Last Updated Sept 4, 2026
Pricing & Process
Finding the right puppy is such an exciting decision, and we want the process to feel personal from the very beginning.
We love getting to know the families who find us - hearing about their home, the things they enjoy doing and what they're hoping life with their dog will look like. At the same time, we're getting to know each of our puppies as they grow. Bringing those two things together is a big part of how we place our puppies.
Our Puppies - $2,500 - $2,800
Our Miniature American Shepherd puppies are typically $2,500 for tris and $2,800 for merles. Occasionally, an individual puppy may be priced differently based on show or breeding potential. We do not price puppies differently based on eye color, sex, markings or tail length.
A $500 deposit is required once you've decided to move forward with one of our puppies. That deposit goes toward the total puppy price, with the remaining balance due before your puppy goes home.
A More Personal Approach to Puppy Placement
We don't use a traditional numbered waitlist. We've learned over the years that we really prefer having the puppies here in front of us before making placement decisions. We do notify interested families on our informal waitlist when a litter is born and they can then decide if the timing is right for them or not.
If we don't have a current litter or you're interested in a future litter, you're welcome to fill out our puppy application and contact us to be updated on upcoming litters or even a specific upcoming pairing and we're happy to place you on our informal waitlist to be notified when we have those litters arrive.
Even when they're only a few weeks old, we start seeing little differences in a litter of puppies' personalities. As they grow, we learn more and more about each one. At the same time, we want to learn about you. Our puppy application gives us a starting place. We ask about your family, lifestyle, other pets, activity level and what you're hoping for in a dog. From there, we like to connect through a video call. You can meet us, see our dogs and puppies, ask questions and get a better feel for who we are and we get the same opportunity to know you.
We don't want choosing a puppy to feel like racing to get your name first on a list. We'd much rather have enough information about both the temperament of a puppy you're interested in and you to help make a thoughtful decision on matching a specific puppy with their future family.
Temperament & Finding the Right Fit
One of my favorite things about raising a litter is watching each puppy's personality begin to show. Some are the first ones into everything. Some like to watch for a minute before joining in. Some seem to think every person who walks into the room came specifically to see them. Others are a little more independent. Those differences are part of what makes each puppy so much fun to get to know.
Around six to seven weeks old, we also complete an individual temperament evaluation with each puppy. My husband is a retired K9 handler and trainer and brings years of experience working with dogs to this part of our program. The temperament evaluation is one more piece of getting to know them. We look at things like confidence, how much they seek people out, how they respond to something unfamiliar, how willing they are to engage and whether they're naturally more independent or happiest right beside someone. We then combine that temperament evaluation with something we think is just as important - what we've learned from actually living with that puppy and watching them every day since birth - to help us match our puppies.
Families are absolutely welcome to have preferences. Maybe you know you want a female or a male. Maybe you've always dreamed of a blue merle. Maybe one puppy's little face has already completely stolen your heart. We want you to absolutely fall in love with your future puppy. So while it's important to me to take into account your preferences, we also want what we're seeing in each puppy's temperament to be part of the conversation too.
We want you to love how your puppy looks, but even more than that, we want you to love who they are with their individual quirks and personalities.
The Kind of Dogs We Hope to Raise
Our heart is in raising wonderful all around companion dogs. We love Miniature American Shepherds because they're smart, fun, affectionate little dogs who want to be part of whatever their people are doing. They're active enough to head out on an adventure with you but, with the right foundation and lifestyle, can also learn to settle and just enjoy being with their family.
Maybe your dog will hike and travel with you. Maybe they'll be your companion on school pick ups and drop offs. Maybe they'll be your child's best buddy or your shadow. Maybe they'll enjoy games of frisbee or fetch or even agility for fun. Maybe they'll tag along to the kids' ballgames, play in the backyard and then curl up beside you on the couch at the end of the day.
That's really what we love - that "What are we doing today? I'm coming too. I love being right with you" quality of our dogs whether that is on active adventuring days or slower days hanging out at home.
