We traveled out to Family Puppies from Illinois to meet Dave and his puppies. Dave was very…read moreresponsive via email when we first started our research months ahead. When we were ready to bring one home, we contacted Dave again to let him know. He was very flexible as our plans had changed a bit and we asked if we could come out earlier. When we arrived, he had 3 puppies out that had the features we were interested in, female, red, curly hair. All 3 looked very healthy and happy. We would have loved to have a look around and check out all of the ones he had available, but I'm sure it's hard to keep them all "presentable" all the time and also I imagine it reduces the risk of people bringing in potential sources of infection/germs to the other pups. Once we made our choice, Dave gave us the info we needed for shots and what she had already had. He gave us a bag of food that lasted us a couple days and he had supplies there that we could purchase if we hadn't already such as an appropriate size crate. He also offered to bathe her before we left, as we had concerns for our son that has allergies to other types of dogs which she may have been near. Once home, we named her Daisy (previously Alaina) (Dave did tell us they reuse names so you might see some duplicates on his site, I'm sure they know the pups get renamed anyways), she took very well to her crate and slept in it all night letting us know once in the middle of the night that she had to go potty. She was almost immediately potty train..... A couple accidents, but a quick pick her up and take her outside and she learned within a week. We have had her for about a month and a half now and she's only had a couple accidents in the house which were mostly us not doing our part and paying attention. She sleeps all night. Other than stealing a random shoe she hasn't chewed a thing! She has found her voice though lol. She plays very well with other dogs and only time she nips, is if she's playing. She is as sweet and lovable as can be. We took her to the vet on day two and they said she checked out great, no issues. They said we were very lucky with her and got a "gem"! Thanks Dave! We will definitely be referring anyone looking for a new pup to add to their family!

This business is a puppy miller. Dogs are kept crated or kenneled making it very difficult to…read morehousebreak a dog that will not potty on grass. Dogs are not socialized. Do NOT ever buy a dog from this business or this person.

We found Trisha online after placing a deposit with another breeder who unfortunately stopped…read morecommunicating with us. We drove about 2.5 hours to pick up our puppy, and from the moment we met Trisha, she was professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly patient while I chose the puppy that was right for our family. Before we left, she provided all of Mia's records and even sent us home with a bag of food. On the drive home, Mia vomited, but we assumed it was motion sickness from the long car ride. Over the next several hours, she continued vomiting, developed diarrhea, and stopped eating, drinking, and playing. Concerned, we called the emergency veterinarian. Based on her symptoms, they told us Mia likely had parvo, advised us to stop all food and water immediately, and bring her in if her condition got any worse. Before rushing to the emergency clinic, I called Trisha at 6:00 a.m. She listened carefully and suggested that Mia's blood sugar might be low due to her tiny size. Following Trisha's advice, I gave Mia a small amount of syrup. Within minutes, she perked up and began acting more like herself. Trisha's experience and understanding of her puppies made all the difference. Her guidance not only helped us avoid a costly emergency vet visit but, more importantly, helped keep Mia safe. Had we followed the advice to completely restrict food and water for a puppy weighing less than two pounds, the outcome could have been very different. We are incredibly grateful for Trisha's knowledge, responsiveness, and dedication to her puppies. Thank you, Trisha. We couldn't be happier with Mia, and we appreciate everything you did to help our family.

This was such a great experience from start to finish! Communication was absolutely phenomenal, and…read morearranging everything to bring home my sweet girl was a breeze. I would 11/10 recommend them to anyone looking to welcome a new pup into their home! Our new little princess is fitting in perfectly. She's eating like a champ, has already claimed all of her brothers' toys as her own , and is just the happiest, healthiest little Yorkie girl. Thank you so much for being wonderful to work with and for helping bring our sweet Ella Rose into our family!

