Our Puppy Process | Border City Bullies

At Border City Bullies we take our puppy rearing job very seriously! There are so many different things that a breeder can do with their puppies before they go home at 9-10 weeks of age that will set them up for a brighter, better future for not only the first couple transition weeks into their new home, but will help fine tune their coping skills for the remainder of their lives.

We currently use the AVIDOG and Puppy Culture programs. Our puppies start ENS (early neurological stimulation) from birth and are exposed to everything we can thing of! If you have any questions or want to learn more about these programs, I would be happy to get nerdy and explain the logistics of it. For now, I will keep it simple!

VIEW OUR UPCOMING BREEDINGS

PUPPY APPLICATION

Puppy Skills

PUPPY

Skills

Every Puppy that leaves our home is familiar with:

Sit on Command
Lure into Down & Stand position
Recall from a Distance & Out of Sight
Kennel for Night
Basics of Potty Training
Walking on Leash
Hand Luring (makes training tricks in the future a breeze!)
Impulse Control
Bite Inhibition
Grooming & Bathing
Nail Trims - both Clippers & Dremel
Stand (Stack) for Exam

One of our puppies from our 2019 Woodsie x Kali Breeding napping through a nail trim with the dremel at just 6 weeks old.

DETAILED CONTRACT

to protect the puppy & new owner. Pet Home, Co-Own, etc. Learn more here.

LIFETIME BREEDER SUPPORT

we will take the puppy back at any point throughout it's life, for any reason.

LIFETIME TRAINING SUPPORT

we will assist you with any basic training or problem-solving help you may

need for the lifetime of the dog. We want you to succeed!

CORRECTLY TIMED VACCINES BY NOMOGRAPH

we run a titre nomograph test on our mom's to get a clear picture of when

your puppy will be most receptive to vaccines as well as their natural

immunity thanks to their mom. Learn more here.

30 DAYS OF TRUPANION INSURANCE

receive immediate health coverage up to 90% with no payout limits

OFA CARDIAC PRELIMINARY EXAM

we take this health stuff seriously, so we get an OFA Cardiac Preliminary

evaluation done on every puppy before they leave for peace of mind.

HEALTH CERTIFICATE & TRAVEL APPROVAL

each puppy will leave with a health certificate from our veterinarian and if

needed, travel approval.

Size Appropriate Crate or Kennel (they have already been desensitized to by sleeping in overnight & travelling in the vehicle)
Blanket or Bed (whichever your puppy prefers)
Toys & Chews (3+ of each, your puppy will decide which ones!)
Portion of their Current Diet (should last them 1-2 weeks)
Adjustable Collar & Matching 6ft Leash
Collapsible Bowl, Poop Bags, Microchip Tag, etc.

THE ULTIMATE PUPPY BINDER

organized into sections containing:

1: Parent information (registration, health test results, titles, etc.)

2: Example of a daily schedule, current diet, age appropriate exercise

3: Puppy training, problem solving, trick training & dog sports

4: Breed info, BSL, responsible ownership practices

5: APET temperament evaluation - full write up, explanation & training

recommendations. Extremely valuable to you as an owner - it takes all

the guess work out of navigating your puppy's personality!

6: Copy of contract & medical records

INCLUDES our 40 page PUPPY SOCIALIZATION WORKBOOK to make it super easy for you to keep your puppy on track!

THE GOOGLE DRIVE

all of our puppy owners get full access to a drive we have made up that is

basically the holy grail of dog ownership resources...and we add to it often!

Folders Include: Puppy Must-Have List, Training Games, Breed Info & Conformation Infographics, Early Spay/Neuter & Heats, First Aid & Therapy, Nail Trimming, Health Testing Info, Litter Pictures Titles & Testing (complete with tracking spreadsheets!), Parent Info (pictures, health test certificates, titles & achievements), Nutrition & Weight, Puppy Training & Socialization, Responsible Dog Ownership, Equipment Information, Sport Training, Trupanion Pet Insurance, Dog Books, Training Videos & Titling Info.

92299806_501348060532803_286693029974324

All BCB puppies are eligible for Registration with:

What Do I Get With My Puppy?

WHAT COMES

With My Puppy?

Health Tested Parents

HEALTH TESTED PARENTS

= Healthier Puppies!

291008935_758724608915861_4265572464841015674_n (1).jpg

We take health testing very seriously here. We health test for pretty much everything under the sun and our dogs' results are able to be viewed in the OFA, Embark and PawPrint online databases. American Bullies are relatively unhealthy as it stands, but with these things being genetic and testable, there is no excuse for breeders to not be doing their best to try and prevent these issues in their future generations. It is important to note, however, that genetics are still a gamble. Environment plays a role in health. There is no guarantee that healthy parents will never make an unhealthy puppy - but we can promise our dogs that we are trying our best to stack the odds in their favor by digging deep and not cutting corners.

