Your puppy comes first. Every step of the way.
Bringing home a puppy shouldn't feel uncertain. That's why Pawrade guides every adoption through seven carefully designed steps — from finding your puppy and coordinating veterinary care to travel and the first days at home. A dedicated Pawrade team is there to help throughout the journey.
in 2 minutes ↓ ♡
Puppy first,every step of the way. A puppy is a newborn. Our whole process — the screening, the exam, the payment protection, the education — exists so that the hand holding this paw is ready for it. Our Puppy First Approach → ♡
Three ways buying a puppy goes wrong. We built a step against each one.
Most people who get burned buying a puppy hit one of three walls: a seller who wasn't real, a breeder who shouldn't be breeding, or a puppy nobody had actually examined. The process below isn't a formality — each step is the answer to one of those.
Card, Apple Pay or Klarna. Every order reviewed by a person. The breeder isn't paid out until your puppy is delivered.
SSN, government ID, bank account and credit check before a single puppy is listed. A violation closes the account.
Nine body systems, vitals, a required fecal test — written into a Veterinary Health Report, reviewed by our staff and explained to you.
Plus 1 month of MetLife Pet Insurance with no waiting period, included with every puppy.†
From first click to first night home.
Tap any step. Typical timeline is one to three weeks from reserve to arrival — and at every step there is a person you can call and a safeguard already in place.
every step of the way.
Browse 10,700+ puppies from screened breeders. Ask anything — a specialist and the breeder both answer.
Take your time. Favorite puppies, compare breeds, and ask questions in one message center where our puppy associates and the breeder reply together. Prefer to talk? Call or text a real person, daily 9AM–11PM EST — we'll narrow thousands of puppies to the few that fit your home.
Browse puppies →- →Browse, favorite, and ask questions on any listing
- →Call or text (888) 729-8812 — phone, SMS or email, your choice
- ✓A specialist matches breed, budget and timing to your household
- ✓Every message logged between you, the breeder and us
Nothing is off the record.
All communication runs through Pawrade — no side deals, no "text me directly," and a full written history if anything is ever disputed.
Breeders choose families as carefully as families choose puppies. A short questionnaire makes the match.
Fill it out once and it travels with every inquiry: your home type and yard, who lives there and the children's ages, other dogs and their breeds, allergies, and why your family wants a dog. A breeder who has raised this litter for eight weeks reads it before accepting your reservation — and it lets our associates steer you toward the right temperament, size and energy level.
See the questionnaire →- →Complete the Buyer Questionnaire once — a few minutes
- →Confirm you've never been convicted of animal abuse, cruelty or neglect
- ✓Share your answers with the breeder for every puppy you inquire about
- ✓Flag a mismatch early — a high-energy breed in a studio, a toy breed with toddlers
Screening goes both ways.
You're screened by the breeder; the breeder was screened by us — identity-verified, Code of Ethics signed, audited annually. A puppy placed in the wrong home is a puppy that comes back.
You never pay a breeder directly. Ever.
Click Reserve Me and you're on PetPay.com, our secure payment platform. Pay in full, or place a deposit on a puppy under 7 weeks. Pay how you like — card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, 4 interest-free installments with Klarna, or third-party financing you can pre-qualify for without affecting your credit. Never wire, Zelle or gift cards. Choose a travel preference now; we finalize dates later.
How PetPay protects you →- →Reserve on PetPay.com — card, Apple/Google Pay, Klarna in 4, or financing
- →Pick a preferred travel option
- ✓A person reviews every transaction before it's confirmed
- ✓Identity verified if anything looks off
The breeder isn't paid out until your puppy is delivered.
Funds go into the breeder's verified merchant account, but PetPay doesn't release payout until you confirm delivery. If something goes wrong, it's reversible — the opposite of a wire.
The breeder accepts. A named Customer Advocate takes over — and the updates start.
After payment the breeder reviews and accepts your request. From here you have one person: your Customer Advocate confirms identity if needed, locks in travel dates around the puppy's age and the vet exam, and keeps you posted by phone, SMS and email at every change. Use this window to prep your home with the Puppy Guide.
Download the Puppy Guide (PDF) →- →Confirm travel dates with your Advocate
- →Prep your home — crate, food, vet appointment for the first 72 hours
- ✓A named Advocate assigned to you, start to finish
- ✓Phone + SMS + email at every step — you're never guessing
A person, not a pipeline.
Your Advocate is the same person who will call you with the veterinarian's findings in step 5. You know their name before anything happens.
The step nobody else does: a licensed veterinarian examines your puppy before it travels — and a finding stops the trip.
