Most deposit disputes happen because the buyer and the breeder remembered different things about what the deposit secured. Was it refundable? What if the litter does not produce? What if the buyer disappears for three weeks? What is pick order, exactly? Without a written agreement that answers each of these questions, every dispute becomes a he-said-she-said.

The Deposit and Waitlist Agreement is the document you sign with a buyer when they put money down on a planned or upcoming litter, before any actual puppy is on the ground. It defines exactly what the deposit secures, when it is refundable, when it converts to non-refundable, and what behaviors void the agreement entirely.

What the document does

It captures pick order, expected litter timing, sex and trait preferences, refund and non-refund conditions, and the consequences of buyer non-communication. It also documents what happens if the breeding does not produce a litter, if the buyer cancels, or if the breeder cannot place a puppy that matches the buyer's stated preferences.

What is included

• Numbered sections covering deposit amount, pick order, expected litter window, buyer preferences (sex, color, trait), refund and forfeiture conditions, communication requirements, and what voids the deposit
• Behavior-based forfeiture language for buyers who go dark, fail to respond to communication windows, or refuse a placement that matches their stated preferences
• Litter-failure clause defining what happens if the breeding does not produce, if the litter is smaller than expected, or if no puppy matches the buyer's stated preferences
• Pick-order alternation language that prevents disputes when multiple buyers are on the same waitlist
• Field-note annotations explaining the reasoning behind the refund structure, the communication windows, and the deposit-voiding behaviors

Format and how it works

Includes both a digital fill-on-screen version and a print fill-by-hand version, each in Word and PDF. Send the digital version to buyers when they commit to a deposit. Have them complete and sign before the deposit clears. Save the signed copy with the rest of the buyer's file. Most working programs send this alongside the Buyer Application before any deposit conversation starts.

Why this version is different

Generic deposit forms cover the dollar amount and stop. This one is built around the actual scenarios that produce deposit disputes: buyers who change their mind on go-home day, breedings that fail, litters that produce only one sex, and buyers who go silent for weeks. The behavior-based forfeiture language closes the most common gaming pattern, which is buyers who treat a deposit as a pure refundable hold and disappear when something better comes along.

Who this is for

For working breeders who take deposits before pickup and want a written agreement that survives a dispute. Especially valuable for breeders running waitlists across multiple buyers per litter, or for breeders accepting deposits on planned breedings that have not yet happened. Pairs naturally with the Animal Sales Contract (which takes effect at pickup) and the Buyer Application (which qualifies the buyer before deposit).

Buy this contract on its own, or pair it with the rest of the Breeder Contract Kit using the bundle discounts.