We do the following health tests on all of our breeding dogs:

Hip Dysplasia (OFA, Pennhip)

Elbow Dysplasia (OFA)

Shoulder Osteochondritis (OFA)

Advanced Cardiac Screening (OFA)

Tracheal Hypoplasia (OFA)

Patellar Luxation (OFA)

Thyroid Conditions (OFA)

Kidney Function (OFA)

Dentition Exam (OFA)

All Genetic Diseases (Embark, Pawprint)

Additional health testing we do when available:

Hearing Conditions (OFA) by Canine Audiologist

Eye Conditions (OFA) by Canine Ophthalmologist

Click here to learn more about health testing the American Bully.

Puppy Culture & Avidog

THE PROOF

is in the Puppies!

We use both AVIDOG & Puppy Culture Puppy Rearing Principles with our litters. We have seen fabulous results in our puppies that make sending them to their new homes a breeze. Thanks to these programs, they have the tools & skills to set them up for success!

Puppy Culture is a puppy rearing program of over 50 lessons for breeders, from whelping box to new home time. From early neurological stimulation, to potty training, manding, and leash walking, it covers most things that breeders need to know and is scientifically proven to greatly improve outcomes for puppies.

Avidog is a complete program for breeders with hundreds of different lessons and modules covering everything from breeding goals, ethical breeding practices, puppy rearing, parent dog health and everything in between. They also have regular webinars with industry leading professionals and are constantly expanding the database of information they have available for breeders.

"There is no such thing as a Perfect Puppy......Just the Perfect Puppy for You."

This is the most thorough temperament evaluation system available to us at this point in time - these evaluations are done in an unfamiliar environment to the puppy, with "brand new" people (trained, very experienced dog professionals) and dogs that they have never met before, using items they have never seen before. Now that we are well versed in these evaluations, we take special care to make sure that our puppies never meet the tester, nor do we show them the items found in the testing site - this is to help us gauge real, genuine reactions. The findings from these evaluations help us pinpoint which puppy is best suited where.

We are currently the ONLY American Bully Breeders taking

advantage of this method of temperament testing.

AVIDOG APET

Temperament Evaluations

APET Temperament Evaluation Example

This is the APET Report on a puppy named "Sorry" from our Canadian themed litter we had at the end of 2019.

APET Temperament Evaluations

As seems to be the theme here, this is something that we try hard to go above and beyond with. We are constantly finding ways to do things better, more efficiently, and provide more interesting stimulation items for our puppies to enjoy before heading off to their new homes. Because of this, you will notice that with each litter we have, our pen will look a little different. Whether it's more toys, a more strategic lay out for potty training, or a different location of the house altogether! We typically have multiple areas set up throughout our house to accommodate puppies so they get to see "all of the sights" that our home has to offer.

Though this shouldn't need to be mentioned - all of our puppies are raised in our home and the dogs that we own all live in our home with us as our pets. We are not a commercial breeding operation where our females produce litter after litter that would require a full-time set up. We displace our home to accommodate raising a litter, ensuring that our puppies get used to all the sights, sounds and activities that their future home life will provide them. Our puppies spend a great deal of time outside of their pens in our backyard, in our home, or out and about doing meet & greets in new places.

If we are not the breeder for you, that is fine! But please do your research and ask the breeder to see the pups current living conditions - NOT just a photo of the puppy being held or placed on a table! Click here to learn more.

EARLY NEUROLOGICAL STIMULATION (ENS)

Designed to help puppies respond better to stress, have stronger immune

systems, and problem solve better as adults. The following exercises are done

once a day for 3-5 seconds each in random order: Head Up, Head Down, Belly

Up, Belly Down, Foot Tickle, Placed on Cold Surface. A different foot is done

each day and "tickled" with a Q-tip.

EARLY SCENT INTRODUCTION (ESI)

Designed to help puppies scenting ability. It has been used and seen positive

results with thousands of pups of all breeds/shapes/sizes including working,

service, competition and pet puppies. This exercise is done once a day and

goes at the puppies pace - they can choose to move towards or away from

scents.

Scent articles include but are not limited to:

Natural Items: grass, tree bark, leaves, pine needles & cones, moss, dirt, etc.

Fruits, Herbs, Spices: lemon, apple, banana, orange, rosemary, mint, clove,

pepper, carrot, thyme, etc.

Training Items: ball, leather, cloth, wood, plastic, oils, detection odors, etc.

Miscellaneous: items used by a cat, rabbit, gerbil, horse, etc.

