Puppy Ownership: More Than Just a Cute Face 🐾

At Puppy La Vie, toy breeds are our specialty, and we absolutely love them!!!

We spend a great deal of time educating our families about feeding schedules, safety, grooming, socialization, training, and what to expect when bringing home a new puppy. Our goal is to provide the knowledge, resources, and support needed to help your puppy thrive.

However, as much as we would love to, we cannot go home with you to care for your puppy.

Once your puppy leaves our care, we trust that you understand the responsibility that comes with puppy ownership. This includes proper nutrition, supervision, veterinary care, grooming, training, and providing a safe environment.

We cannot ensure meals are not skipped. We cannot prevent a puppy from being left outside too long in the heat. We cannot supervise playtime, prevent falls, continue training, or make day-to-day decisions for your family.

What we can do is educate, guide, and support.

Of course, we also understand that sometimes accidents happen.

Puppies are living animals, and despite everyone’s best efforts, unexpected illnesses, injuries, or emergencies can occur. That is one of the reasons every Puppy La Vie puppy goes home with complimentary pet insurance coverage for added peace of mind.

While pet insurance is not a substitute for responsible care, routine veterinary visits, proper nutrition, supervision, and training, it can provide valuable support when the unexpected happens.

The First Week Matters

The first week home is one of the most important periods in your puppy’s life.

Your puppy has just left everything familiar—their littermates, environment, routine, and caregivers. They are adjusting to an entirely new world.

Please give them time.

We know how exciting it is to bring home a new puppy. The kids are excited. Family and friends want to visit. Everyone wants cuddles, pictures, and playtime.

Naturally, many families want to immediately take their puppy to dog parks, introduce them to every neighborhood dog, visit pet stores, attend family gatherings, and bring them everywhere.

While we understand the excitement, the first week should be focused on adjustment, routine, bonding, rest, and observation.

Allow your puppy to settle in. Let them learn their surroundings. Let them establish healthy eating habits and build trust with their new family.

Toy breeds are wonderful companions, but because of their small size, they can become tired, stressed, overheated, or experience low blood sugar more quickly than larger breeds.

This information is not meant to scare anyone away from getting a toy breed puppy. In fact, we love toy breeds so much that’s exactly why we specialize in them. We simply believe education is one of the greatest gifts we can provide to our families.

A Lifetime Commitment

We also want to be honest about something we are seeing more and more today: pet surrenders.

Across the country, shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with pets that were acquired without fully understanding the long-term commitment involved.

Please keep in mind that a puppy is not a temporary purchase. This is a commitment that may last 10–15 years or more.

Your puppy will require time, patience, veterinary care, training, grooming, financial support, and love throughout its life.

If you’re looking for a puppy simply because it’s cute, tiny, trendy, or currently fits your lifestyle, we encourage you to carefully consider the responsibility that comes along with puppy ownership.

At Puppy La Vie, we are looking for families who are ready to make a lifelong commitment to their new companion.

Why Puppy La Vie Operates the Way We Do

This is one of the reasons Puppy La Vie operates the way we do.

We encourage families to ask questions, learn about the breed they are considering, and fully understand the commitment before bringing a puppy home.

Our virtual introductions and consultations allow families to learn more about their potential puppy, discuss care requirements, and make thoughtful decisions before scheduling an in-person appointment.

Our goal is to do everything we can on our end to promote responsible puppy ownership through education, communication, and support.

We believe informed families make the best puppy parents.

No system is perfect, and we are always open to suggestions that help us improve the experience for both our families and our puppies.

At the end of the day, we all share the same goal: happy families, healthy puppies, and successful lifelong placements.

Thank you to the many wonderful Puppy La Vie families who continue to love, care for, and cherish their dogs long after take-home day. We appreciate you more than you know.

With love,

Puppy La Vie 💗🐶

“Matching exceptional puppies with exceptional families.”