We aren't trying to build our program around showing or titling dogs during this season of our lives. Our heart is in focusing on doing well what we love and believe in with not only giving our dogs a wonderful quality of life here with us but producing and raising healthy, beautiful, enjoyable companion dogs who become deeply loved members of their own families.
Preparing Your Puppy for Home
Our puppies are born and raised inside our home and grow up right alongside our family.
From those first days of gentle handling through the weeks of play, exploration and learning that follow, we try to give each puppy age-appropriate experiences that help prepare them for life with their new family.
As they grow, that includes normal household life, different people and dogs, toys, surfaces and sounds, outdoor experiences and opportunities to explore something new. We also begin practical things like potty-training foundations, crate and carrier introduction, short periods of independence and travel preparation.
They certainly don't leave us fully trained as they're still young puppies! We simply want to give them a good beginning and a foundation that their family can continue building on.
What Comes With Your Puppy
• A veterinary wellness examination
• Age-appropriate vaccinations and deworming
• Microchip
• Registration paperwork when applicable
• Health and vaccination records
• Our puppy contract and health guarantee
• A puppy go-home bag with familiar items and helpful information for the transition home
• Ongoing breeder support after your puppy leaves us
Our relationship with our puppy families doesn't end when a puppy goes home. We really do love hearing from our families, seeing pictures as the puppies grow and hearing about the lives they're building together.
And if you have a question along the way, we want you to feel comfortable reaching out to us.
Bringing Your Puppy Home
Families are always welcome to come to us in North Carolina to pick up their puppy. But we've also learned that sometimes the family who is just right for one of our puppies lives a long way from North Carolina.
We're happy to meet families within approximately one hour of us at no additional charge. For families who are flying in to pick up their puppy, we're also happy to meet you at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) at no additional charge.
We want bringing your puppy home to be as easy as we reasonably can make it, and we're happy to help with that little bit of travel on our end.
For families who live farther away, personal puppy delivery has become a special part of what we offer. One or more of our family members personally travels with your puppy rather than sending them with an unfamiliar third-party transporter. We've driven puppies many hours to their new homes and have personally flown with puppies as well.
It may mean a long day on the road for us, but we love knowing the puppy has someone familiar caring for them during that big transition. And there is something really special about getting to meet a family in person and put their puppy directly into their arms.
Personal Ground Delivery
For locations beyond our complimentary meeting area, personal ground delivery generally begins at $150, with the final fee based on round-trip distance and what the trip requires.
If we're already traveling in your direction or can coordinate the trip with another puppy family, we may sometimes be able to offer a reduced delivery fee.
If you'd like a delivery quote, just send us your location and we'll be happy to let you know what personal delivery would be for your puppy.
Personal Flight Delivery
For families farther away, we can personally accompany a puppy by air and meet you at your nearest major airport. Your puppy travels right in the cabin with us. Flight delivery is quoted individually based on airfare, destination and the travel required.
We've helped our puppies reach families throughout the United States. So if you've fallen in love with one of our puppies but live a long way from us, please don't assume distance means it can't work. We're always happy to talk through the options with you.
Ready to Get to Know Us?
If one of our puppies has caught your eye and/or you think our program here at Foxtail Hollow might be the right fit for your family, we'd love to hear from you.
The first step is filling out our puppy application. From there, we'll reach out, talk a little more and arrange a video call when it seems like we may be a good fit for one another. A video call allows you to meet and see our parent dogs as well as the puppies in the litter you're interested in and get to know us better as well. It also allows us a chance to get to know you and what you're looking for in a puppy a bit better too. Video calls (or a telephone call in lieu of a video call) are an important part of our puppy placement process and we do not place puppies without them.
We know choosing the breeder and puppy you'll hopefully share many years of your life with is a big decision. We don't want you to feel rushed through it! We want you to feel excited and confident about the puppy you're welcoming into your family and we want to feel just as good about placing one of ours with you.
Bringing home a puppy is an investment not only financially but emotionally. We take that responsibility seriously. Our goal is to raise well-prepared, healthy and happy Miniature American Shepherd puppies and thoughtfully place them in homes ready for a lifelong companion.