[matese]

As a PS to my above post, to put a deposit to hold a puppy not born yet is normal but, you absolutely need to know the breeder you are dealing with to ensure they are not scammers. Anyone can say yes, they want a puppy from the next litter, when the puppies are born ppl could have already purchased a puppy. Giving a $500. deposit to hold a puppy is the breeders insurance you are sincere about wanting the puppy, if you give a deposit and at some point change your mind, 99.9% of the time you will not get your deposit back. If the breeders mating pair usually has 3 or 4 puppies per litter they are spoken for by a deposit, if a person changes their mind, that breeder is left with a puppy they now have to find a home for. So it is not a red flag if a deposit is asked for.
If a breeder is chosen and you go on a waiting list, if it was me, before giving a deposit I would ask to see the breeding pair, see where the puppies are kept, see their living conditions, meet the breeder in person. Even if it meant flying or driving many hours to another state. Now with this Pandemic that's not possible, it would have been before. If a breeder refused my request that would be a kinda red flag.
I say kinda because, YT had a fantastic breeder that allowed ppl to see her puppies, see their living conditions until someone tracked Parvo into her home where she did have a litter of puppies and her mating pairs. She shut down her business for months while constantly disinfecting her home, Stopped her mating program during that time. I cannot remember how many months this took to cleanse her home of the Parvo virus. After that catastrophe anyone coming to see puppies had to remove their shoes outside of her home before entering. With this Pandemic many things have changed.

Example, I was looking for a kennel in my area in the event I ever have to be hospitalized for a period of time. I found one close to my home, asked could I see where my dog would be kept, I was told because of the Pandemic they would not allow this.Before this Pandemic it was risky finding a reputable breeder, now it's doubled.