A puppy purchase contract records the sale and each party’s obligations. A health promise addresses only the conditions, time limits and responses it describes. Missouri buyers should read them together, alongside the puppy’s records. A reassuring headline or a long coverage period is not a substitute for understanding the actual written terms.
Sage Puppies is Cassie Milar’s Utah program offering Havanese, Havapoo and Cavapoo. Ask Cassie for the current agreement and written answers for the individual puppy before committing. This guide helps you prepare that conversation; it does not set or replace the agreement.
Identify the puppy and the full purchase cost
Sage’s general puppy purchase range is $3,500–$4,500; confirm the individual puppy’s price with Cassie. Travel, ongoing care and guardian arrangements are separate. Read Pricing & Reservation and How It Works before committing.
Match the puppy’s name, birth date, breed, sex and any identification supplied to its actual profile and records. Confirm the seller’s identity and contact information. Make sure the agreed puppy price, payment timing and any separate travel cost are clear. Ask what documents and care information you will receive at the handoff.
Compare the documents by the question each answers
- Purchase agreement: what is being sold, who is responsible for each step, and what happens if the plan changes?
- Health promise: which conditions are included, what is excluded, what evidence is needed and what response is offered?
- Veterinary history: what examinations, treatments and vaccines has this individual puppy actually received?
- Travel certificate: has the issuing veterinarian documented the applicable movement requirements for this trip?
These documents are related, but they are not interchangeable. A travel examination does not establish every inherited risk, and parent screening does not replace your puppy’s veterinary care. Ask for the actual results behind a screening claim and share records with your receiving veterinarian.
Put exam, notice and remedy details on one page
- Write down the agreement’s exact first-exam deadline and when that clock begins.
- Ask how to notify the seller of a concern, which documents are required and which contact route to use.
- Read the remedy and exclusions together: what response applies, under what circumstances, and who pays which costs?
- Clarify care obligations and any return or rehoming provision before signing.
Arrange the first veterinary appointment around the written deadline rather than an assumed 72-hour window. A longer promise can cover fewer conditions than a shorter one. If a clause is unclear, get a written explanation and qualified advice before committing. If the puppy becomes ill, seek veterinary care promptly while keeping the examination and communication records.
Separate Missouri entry requirements from the sale terms
The Missouri animal-movement rules require a CVI for dogs entering Missouri, rabies vaccination for dogs over four months under the cited standard, and a minimum age of eight weeks for dogs entering commerce. Those are movement or age requirements, not the terms of a private health promise.
MDA’s CVI guidance describes a general 30-day entry certificate window and a 10-day window for dogs delivered to intermediate handlers or carriers in interstate commerce. The current movement notice also has conditional New World Screwworm requirements, including shorter windows for specified origins. Ask the issuing veterinarian and MDA to confirm the category, origin, route and document timing for your actual trip. A vaccine record alone is not the CVI.
Prepare the actual Missouri destination address and planned travel date before the certificate is issued. If weather changes the trip, recheck validity rather than assuming the original paperwork remains suitable. Keep readable copies with the receiving adult, and use the same puppy identity throughout the records.
Know where Missouri consumer questions belong
Written terms matter, but do not assume they describe every right available under applicable law. The Missouri Attorney General’s consumer-complaint guidance explains its enforcement and mediation role and recommends retaining copies of transaction documents. The office does not act as your private attorney; ask a qualified professional about your own rights, deadlines or a disputed clause, including which jurisdiction applies to an interstate purchase.
Keep the signed agreement, dated listing, invoices, veterinary records and relevant messages together. Save originals securely and provide copies when requested. This is a practical document checklist, not a prediction of a refund, legal outcome or a particular guarantee.
Return to the match and homecoming plan
Use the Missouri puppy-choice guide to describe the home you can provide and the Missouri puppy travel guide to prepare the receiving adult, road checks and first evening. Review Health Testing, How It Works and Delivery & Pickup, then send your questions through the application. Confirm the individual puppy and plan with Cassie before reserving or booking.
