Purchase info & screening questionnaire

In order to be approved for adoption, you must understand the following, and fill out completely the form linked at the bottom of the page

Owning a white shepherd is a very long term commitment, as they live upwards of 14 years. Is a White Shepherd the right breed for you? Shepherd puppies without adequate supervision may be very destructive, and can become territorial, protective, and aggressive. They may dig, chew, bark, jump up, and poop in the house! They may wander off (or actively seek to escape!) and become lost and/or injured. These behaviors can be prevented by careful planning, supervising, and training. Before you buy a puppy, you must understand that you will have to socialize it in a range of varied situations. This breed has defensive instincts, is emotionally sensitive, and socialization is a must, and throughout puppyhood is recommended. They will have puppy fear periods, which need to be handled with great care, to prevent decline in confidence. Examples of experiences would be car rides, trips to the park (not just the dog park) and meeting lots of strangers. Obedience class is great because it allows the dog to meet both new people and other dogs. This breed is very smart and intuitive to its surroundings and handler, and must be taught how you expect it to act in public and at home.

Shepherds can be sensitive to discipline, and a positive reinforcement training style is generally the best way to train your shepherd puppy. However, it is also important to understand that this breed is highly intelligent and some have enough willfulness to require other types of operant conditioning. It is important to be able to identify when other types of conditioning/training is needed. You will want to be careful in how the puppy is being introduced to stimuli that it finds threatening, that you do not accidentally negatively reinforce behaviors that you are actually wanting extinguished. It is important to know that this breed is not the easiest for first time dog owners and finding proper training will likely be needed if you have not had experience with this, or similar breed. Shepherds are very loyal, active, and require lots of exercise. White Shepherds tend to be somewhat mellower than the historical working German shepherd lines, but they have very active minds and bodies and destructive tendencies usually arise out of a dog’s boredom or lack of a “job” within the household. They are naturally protective - don’t ever expect them to walk up to a stranger with their tail wagging. If you want that behavior then this breed is not for you. White Shepherds are great with children, other dogs, and if properly introduced, get along fine with cats and other smaller animals. We are here to help with training/behavorial issues should they arise while rearing your puppy. We have a Slack group for our clients, where you can connect and share experiences and stories.

Purchasing a puppy from Moro Shepherds means that you also agree to the following

(this verbiage is part of our formal contract you will sign):

That your living arrangements provide adequate room for exercise and play for your pup. In other words - if your address has an apartment number or a space number you will likely not be approved for adoption. Your yard is safely fenced to keep your puppy from escaping. You understand the necessity of lots of early socialization.

Your obligations as a buyer

1. Buyer agrees to use the kennel name “Moro” as the first part of a dog’s name for registration. An examples would be Moro’s Darling of Sapphire.
2. Buyer agrees to register puppy (or transfer ownership if the dog is already registered) within 90 days of receiving the form and send a photocopy of the certificate to the seller.
3. Buyer agrees to inform seller when they move or change phone numbers while under any co-ownership.
4. If during the 30 days of ownership, if you cannot keep the dog for any reason, buyer agrees to return the dog to the seller and receive a refund. Buyer is responsible for shipping expenses, if any. If after 30 days, the dog may be returned, however without a refund.
5. Buyer agrees not to sell, trade, lease out, euthanize (except under emergency conditions to end suffering), or give away the dog without our permission. I would never knowingly sell a dog to an irresponsible dog owner and would not want someone buying one of my dogs from a third party. If you ever decide that you do not want the dog it may be returned to Moro Shepherds, where we will rehome the animal if possible.
6. In some cases we will allow a buyer to rehome themselves so long as we approve of the new owner.
7. Buyer agrees to comply with all local ordinances regarding the keeping of dogs, in addition to providing adequate food, water, housing, immunizations and health care and humane treatment for the dog.
8. If purchased on a spay-neuter contract, buyer agrees to prevent the dog from breeding (even by accident) and buyer agrees to wait to have the dog spayed/neutered until the dog is at least 13 months of age, and after the female’s first heat cycle, whichever is later. New health data is indicating that altering a dog too early may result in problems like hip dysplasia and some cancers. Any breeding under a spay/neuter contract is strictly prohibited, and attempts at registering any litters from a dog that was to be spayed/neutered will be reported to the appropriate kennel club, where the likely resulting action will be a ban of your rights as a breeder for life.

