THE RUTERFEM WAY

From Our Home to Yours

A purebred Norwegian Elkhound, raised with care from day one and backed by our family for a lifetime.

Meet Available Puppies

What You’ll Receive

Step by step

From first hello to coming home.

Five simple stages. No paperwork pressure. We move at your pace.

We talk

You email or call. We get to know each other. You ask questions. I ask questions. There’s no form to fill out — just a real conversation.

We meet* — in person or by virtually*

Once we are both comfortable, we can meet on Messenger, FaceTime, or WhatsApp, and you can meet the crew through the screen. You will start to get a feel for your favourite puppy.

Your puppy is reserved

By four weeks of age, a deposit secures your puppy. We stay in touch with regular updates, and you are welcome to participate in their very first meal that isn’t milk.

Your puppy comes home

From eight weeks of age, your puppy can travel. You receive a written care guide and a few days’ worth of food to transition to your own choice. We arrange transport together — whether you come to Manitoba, I drive, or I fly with your puppy to meet you.

We stay in touch, as much as you want

Once your little one is home, call with a question or for advice anytime. If concerns come up in the first two years, we work through them together. Some families stay in touch for the life of their dog. Others prefer independence — that’s fine too.

what’s included

Your puppy comes home with everything they need.

CKC Registration

Guaranteed purebred, registered with the Canadian Kennel Club under Ruterfem prefix. Litter papers travel home with your puppy.

International microchip

A safe, permanent ID that’s readable worldwide for life, providing extra protection if your puppy is ever lost or stolen.

Non-Breeding Agreement

Issued by the CKC to protect both the breeder and your family against loss, theft, or indiscriminate breeding.

Written care guide

What to feed, what to expect, how to settle them in — plus notes on heartworm, spay timing, and regional vet care.

Starter food

A few days’ worth, to transition smoothly to whatever you choose to feed.

Beginnings of training

Collar and leash basics started. Toilet training in progress.

Two-Year Health Promise

If a genetically based health concern arises within your puppy’s first two years, we’ll work together to determine the best course of action.

Lifelong support

We are not going anywhere. Call, text, or email for the life of your dog.

Healthy, Happy, and Ready

Health & Veterinary Care

Two rounds of de-worming and the first set of shots are complete before your puppy travels. From there, two more vet visits finish the puppy series.

Before they leave · 8 weeks

01
First shots and de-worming

First round of vaccinations complete. Two rounds of de-worming done. The vaccination certificate travels home with your puppy.

Before they leave · 8 weeks

With your vet · 12 weeks

02
Second round of shots

The second set of puppy vaccinations is given by your own veterinarian. If your puppy is still with us at this point, we handle it before they travel.

With your vet · 12 weeks

With your vet · 16 weeks

03
Third shots and rabies

The final puppy vaccinations, including rabies. From here, your vet takes the lead — regular checkups, boosters, and any region-specific care like heartworm.

With your vet · 16 weeks

Please consult your veterinarian about ongoing care, and about spay or neuter timing when the time comes. With our girls, I prefer they go through their first heat cycle before spaying — but that is your decision.

From birth to your home

Their first eight weeks.

Puppies stay with us for at least eight weeks. We will not let them go before their first shots have settled and they are well enough to travel.

01

Weeks 1 – 3

Growing Sprouts

Born seal-coloured, with eyes still closed. Soon talkative, hungry, and beginning to move around.

02

Weeks 4 – 6

First meals & meeting you

This is when we get to know each tiny personality — and when a deposit secures your puppy. At four weeks, the puppies join their first meal that isn’t milk, and you are invited to be part of it. By six weeks, they are nearly weaned.

03

Weeks 7 – 8+

First shots & coming home

First vaccinations and second deworming complete. From eight weeks onward, your puppy is ready to travel. We figure out together how to get them safely to you.

COMING HOME

By car, by plane, or by visit.

You are warmly invited to visit the Ruterfem World here in Manitoba.

I can also help with transportation — by road or by air. I have flown with several puppies to their new homes over the years, and driving is always an option too. Travel costs we figure out together.

If you need more time before meeting your little one, we can keep them with us longer — though additional vet costs become yours from that point.

Our promise

Once a Ruterfem, always a Ruterfem.

Every puppy we have ever bred has stayed connected to us in some way.

You will not be on your own. Call us when you need us. If something feels off in the first year, we work through it together. We answer the phone. We answer emails. We are not going anywhere.

Ready to welcome a Ruterfem puppy?

View available puppies