Buy anywhere else and you get a photo of the parents and a promise. Here, 3–5 days before travel, a licensed vet examines the actual puppy you're bringing home: heart and lungs, gut, bones and joints, eyes, ears, skin, weight and body condition, age-appropriate vaccines and deworming, a required fecal test for parasites, and a signed health certificate. Every finding is written into a Veterinary Health Report. Our staff read it, your Advocate calls you and explains it, and a digital copy sits in your PetPay account — before your puppy moves an inch.
Our Puppy First Approach, in full →- →Take the call from your Advocate and hear exactly what the vet found
- →Decide with the full picture — you're never surprised at your own vet
- ✓Review every report; a pattern across a breeder's litters gets noticed
- ✓Hold travel until any finding is treated, re-checked and explained to you
Puppy health over any human deadline.
A positive fecal test or an incomplete vaccine record stops travel cold. The breeder and their vet correct it; the puppy is re-examined; you're told first. This exam is also what activates your Health Guarantee and your MetLife month† — nothing travels until every step is done.
Ground nanny, flight nanny, in-cabin chaperone or pickup — your puppy travels with a person, never as freight.
You chose a preference at checkout; your Advocate finalized it with you. Whoever brings your puppy home texts you along the way. On arrival you receive the vaccination and health records, and we ask for a photo of you together — it confirms delivery, and it's our favorite part.
Journey Home options →- →Meet your puppy
- →Upload the delivery photo to PetPay — this releases payout and starts your guarantee
- ✓Transport team in touch by SMS throughout
- ✓Hard-copy records travel with the puppy; digital copy in your PetPay account
Delivery photo = payout.
Your upload is what releases the breeder's payout and puts the Health Guarantee in force. Then: call MetLife to activate,† and see your vet within 72 hours.
Vet visit within 72 hours. MetLife from day one.† A guarantee to year 3 — or 10.*
Call MetLife to activate your included month of pet insurance — no waiting period† — see a licensed vet within 72 hours, and lean on the Puppy Guide for the first nights. Common arrival ailments are treated on us through the Prescription Reimbursement Program. Then tell us how we did; we read every review, especially the critical ones.
The Health Guarantee →- →Call MetLife to activate†
- →Wellness exam within 72 hours
- →Leave an honest review
- ✓Prescription Reimbursement for giardia, coccidia, cough, ear infection
- ✓PetPay administers every guarantee claim — not the breeder
Someone independent, for years.
Year 1 backed by your breeder, Years 2–3 by PetPay, every claim decided by PetPay against published terms. Extend to the 10th birthday at checkout.*
Every puppy must be at least 8 weeks old and at a suitable weight before release; some breeders hold certain breeds to 12 weeks. *3-year Health Guarantee included with every puppy; most breeds can extend to the 10th birthday at checkout. †MetLife: NH, NY, RI, SC and TN residents excluded.
Start at step 1 →The process protects the puppy, the family — and the breeder too.
Spend a day with one of our Bernedoodle breeders — the puppies, the daily care, and the environment behind every listing. This is the standard every Pawrade breeder is screened and audited against.
A day with one of our Bernedoodle breeders — the puppies, the care, and the environment behind every listing.
Four specialized teams behind every Pawrade journey.
PamNot a salesperson. A concierge who asks about your home, kids, other dogs and schedule, then steers you toward the breed, size and energy level that will actually work — and away from the ones that won't.
CarliYour named Advocate from acceptance to arrival. Travel dates, what to buy, the Puppy Guide, the 72-hour vet visit, MetLife activation† — and the "is this normal?" call at 9 p.m.
AshlaeThe team that requests every vet document, reads every Veterinary Health Report before release, calls you when something is found, and administers Health Guarantee claims for years — independent of the breeder.
ShannonCoordinates ground nannies, flight nannies and in-cabin chaperones, matches the route to the puppy's age and the weather, and keeps you posted until the delivery photo.
Plus your breeder. Our service doesn't stand between you — message center, calls, texts, and often a virtual meet and greet before travel.
And PetPay. Payment verification, contract signing, the Veterinary Health Report in your account, and guarantee claims for years — by email, SMS and your account.
Bringing your puppy home is just the beginning.
Your puppy is still a baby. Our Puppy Guide helps you prepare for arrival, navigate the critical first days, protect your puppy's health, and build healthy habits for the months ahead.
Your puppy is still a baby. Our Puppy Guide helps you prepare for arrival, navigate the critical first days, and build healthy habits for the months ahead.
The Puppy Guide (PDF) →View the Puppy Guide →Brighter tomorrows. ♡
Puppy-proofing, supplies, routines and preparing for arrival.
Learn more →Your first vet visit, settling in and knowing what's normal.
Learn more →Vaccines, Parvo precautions and keeping little paws away from high-risk areas.
Learn more →Nutrition, potty training, socialization and preventive care.
Learn more →Young puppies aren't fully protected yet. Avoid high-dog-traffic areas such as sidewalks, dog parks and pet-store floors until your veterinarian says it's safe.
