Express Interest in a puppy

We currently do not have a litter of puppies. Subscribe to our mailing list to be sure to hear about our next litter. In the meantime, we encourage you to review the information below.

Am I eligible to express my interest?

It’s only appropriate to express interest if you;

  • Genuinely intend to purchase a puppy from the current litter;
  • Are able to collect the puppy around in the stated window;
  • Are prepared to pay the puppy purchase fee (more info), plus the Sterilisation Bond (more info);
  • Can pay the $1,000 deposit by the specified time;
  • Are based in the state of Victoria, Australia or are willing to drive here (more info);
  • Have read our Puppy FAQ!

If you’re not ready (or don’t qualify) to express interest yet, we have more info on our puppy selection and buying process.

We usually have more people wanting puppies than we have puppies, so some people will miss out 😕. We work to find the best possible home for each puppy from this litter. See a list of other Victorian Rhodesian Ridgeback breeders on the RR Dogs Vic page.

How to express your interest

We only take written Expressions of Interest, where you write about what kind of life the new dog will have with your family, responding to some questions we ask.

We acknowledge this process is biased towards people who can write well, but we’re not your high school English teacher and we’re not looking for perfect grammar and spelling – we just want to understand the life your family will provide for the new dog. 😌

Why we only take written EoI’s

We typically get at least 100 Expressions of Interest (EoI’s) for each litter. Calling each person is very time consuming for us, especially when many applicants are not suitable (not you, of course!). But there are a few other advantages to a written EoI, including;

  • A written submission does not require us both to be available at the same time. We can read, discuss and re-read your written application, then prepare notes and questions to ask you, without the immediate time-pressure of a phone call.
  • A written EoI allows applicants more scope to share what they think is important, to include images (and even link to videos) sharing their situation more richly
  • Kids who will be a formative part of the new dog’s life can also have an opportunity to express themselves
  • The applicant can spend time thinking about how to best present themselves (instead of being put “on the spot” on a phone call).

This seems to be a lot of work…?

Yes, it’s a few hours work to make an EoI with the best chance of success, and even if you make a thorough EoI, you still may not be successful!

But the good news is, the work you have put in to your EoI will be very well-received by other breeders (and similarly, perhaps with a few modifications, information you have prepared for other breeders should be suitable for us). 

Tips for Expressing Interest

We take this process seriously. We’ll largely make a decision if you get a puppy from this litter based only on your written Expression of Interest, so we encourage you to spend time on getting it right.

  • Lay out your application clearly. Make it easy to read. Use headings, shorter sentences, and paragraphs.
  • Use the spell- and grammar-check functions of your word processor (but incorrect spelling and grammar will not mean you’ll miss out on a puppy!)
  • Embed images. Use of images is strongly encouraged (for example, “here’s where she’ll sleep”, “this is our next door neighbour’s dog – they’ll have a play session daily”, “here’s an activity we’d take the dog on”, “this is our kids playing with our last dog”, etc). Please do not use clip-art or images from the internet just to “add colour”.
  • Link to videos. Videos can show what images and text cannot, so consider a short video shot on your smartphone (for example, a 30-second tour of your backyard). Videos do not need to be professionally produced or edited. Embedding a video in a document is complicated and can be unreliable. Instead, link to specific videos on online services (eg, YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Google Drive, etc). Make sure they are publicly accessible and not password-protected.
  • Answer the question thoroughly. Each question we ask has some additional “writing prompts” to help you think about the information we’re seeking – answering them is good, but providing more info is better. One-word or very brief answers are not preferred. Typically, a few sentences for each question is a guide, but more is also fine. Bullet points are fine. If you don’t mention something, we may assume the worst, so be sure to mention things you think are “obvious”.
  • Answer all the questions. Even the “hard” ones! EoI’s with missing answers will be poorly assessed.
  • Keep everything in one file, and one submission. Please don’t make several submissions with parts of your story. If you realised you made a mistake, submitting a second “fixed” submission is fine – just clearly indicate the previous submission should be ignored.
  • Get the whole family involved. Kids and dogs have a big impact on each other’s lives, and involving kids in the process will help them feel some ownership and responsibility. A photograph of a drawing they made, a poem, a description of how a dog makes them feel – their input is welcome and helpful.
  • Help us understand who you guys are – we don’t know you at all, so help us learn.
  • Read through our questions first. If you’re not clear on what we’re seeking, check the FAQ. if you cannot find the answer there, it’s no problem to contact us to ask for clarification.
  • We say family… but it’s fine if it’s just you, or if there’s no kids, or whatever.
  • Not just a puppy. The new dog will only be a puppy for a few months… but for the next ~12 years, it’ll be an adult dog. A new puppy is fun and exciting, but most of the time you spend will be with an adult dog, so be careful not to focus your answers only on the first few months (but don’t ignore the first few months either!).
  • Read up if you’re not sure on how to answer. Our FAQ provides guidance on all the topics we ask about, and of course the broader internet has a lot of information as well! But be careful to check “both sides of the story” (compare several different sources) – there’s plenty of misinformation out there!
  • It’s private. We won’t be sharing your application with anyone other than ourselves. It won’t be posted publicly. Once all the puppies are sold, we’ll permanently delete submissions that were unsuccessful (but we’ll keep submissions from successful families on file). You can withdraw your submission at any time, just let us know.

