’s the right fit for your goals or needs, you’ll have the option to move to the next planned litter or receive a refund.
Time to bring your puppy home! Pickup typically happens between 8–9 weeks of age. Puppies go home with a puppy pack that includes their health records, contracts, some treats and toys, a small bag of their current food, and a few other small goodies to help them settle in.
What About After Puppies Go Home?
Once your puppy is home, I’ll check in after the first 72 hours to see how they’re settling in and how their initial vet visit went. I also love asking new puppy parents to send a photo and a little update to share on our Facebook page!
A few weeks later, after the pups have completed their vaccinations, I’ll check in again to see how things are going. From there, I typically check in once or twice a year—just to stay connected, see how your pup is growing, and make note of any health or behavioural updates. These occasional check-ins help me better understand how my puppies mature and guide future breeding decisions.
You’re also more than welcome to friend me on Facebook or stay in more regular contact if that’s something you’d enjoy,I love following along with how your pup grows and thrives!
Stay Connected
We share regular updates and everyday life with the dogs on our public Facebook page – it’s a great way to follow along between email updates, especially for the little day-to-day things we don’t always email out.
We also have a private Facebook group just for our puppy families, and we highly recommend joining! In the group, we post more frequent updates, extra photos that don’t always make it to the public page, and lots of helpful resources for raising your puppy. You’re welcome to send a join request anytime, and once deposits are paid (after the puppies are born), we’ll approve access. We keep this space just for current puppy families so it stays focused, helpful, and relevant.