Young puppies aren't fully protected yet. Avoid sidewalks, dog parks and pet-store floors until your veterinarian says it's safe.
Two standards built into every Pawrade placement.
Not add-ons, not upgrades. They apply to every puppy, every breeder, every order — and they're the two places where buying a puppy anywhere else goes wrong most often.
Licensed-vet examined before travel.
Three to five days before travel, a licensed veterinarian examines the actual puppy you're bringing home. The findings are reviewed by our Health First team and explained to you before the journey. If a concern needs attention, travel pauses until it's addressed.
3–5 days before travel a licensed vet examines the actual puppy. Findings are reviewed by our Health First team and explained to you before the journey. If a concern needs attention, travel pauses.
Breeders can't withdraw funds before delivery.
You never pay a breeder directly. Every order runs through PetPay, our payment platform, and funds aren't released to the breeder until your puppy has been delivered and you've confirmed it with a photo. Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Klarna — never wire, Zelle or gift cards.
You never pay a breeder directly. Every order runs through PetPay, and funds aren't released to the breeder until your puppy is delivered and you've confirmed it with a photo.
What to Expect in the First 24–72 Hours
It's common for puppies to seem a little “off” in the first day or two home. Leaving their breeder, their littermates, and everything familiar is a big adjustment, even for a perfectly healthy puppy. Here's what to expect — and how you can help.
for a happier tomorrow.
Offer food and water, but don't worry if your puppy eats less than usual at first. Hold off on visitors or outings until they've had a chance to settle in.
Book a vet visit and bring the health records you received at delivery. Your veterinarian will do a full check-up, including the heart, lungs, eyes, ears, and more, and can answer any questions you have.
A softer stool, mild tiredness, or a smaller appetite are common and usually pass on their own. Vomiting, blood in the stool, or a puppy who won't eat or drink at all for several hours are not — contact your vet right away if you see these.
Every puppy must have a completed veterinary exam and be at least 8 weeks old with a suitable weight before release. Some breeders hold puppies until 12 weeks for certain breeds. You'll receive a copy of these health records when your puppy arrives — and a digital copy is in your PetPay account.
Health Guarantee →
Four ways home. You choose at checkout; we finalize the details with you.Four ways home. You choose at checkout.
Nothing travels until the exam is passed and payment is complete. Travel is billed later, once dates are set, and you'll get SMS and email updates the whole way. Puppies are never shipped as cargo without a chaperone through Pawrade.
Nothing travels until the exam is passed and payment is complete. Travel is billed once dates are set; SMS and email updates the whole way.
Travel options in detail →Meet your breeder and bring your puppy home yourself.
A ground nanny drives your puppy to you, with care and updates the whole way.
Your puppy flies to your nearest available airport with a flight nanny.
A trusted Airpanion chaperone flies with your puppy in the cabin to your nearest airport.
What families say after their puppy came home.
4.7 from 18,917 verified buyers · 96.5% satisfied · 4.7 “Excellent” on Trustpilot.
“We love our puppy and the transaction with Pawrade was smooth and predictable!”
“I had the best experience with Pawrade! Everyone was so kind and so informative. We love our baby girl and so glad we have a new member of our family.”
“I had a wonderful experience with Pawrade. Our little puppy has such a beautiful disposition. We are so happy with the service and the puppy. I have recommended their site to family and friends. Thank you for a wonderful experience.”
“Molly arrived at 6:30 this morning and we immediately fell in love! Thank you all so much for all you did to help us! Y'all are awesome❣️❣️”
The questions people ask before they trust us.
More questions? Full FAQ → · support@pawrade.com
Let us be your advocate through every one of the seven steps.
Examined before travel. Paid through PetPay. Guaranteed for three years — or ten.* Insured from day one.†
Browse puppies Talk to a specialist · (888) 729-8812Don't take our word for it.
Why we never let you pay a breeder by wire, gift card or app — step 3.
Humane World for AnimalsWhat "USDA licensed" does and doesn't mean — why breeders are screened, step 2.
AAHAThe schedule behind the pre-travel exam and the 72-hour visit — steps 5 and 7.
AVMAThe maternal-immunity gap — why a newborn puppy needs an exam and insurance, step 7.
Cornell Riney Canine Health CenterWhy a fecal test before travel matters — step 5.
USDA APHISThe health-certificate rules your puppy travels under — step 6.
Michigan State University · Animal Legal & Historical CenterSale-age, health-certificate and buyer-remedy rules by state.
AVMAWhy the guarantee and MetLife do different jobs — step 7.
*3-year Health Guarantee included with every puppy; most breeds can extend to the 10th birthday at checkout. †1 month of MetLife Pet Insurance included with every puppy, no waiting period; NH, NY, RI, SC and TN residents excluded; activation by calling MetLife. Health Guarantee Terms →