A. We are located in Troy, Virginia, 15 minutes from Charlottesville 45 minutes from Richmond, two hours from Williamsburg and 3 hours from VA beach.

 

A. At TiaMaria Shih-Tzu’s we breed for the AKC and ASTC  standard. All of our puppies will be between 8 and 16 lbs, we do not breed into the “tea cup Imperial” myth.

 

A. We only breed shih-tzu’s, although my daughter is starting to breed Siamese kittens.

 

 

Q. Will a male dog spray after he is neutered?

A. No, there is no reason to worry about this. The odds of your neutered male spraying are about the same as a female spraying (very unlikely!), therefore, don't let it affect your decision on gender! Just be sure to get him neutered at the appropriate age, preferably before six months old.

 

Q. What is the price range of your puppies?

A. As a pet our dogs run from 600 and up. This depends on confirmation, colors(blues and chocolates are more expensive),and quality of the dog. We do offer a discount on two or more puppies. We also offer a discount to repeat buyers.

 

Q. Do you sell puppies for less without 'papers'?

A. No. A reputable breeder should always give the registration slip for every puppy they sell.  and our contract states on limited registration once you get your puppy neutered/spayed by six months  you will receive papers.It does not cost very much to register a litter of puppies, and if a breeder is selling dogs without papers, it usually means that they don't have papers (or breeding rights) on the parents, and therefore shouldn't be breeding the dogs in the first place.

 

A. We will occassionally have retired adults available. 

 

A. A 'Retired Adult' is an adult dog that was part of our breeding program and has now been spayed or neutered, and 'retired' from our breeding program. It isn't possible for us to keep every one of our retired breeders, and they deserve to go to a pet home where they can get more individual attention and enjoy being spoiled, just like one of our puppies.

 

A. There are many factors that affect the price of purebred dogs. Responsible breeders put a LOT of money into their breeding program. This is usually not a profitable venture. A responsible breeder will spend from $1500-$3000+ on the breeding dogs that they purchase in order to get a dog from a reputable line with registration papers and breeding rights. Expensive premium food, supplements, and vet bills for an entire kennel adds up very quickly. There are also advertising costs, kennel registration and inspection fees, and individual puppy, dog, and litter registration costs. Our adult are routinely taken to the vet for screening to make sure they have no health issues. Breeders also face unexpected vet bills such as caesarean sections, etc.

 

A. We do give breeding rights to some, based on your intentions, and we must get to know you first, It is also a good idea to have a mentor before deciding to breed shih-tzus, we do not give breeding rights just for “fun”. You must be established, and must be breeding for the right reasons. Quality not quantity. References must be available.

 

A. No. For the health of all of our dogs and puppies we keep a closed kennel, which means we do not offer stud service to anyone.

 

Q. Do you guarantee your dogs ?

A. Yes. Our dogs have a health guarantee against hereditay defects for one year. We  require you to have them neutered or spayed or the health guarantee is void.

 

 

A. We allow our puppies to go home at 8-12 weeks of age,  depending upon each puppy and their new enviorment. If you have your puppy shipped they will usually stay until they are 12 -16 weeks of age.

 

A. Yes. We worm all of our puppies.

 

A. Yes. Our puppies are sold with a contract.We require that your Shih-Tzu lives in your home and only goes out side to potty. Neutering or spaying is REQUIRED no later than six months of age

 

A. Yes, if you would like to wait until your puppy is the correct weight, we can do this for you, and . All spays and neuters will be done at the customers expense.

 

 

Q. Do you accept personal checks?

A. We accept personal checks for deposits that are sent at least two weeks before the puppy is ready to leave home. For any balance due after that point I require CASH, NO EXCEPTIONS

 

A. Yes, we will accept a deposit/holding fee to hold puppies. 200 dollars is requested, and a personal check is acceptable. We will not accept deposits unless we believe that we will have a puppy for you within a short period of time. We will hold a puppy for 24 hours without a deposit. Deposits are non-refundable. If you put a deposit on a litter and we don’t have what you requested, we can put the deposit toward the next litter.

 

A. Yes, we will ship our puppies. The puppy must be at least 14 weeks of age. Buyer is responsible for all shipping costs, including airfare, shipping crate, rabies vaccination, health certificate/exam and a fee for our transportation to the airport. We do NOT ship puppies unless a puppy contract has been signed and returned to us first, with full payment. Shipping does depend on weather. At this time, we are using Delta Airlines for most of our shipping, and Continental, United and Northwest as a back-up.

 

A. This can vary a great deal, depending on the airline and the destination. In my experience the cost for airfare has been between $175 and $285. There is also a $150 fee for the shipping crate, health certificate, rabies vaccination, and transporting the puppy to the airport. This breaks down to shipping crate $35, vet fees $65, transportation fee $50. The average total cost to ship one puppy is at least $325. Two puppies can be shipped almost as cheaply as one. You need to pay for an extra health certificate/exam and rabies vaccination but they can be shipped in the same carrier. The minimum cost to ship two puppies is $400. If the puppies are older though, it may be necessary to go the next size carrier, which will add from $50-$80 to the cost.

 

A. We feed Bil-Jac- and also Purina One and PurinaPro