Moro Shepherds’ Obligations / Guarantees

The goal of Moro Shepherds with its breeding program is to produce dogs of sound mind and body, conforming as closely as possible to the FCI Berger Blanc Suisse breed standard. Our puppies carry the following guarantees with relation to health:

1. All pups are guaranteed regarding hip/elbow dysplasia. However, pedigrees that are free of hip dysplasia, for example, do not always guarantee 100% that a puppy will be free of these issues. Hip and elbow dysplasia can also become present if a dog is ever injured, especially in athletic/working breeds such as these. With that in mind our guarantee is as follows: In the case of bad hips and elbows, that would be an OFA grade of Moderate or Severe dysplasia on hips, or anything worse than DJD grade 1 on elbows. Hip X-rays must be taken and submitted to the OFA before the age of 36 months (3 years), and BEFORE BREEDING to qualify for this guarantee. If at that time the dog has a rating qualifying under the guarantee, Moro Shepherds will either replace the dog, or refund the purchase price. At our discretion, we may require the dog be re-x-rayed using Penn Hip instead of OFA testing. If still the dog shows dysplasia we will either refund or replace the dog. Guarantee does not apply to dogs with joint issues due to injury. Puppies sold on a breeding or show contract are guaranteed to have a minimum rating at 24 months of fair hips and free of elbow dysplasia.

2. With respect to any other genetic health issues, if it becomes apparent that your dog has a life threatening genetic defect, with written confirmation from a vet we will either replace or refund your purchase price of the dog.

3. When you get your puppy home, they will have had their first vaccination, have been wormed multiple times, and microchipped with prepaid lifetime enrollment into AKC’s Reunite program. You will still need to obtain a rabies shot, and complete the vaccination set for puppies sent home prior to 12 weeks of age. Ask your vet first, but most times rabies shots are given between 12 and 16 weeks of age. We recommend waiting as long as possible and we NEVER recommend a puppy getting a rabies shot in conjunction with other vaccinations at the same vet visit. Our dogs are fed Royal Canin brand pet food.

With relation to sound mind (temperament) and body (conformation) our pups have the following guarantee:

1. Pups that are deemed not breed quality will be sold on a “pet contract” and require spay/neuter for release of registration papers. Pet vs breed/show quality is based on evaluations, not a buyer’s prospective plans for the dog, and we place show quality dogs in companion homes often.
2. All pups that evaluate as breed or show quality are always sold with full breeding rights and registrations. Pricing is based on written judge evaluations that are provided to buyers. See our Pricing page for additional info.
3. We make every attempt to match the individual puppy with the home environment they will be placed in, however no system is perfect. If you change your mind and do not want the dog, we will take it back and refund your money if within the first 30 days of ownership. If after 30 days, the following process occurs: Yes, we will take the dog back, but we not refund. In fact, anytime during the dog’s life it may come back to us. $500 consisting of the deposit is non-refundable.
4. Dogs that are placed in show/breeding homes are guaranteed to be fit for either breeding or show depending on conformation, temperament, and health qualities. If the puppy turns out to have any disqualifying defects, we will make every attempt to replace your dog with a puppy that suits, however it may not be from the same sire/dam breeding as the original litter.

How our puppies are priced:

Please see our Pricing page.

If you understand and agree to all of the above, and wish to apply to reserve a puppy or purchase an adult that we have listed for sale, please fill out the following application. Note that this is not a formal commitment for you to purchase anything; it is merely a screening tool to help us make informed decisions about you and matching each dog/puppy to the specific family.