Adoption Process

To begin the adoption process, interested individuals or families are required to fill out our comprehensive Adoption Application Form. This form is available via out RightPaw page.  This helps us understand your preferences, living situation, and what you're looking for in a Sheepadoodle puppy. It also allows us to ensure that our puppies are placed in loving and suitable homes.

Our Adoption Process

Bringing a Falconwood puppy into your family is more than simply purchasing a dog. It is the beginning of a relationship that we hope will last for the lifetime of your puppy. We carefully plan every litter and take great pride in matching each puppy with the right family.

Step 1 – Complete an Adoption Application

The first step is to complete our Adoption Application Form. This helps us learn about your family, lifestyle and what you are looking for in a puppy.

Once we receive your application, we will carefully review it. We may contact you to ask additional questions or clarify information so we can ensure a Falconwood puppy is the right fit for your home.

Step 2 – Joining the Wait List

Once your application has been approved, you can secure your place on our wait list by placing a non-refundable $500 deposit.

Unlike many breeders, we do not breed a litter simply because one of our dogs comes into season and hope the puppies will find homes afterwards.

Every litter is planned with purpose. If we do not have enough committed families waiting, we simply do not breed the litter. Your deposit allows us to responsibly plan future litters while ensuring every puppy is bred with a loving home already waiting.

Your deposit is applied to the purchase price of your puppy. If your circumstances change or the right puppy is not available in that litter, your deposit can be transferred to a future Falconwood litter.

Step 3 – Waiting for Your Puppy

Our wait list operates in the order deposits are received.

As planned litters become available, we contact families whose preferences best match the expected puppies. Throughout the pregnancy and while the puppies are growing, we keep our families updated with regular photos, videos and weekly Facebook Live sessions so you can follow your puppy’s journey from the very beginning.

Our Promise to Every Falconwood Puppy

Every Falconwood puppy has a home with us for life.

As part of our Adoption Agreement, every family agrees that if they can no longer care for their dog at any stage of its life, regardless of whether it is 20 months or 20 years old, the dog must be returned to Falconwood.

We will either welcome them back into our own family or carefully find another exceptional home. Under no circumstances should a Falconwood dog ever enter a shelter, rescue organisation or be rehomed without our involvement.

If one of our dogs needs to come home from interstate, we will even arrange and cover the cost of bringing them safely back to Falconwood.

This commitment is one of the promises we make to every puppy we bring into the world.

Our Breeding Philosophy

Our dogs are our family before they are ever breeding dogs.

They live inside our home, sleep on our beds, relax beside us in front of the fire, watch television with us and have their own bedroom complete with bunk beds. They spend their days exploring our 54-acre farm, swimming in the dam and enjoying life alongside our horses, cattle, alpacas, goats, cats and other animals.

We have no kennels and no cages. Every dog is raised as a much-loved member of our family, and we warmly welcome prospective families to visit our home and see this for themselves.

Our breeding dogs are only bred if they meet the standards we have set for health, temperament and overall suitability. If they do not, they are removed from our breeding program. Their wellbeing will always come before producing puppies.

Health Testing and Realistic Expectations

Health testing is one of the most important parts of our breeding program.

Our breeding dogs undergo comprehensive DNA testing, PennHIP assessments, Hip & Elbow VetScoring and other relevant health examinations to help us make informed breeding decisions and reduce the risk of inherited disease wherever possible.

While responsible breeding significantly reduces many risks, no breeder can guarantee that a puppy will never experience illness or develop a health condition during its lifetime.

Some diseases have a strong genetic component, while others are influenced by environment, nutrition, growth, injury or factors that are still not fully understood.

Once your puppy leaves Falconwood at eight weeks of age, their ongoing health is influenced by the care they receive throughout their life. We are always happy to provide guidance and support, but ultimately each family is responsible for their puppy’s care, nutrition, exercise and veterinary treatment.

Choosing Your Puppy

When your litter is born, we will invite you to watch the puppies grow through regular updates and our weekly Facebook Live sessions.

At around six weeks of age, after their first vaccinations, we invite our families to Falconwood for our “Meet the Pawrents” day. This gives you the opportunity to meet your puppy, spend time together and ensure the connection feels right before final payment is made.

Our priority is always finding the very best match between each puppy and their family. If we believe a particular puppy has specific needs or would be better suited to another home, we may guide or limit the available choices. Every decision is made with the puppy’s lifelong welfare in mind.

Final Adoption Agreement

Before your puppy comes home, we will ask you to sign our Final Adoption Agreement.

This agreement outlines both our commitments and yours, including our lifetime return policy, desexing requirements and the care expected throughout your dog’s life.

Bringing Your Puppy Home

Falconwood puppies go home from eight weeks of age.

Each family receives ongoing guidance covering feeding, training, grooming, settling in and general puppy care. We remain available for advice and support for the lifetime of your dog because becoming part of the Falconwood family doesn’t end when you drive out our gate.

Transport

For families unable to collect their puppy in person, we are happy to assist in arranging safe transport throughout Australia.

Where practical, we prefer road transport for shorter journeys. For longer distances, we may recommend air travel, as it is often the quickest and least stressful option for young puppies.