Hard to give a rating since they didn't do anything at all, so I went with one star. We had our 13…read moreyear old pet pass away and were looking for a pup to replace her as our other dog was in need of a companion. We hoped to get one relatively quickly. We filled out an application for a pup they had and got an email confirmation the application was being sent to Heartland. To be sure they got it, I sent them an email directly with a summary of what we were looking for and attached a copy of the application in case they hadn't received it. For the week after that, we had no response at all from Heartland. Nothing. No acknowledgement by phone, text, nor email. I didn't expect much, but did expect something. The adoption process is way too complicated. We wanted to adopt a rescue or shelter dog as our last pet was, but it is simply too complicated and frustrating, especially when the place with the animals won't participate. We ended up going with a breeder and have the pup at home now. To be fair, Elkhart Humane Society called a day after we submitted an application to keep on file to say we were accepted. Another agency sent an email saying the pup we were interested in had been adopted that day but they would keep the application. Not so for Heartland. They did eventually send an email . . . 3 days after we had our puppy at home. We've had 2 dogs in our home for decades. We prefer going the rescue/humane society route, but they make it much too hard and frustrating to use. Not sure I'll even try using them next time. I'm glad some folks had a good outcome with them, but for us it was nothing but crickets from Heartland.

After an egregious error and subsequent refusal to correct or admit their mistake, South Bend…read moreAnimal Care and Control gave away the dog ("Mya") upon which I had a pending adoption a mere hours before I was to adopt her. She was given to Heartland Small Animal Rescue. I immediately called Mandy from Heartland (twice). She confirmed that they did have Mya. I told her that I would take Mya THAT DAY. I could meet her or whoever had Mya in less than an hour. She told me that she could not adopt out a dog until I had filled out an application and encouraged me to do so. I immediately did. She promised that she would give me a call on Monday. That call never came. I called Mandy again on Friday, October 10th in the afternoon. She did not return that call either. On Saturday, October 11th, I went to PetSmart in South Bend for the adoption event that Heartland holds weekly. I met Mandy, who informed me that Mya had been adopted just last night. I asked why she never called me. These are the "reasons" she gave: 1. She was waiting to hear from South Bend Animal Control to see if they wanted the dog back. She never heard from them. Why then, I asked, did she allow Mya to be adopted by someone, if she was waiting for animal control? I never received an answer to this. 2. She said that my vet references did not check out, but it clearly said on my application that all of my dog's vaccinations and heartworm preventative are from VIP PetCare clinic. I have receipts of this. 3. She said she had been busy. Interestingly, I had called her and left a message on Friday afternoon. Too busy to call me, but still able to take your call. I appreciate that the volunteers at Heartland are just that--volunteers. Ethically, Mandy should have called me at some point in this process. Instead, it seems that she and South Bend Animal Control were simply going to wait for it to blow over. By the power of sheer incompetence on the part of South Bend Animal Care and Control and of lack of ethics on the part of Heartland, I am unable to adopt the dog that I fell in love with. My heart is broken, and I can only hope that this message will save others from the same pain and frustration. Adopt elsewhere.

We just adopted a dog from here yesterday. The experience was great. After we applied, we heard…read moreback in a day and arranged to go and meet the dog. We drove from MI to the facility in Elkhart, IN. The facility was impressive as they are building a large shelter. The dogs were all kept in large pens and seemed well cared for. We were able to spend as much time as we needed and have our son meet him to ensure he was a right fit. After signing the paperwork and adopting him, they even provided a going home kit with treats and a sample of food. So far, the dog has been great and is already part of our family with our kids. Adopt don't shop :)

FIVE (5) unreplied emails asking to view a specific dog. I got the distinct impression from the…read moretotal lack of response that they are not interested in finding good homes for their animals.

Gabe and his wife are too professionals. They love their work as well and as much as they love…read moretheir puppies, it was truly a wonderful experience to get my new puppy from them.

We brought home Archie (Julian) 6 days ago and he is perfect!! He is a 14 week old red mini poodle…read moreand he loves to play, is swimming already and great at playing fetch. The rest of the time he is a Velcro snuggle pup. We met Archies dog parents and they were also amazing dogs. Archie's human parents Gabe and Joyce did an amazing job raising our perfect new family member. This is definitely NOT a puppy mill, they truly care about raising great pups

