I know this website has a lot of information about our dogs and our program and it can be a bit overwhelming with where to start. This is a guide to help you follow the steps and to also give you a little more information about our program to help you decide if we are the right breeders for you, and we really hope you have found the right place to adopt a Chihuahua puppy!

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1. Please look over our prices and deposits and all that is included in our puppy packages and the care that goes into each and every puppy, plus into our dogs. We do offer some discounts, so see if you qualify for any of them. We also do offer payment plans as well. Please also look over our duration policy for holding puppies longer than 9 weeks if not on a payment plan.    

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2. If you will need shipping, please look over the shipping information and be aware that there is an additional charge for transportation. 

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3. Review our Frequently asked questions, in case you may have thought of something while browsing our website, the answer may be included in that location. 

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4. After you have finished exploring our informative website, if you don't see a puppy from our available puppies page and would like to join our waiting list, then please submit a puppy application, found on the above tab or if on a mobile device, it will be labeled as puppy application on the pull down menu. Please put an answer for every location, even if it's not relevant for you. Please note that there is a  non-refundable $25.00 fee to be added our waiting list or to apply for any of our available puppies. Please do not send in an incomplete application. It will not get processed and the fee is non-refundable regardless if your application can be approved or declined. 

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5. Please allow us 7 business days to process your application to see if you are a qualified puppy parent. I receive multiple applications a day and it is time consuming to process each one, but I will always screen my potential homes. If your application is not complete, I may not even begin to process it, so be sure to include all required information upon submitting your application to us. YOU ARE WELCOME TO EMAIL US AT ANYTIME TO ASK IF WE RECEIVED YOUR APPLICATION. OUR APPLICATION SOMETIMES DOES NOT GO THROUGH FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS, SO IT'S WELCOMED TO CHECK IN WITH US AND WE WILL REPLY ASAP TO YOUR EMAIL. We will email you for any additional information that we will need on our end. All pending applications are only open for 14 days from the date it was first reviewed by Salem's Finest. Any additional time or extensions will only be granted if customer has requested and is in full communication with Salem's Finest. Do not hesitate to make me aware of your application. Find me on Facebook. Send me a chat message or a text message. I would love to hear from you. Or send me a chat right off of this website! My phone is ready to chat with you!

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6. Our puppies are sold all over the United States. We open our adoption process usually after the puppies are three weeks of age (sometimes earlier), and we contact our approved applicants first before allowing open adoptions to the public. Customers choose out of photographs and videos provided on our website--not in person! 

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7. Due to the safety of our family and our dogs, and since we raise our dogs in our private home, we are no longer allowing anyone to visit our home for puppy meet-in-greets or puppy pick-up's. We have had to remove these public events from our program. There will be absolutely no exceptions at all. If meeting your puppy in person is important to you prior to committing to a puppy, then I am not the right breeder for you. We apologize for how inconvenient this may be for you, but MY FAMILY AND MY DOGS ARE MY PRIORITY and it is my job to protect them. We will plan to meet you in a public location for the time of puppy pick up. 

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8. We do not hold any puppies to wait for "personalities" to develop. Sometimes our puppies will stay with us a while before getting adopted, and in these rare cases, a puppy will exhibit personality traits that we can share with you, but the majority of the time, our puppies are happily adopted early on and not available when personality traits are visible. If this is something that is important to you, our program may not be the right fit. We hate to lose you as a customer, but we have a system in place and it's working well for our busy home and for our dogs. Additionally, we do not hold any puppies to wait for eye color to develop. All puppies are born with blue eyes and occasionally, Merle Chihuahuas will keep their blue eyes, but not always. If by chance a Merle puppy that is older and has kept their blue eyes, then you will be able to see the permanent eye color. 

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9. Once your application has finished processing and you have decided to be added to our waiting list, then your name will be added to our public list and depending on what you are wanting, whether it be a puppy with specifics or you are open for any combination, then we will notify you of our upcoming litters on the way that could have what you are looking for. Otherwise, we are no longer keeping a waiting list without a non-refundable application fee on file. This fee is non-refundable. The fee is to cover my time to process your application. 

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10. What is included in our price: Our breeding dogs are all genetically health tested and all results are posted publicly for viewing. The genetic testing checks for 186 possible genetic health conditions and traits. A genetic health screen does not eliminate the need for a Veterinary health screening to detect health issues, but it is crucial for detecting genetic defects that would manifest as a disease later in life or could be passed on to offspring if a dog is bred. All of our breeding stock has been certified with O.F.A for eyes, hearts and patellas and if they aren't yet certified, it's because they aren't yet old enough. Our results are published on their database. We strive to breed healthier dogs so we will produce healthy litters of beautiful pups to share with our SFC families for many years. With as many opportunities out there for ruling out genetic disorders in canine genetics, we believe that more breeders should be taking advantage of these tools within their breeding program. Please do not hesitate to ask for verification of our health testing and when shopping for a breeder that states they health test, be sure to ask them too, especially if the information is not posted publicly!! We feed our dogs and puppies a high protein diet and substitute with fresh foods, vitamins and supplements as well. Our pregnant girls and nursing mamas are also fed a special diet daily to help provide important nutrients and essential oils, such as omegas, to their bodies and to the growing puppies. Our females and males are routinely checked to ensure the optimum health prior to breeding. All our females have my full time assistance when whelping. I am always present for our deliveries. I remove the dewclaws immediately after whelping. I do photo shoots every other week and videos every other week of each puppy in my care for our puppy families. I also provide weekly updates to each client about their puppy, including their weight each week. In order to provide top notch care to all of our puppies and dogs, I can't stand behind the camera 24/7. I do photos and videos as often as possible, and more than most breeders! I've bought a lot of dogs over the years and I know I provide a lot more photos than I received during the adoption process- so please be patient and appreciate what I do provide. Asking for photos outside of the updates that I do provide causes me to feel like you don't appreciate what I am already doing. If you are a part of social media (Facebook) and are a member of our group for our clients, then you will see the puppy room live in action and posts daily- however, if you have indicated on your application that you are not on social media, then that is your choice and you will miss out on the frequent updates that are made. I am not going to do more work to show you your puppy in other forms than what I am currently providing to my puppy families. The puppies are given parasite prevention biweekly. The puppies receive daily interactions from our family in the home, and adults and other dogs to help socialize them and prepare them for any future home. The puppies are raised with Puppy Culture Curriculum. All puppies are taken to our vet between 7-8 weeks of age for a full health screening to rule out any possibility of a genetic disorder and a wellness exam report is provided from our vet to you for your records. Our pups are microchipped before leaving. All of our litters are registered with the American Kennel Club and AKC papers are available to you. All puppies are started on pee pad training with washable pee pads. Each puppy will receive age appropriate vaccinations and you will receive documentation that this shot was administered to your puppy. Each puppy is also given one month of free pet insurance as well to help with any unforeseen vet bills within the first few weeks home. All pups are sent home with a generous bag of goodies and information to help make the transition of leaving our home to your home as easy as possible. I provide lifetime breeder assistance as well as a community support on a social media platform. What does lifetime breeder assistance mean? Well it means that if you keep in touch with me and provide me with frequent updates on your pup you chose from me, then I will be there to offer any guidance and support that I may be able to offer for the life of your dog. This is an invaluable addition that not all breeders provide. I WANT YOU to keep in touch with me. I want to know about any conditions that could come up within your pup over the course of their life. Why? Because I care about the health of my bloodlines and you are an important tool in helping me to see anything down the road that could not of been prevented in any type of health testing performed prior. Please respect my hours of availability and if you have an emergency, I am not a doctor! Seek medical help! 

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