Use the below form to submit a PDF of your expression of interest (use your word processor’s “Print to PDF” function). But note, submission is only possible when we officially notify you that submissions are open.

The PDF you provide should include these sections.

About us

Your name

Name of the main contact person for this potential puppy purchase. Just one person’s full name, please!

Your location

Identify your country, state / region / province, and suburb. We do not need your address at this stage.

Your email address

Provide your email address.

Your phone number

If your Expression of Interest is promising, we may call for a follow-up phone chat. Due to poor mobile service in our area, we’ll be calling using the internet which may appear to you as an unlisted number (or as a number from some other country!). We may SMS you to confirm some details, but please don’t call back on that number, it won’t work well. 😕

Best days and times to call

We’ll do our best to meet your preference, but providing broad availability times is appreciated (for example, “Any week day after 4pm” is good. “Thursday 29th at 9.30am” is not so good). If we call, the call will likely go for 15 minutes or so. 

How did you hear about us?

It’s very helpful for us to know how you found us. Please be specific.

Questions

What kind of life would the new dog have with your family?

This is a wide open question, so use it to let us know about your family and the situation the new dog will come into. 

What will the new dog’s planned sleeping arrangements be?

Day to day, where will the puppy sleep? Where will the adult dog sleep overnight? Inside or outside? On your bed? A child’s bed? Under the covers? Under the house? What about for daytime snoozes?

How do you plan to exercise the new dog?

Perhaps you have a backyard, and the dog can run around in it when it chooses? That’s good, but what else? Will there be off-lead opportunities in parklands? Realistically quantify it – how often? How long? Where? What if it’s raining, or you’re busy that week?

How do you plan to feed the new dog?

Canned food? Kibble? BARF? A mixture? (what percentages would the mix be?). How much are you prepared to pay per-meal? Why are you choosing to feed this way?

How often would the new dog be able to play with other dogs?

Quantify this – how often? For how long? How many dogs? On-lead, or off-lead? Where?

What training do you plan to do with the new dog?

You’ve probably heard of Puppy Preschool – we certainly encourage you to attend these 4 to 6 week courses. But beyond that, what training do you plan to do? How often? Who will do the training (ie, yourself, or one-on-one with an expert, or as a member of a club)? If it’s at 9am on a Sunday morning, is that something you’ll realistically attend ongoing? How many days / weeks / months / years do you plan to attend training for? How will you decide to stop formally training the dog? How do you expect the dog to behave when you come home? How should the dog behave when you have a visitor? How will you ensure that’s the case?

How do you plan to discipline the dog?

For example if it wees inside, gets on the couch, jumps up to the kitchen bench, or bites people as a puppy?

How often would the new dog be left alone?

By this we mean, with no other people in the house. Realistically, on a week-to-week basis for the coming years?

When no one is home, where would the new dog be? 

Even if you work from home and “never go out”, it’s likely there will be some times the dog has to be left alone in its ~12 year lifetime.

When you go away on holiday, where will the dog be?

Sometimes your family will go on holiday. Will the dog come with you? Stay with family or friends? A commercial kennels? How often would that be? How long would it be for each time? How will you ensure the dog is cared for?

What’s your gender preference for the new dog?

And why do you have that gender preference?

How do you feel about Breeder’s Terms?

Some female puppies show a lot of promise, and we may want to breed with them even though you own her, when she is 2 to 3 years old. We’d pay for all costs. We’d take her for about 7 weeks for the whelping, and you’d get either a puppy in return, or the fee we sell a puppy for. You can change your mind prior to the mating. We may also choose not to breed with this dog – we’ll only know when the dog is 12 to 18 months old. This is not a requirement, but it’s helpful to know your opinion on this. More info on Breeder’s Terms.

How do you feel about sterilisation of the new dog?

Sterilisation involves a small operation on the dog to ensure it cannot fall pregnant / impregnate other dogs. What’s your position on that, and why?

Submit your Expression of Interest

Send your EoI to garion@jarracadakennels.com.au.