Here's the reason I gave this Pet store a low rating. I negotiated a lower price on a dog that they…read morehad there. STILL, that was TOP DOLLAR. And, they can't seem to be able to get the actual AKC paperwork on our dog, though they advertised the animal as AKC Registered. After doing some research, it came from just another Amish Puppy Mill in Indiana. Sadly, the Amish are great people but they have no respect or love for animals at all. They do the minimum that they can do to create and then sell their dogs for huge money. Our dog was sick when we got it. Miserable actually. Further, our dog was clearly never handled or socialized in any way by the breeder. So we've been pulling a train up a hill every day since as a result. Our dog is great and we love it, but it has issues related to the Amish Puppy Mill that it was born into. We should have paid max $500 for our dog with the issues we had and the lack of documentation. We actually paid 4 times that! The good news was that the Pat's Pets warranty paid for that and a couple of other serious items that came up. The vet that they use is truly EXCELLLENT! And they advocate for the dogs and their owners. The vet is very expensive also. In the final analysis, just do research on the dog that you want to adopt and bring into your life. For the sake of the dog that you will love and for your own sake, DO NOT "IMPULSE BUY" A DOG, especially from these guys. They don't care about their animals. They don't care where they come from. And they clearly don't care about you. It is ALL about the money with them. And that's all. They have an amazing document that they make you sign that basically get's them off the hook, no matter what. It's all on you, so don't be stupid. Buy from a reputable dog breeder, not an Amish Pup Mill! Buy from a breeder that can provide proper paperwork and documentation. That can show you the parents and their lineage. Get your dog from people who handle and love their dogs and their puppies. Buy from someone who is passionate about their dogs, and NOT just about the money that they will bring in.

The way these pets have to sit in a small space on metal grates should be illegal. Manager is rude…read moreand will scream at you if you suggest anything for pets. No water, no beds or blankets. This should be illegal!

Once upon a time, a girl had just moved into her apartment on the north side of Chicago, and wanted…read moreto fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a crazy cat lady. To do this, she needed to adopt some cats. Two cats, to be exact. Knowing that a big city like Chicago had an abundance of animals in need, she figured this task would be an easy one. However, try as she did, the various shelters she contacted in Chicago failed to return her phone calls and emails in a timely fashion, or at all. She had, however, contacted PetsConnect in Indiana, and although it was a two hour drive from her apartment, the girl's eagerness to adopt, combined with the friendliness of the volunteers of the nonprofit organization and their timely response led to the girl driving all the way to South Bend to meet the kitties. And what wonderful kitties they were. Young ones, old ones, brown ones, black ones, striped ones, solid ones, cats with extra toes, cats that were missing eyes, cats that had been abandonned, lovey cats and lonely cats. The organization was not a formal shelter in one location, but rather, a volunteer-run organization that rescued animals from shelters and fostered by volunteers who cared for the animals in their homes. The volunteers of the organization rescued not only cats, but dogs and other small animals as well. All of the animals had names and histories that the volunteers were all too happy to share. The girl met with one woman whose whole garage was devoted to housing rescued cats, and even though this might sound strange, the space was ideal for the animals--heated, clean, with plenty of space and toys. Even better was that all of the animals had been checked out by a vet, had their shots and were spayed and microchipped. The girl was able to take as much time as she needed to meet and spend time with the kitties, and the volunteer made sure that she had a firm grasp of the cats' personalities and the responsibilities pet owning entailed. Additionally, the organization's policy is one that they ask that the animals be returned to them in the event that they must ever be surrendered, lessening the likelihood that the animals would ever become homeless again. Ultimately, the girl would adopt her two kitties, rejoicing in her decision to drive all the way to South Bend, IN. Naturally, her and her kitties lived happily ever after.

Well, all I can say about looking to adopt a dog nowadays....good luck! It is the most miserable,…read moredepressing experience I have ever had, regarding this subject! I did not realize how much the world has changed and not for the best! What should be a basically, easy process to give a poor dog a good home, has turned into a nightmare! I GET IT that there are a lot of abusive, cruel people out there, but my GOD, how much red tape and endless PRIVATE questions must you endure in the process! Years ago you could go to the DOG POUND, now, that ages me, doesn't it? And, you could find a lot of good dogs, of ALL breeds, not just mainly one breed (dare I say it!). You also could get good dogs from your neighborhood. Before the hysteria of FIXING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT! Also from your work, etc. Wasn't too difficult, I remember (those were the days). Because everything is being forced ONLINE, where they can hide more, you basically can't tell really, WHERE they come from (puppymills,pet stores,etc.) I had a breeder tell me that a lot of dogs coming from Asian countries are actually being bred for profit, but are being brought over here as 'RESCUES'. And, they are carrying this disease that can affect our American dogs. The FDA is looking the other way.....Guess my only option is to go to reputable, expensive breeders or Craigslist! Heard so many negative things about them in the past. Yes there is a lot of that, BUT it isn't all bad. Just have to be careful. SO VERY SAD FOR ALL THESE DOGS THAT REALLY NEED GOOD HOMES.............