NAIL TRIMMING & HANDLING

Starting at just 2-3 days old, we will begin trimming nails every second day as

well as practicing calm handling and snuggling. We hold the puppies in as

many comfortable positions as we can and focus on having happy, calm, warm

experiences with humans. Nail trims are done while they nap "milk drunk" to

encourage happy vibes & no stress. Nail trim = nap time right from the start!

RECORD KEEPING

Beginning before the puppies are even born, we record everything! Especially

with the inevitable sleep deprivation that comes with whelping a litter, record

keeping is an absolute necessity around here and helps us stay on track.

Everything from weights, ENS/ESI responses, "milestones", responses to

challenges, supplementation if any and so on, gives us a crystal clear picture of

how everyone is doing and what, if anything, certain puppies need help with.

VISITORS

We allow select visitors to see the pups starting at about the 5 day mark by

appointment. Guests are shown how to safely handle puppies as well as age

appropriate interactions. We make an effort to get visitors of all ages, shapes &

sizes to spend time with our puppies and sometimes even have them wear props

like hats, masks or glasses! We also encourage our visitors to be unique when

interacting with our puppies - we want them to be exposed to different types of

cooing, cuddling, playing, gesturing and everything in between.

VISITOR LOG

We don't just fly by the seat of our pants when it comes to visitors and

interactions = we keep a detailed log of everything to make sure that each litter

is exposed to a little bit of everything before they leave us,

PHYSICAL CHALLENGES

Starting on Day 5, we introduce easy physical challenges to our puppies in their

whelping box. It starts out as rolled towels under bedding to add "hills" and

"valleys" to the terrain, with large plush soft toys to navigate around and nap on.

As time goes on, it will turn into full-on obstacle challenges!

1-3 NEW ITEMS DAILY

At this time, we begin introducing 1-3 new items to the puppies each day. We

will continue this until they go home - which means we go through a ton of

random items of all different shapes, sounds, smells and textures. Creativity is

key in this department!

FOOD INTRODUCTION

Around the 3 week mark we will begin offering a mash to the puppies for them

to lap up - this will take some of the strain off of mom, give her a little extra

time to relax, and assist with the natural weaning process.

FIRST PEN UPGRADE!

Near the end of the 3rd week or beginning of the 4th week, we will give the

puppies their first big upgrade! We will double the whelping box size and add in

various textures, toys, bedding and introduce a potty area in a location that is

hard to miss. Various items that encourage exploration and climbing will be

added to their pen each day - small, large, soft, hard, plastic, metal, etc. We

also introduce audio soundtracks this week that include various noises like dog

barking, fireworks, guns, doorbell, household sounds, people sounds, and so on.

Mom can come and go as she pleases, but she tends to spend a little more time

to herself at this stage. We will also start separating puppies from their siblings

for very short periods of time in an effort to help them adjust easier when the

time comes for them to go off to their new homes.

STARTLE RECOVERY

At this age, they develop a startle response yet have no real fear response. The

lack of genuine fear with the quick recovery after being startled provides us with

a small window of opportunity to exercise their recovery "muscles" without

fear imprinting or traumatizing. We will do various things intended to exercise

this such as: clank pots, drop items, start vacuum, shake a coin-filled container,

or clapping hands. This is very brief and the puppies don't mind at all!

GROOMING & HANDLING BASICS

From this point forward, we spend time making bath time, ear cleaning, teeth

checking/brushing, and general grooming/handling practices an enjoyable

and rewarding experience for each puppy. We will continue trimming nails

every 2-3 days with clippers/dremel, and we introduce wearing socks, sweaters,

coats and onesies at this time as well.

ADVENTURE BOX

Usually introduced between 3.5-4 weeks of age, an adventure box is designed

to introduce sounds, textures, and problem solving throughout puppyhood

with the pups taking it all in stride. We tend to add new things to the box

frequently and will place food/snacks in the middle to encourage interaction

and "positive vibes only" with unusual things.

CHALLENGES & PROBLEM SOLVING

We begin introducing different sets of challenges to encourage good problem

solving skills & confidence in oneself to overcome challenges. With food as a

motivator, we will set up barrier challenges and obstacles every few days from

now until the pups go to their new homes.

CHARGING THE CLICKER

Exactly as it sounds, we charge the clicker with each puppy during individual

training. We will also start working on luring, capturing & stacking for exam.

INTRO TO WATER PLAY

Puppies will be introduced to warm standing water at this time - we keep it

upbeat and positive. Favorite toys, tasty treats and lots of verbal/physical praise

help to encourage puppies to have fun! We will continue this until they go home,

and it's always interesting to see which puppies might be the next dock diver.

INTRO TO SCENT GAMES

Lazy days for us = scent games for the puppies! Scent work is challenging, but is

also very natural and relaxing for puppies and dogs of all ages.

KENNEL UP!

Kenneling is a necessary skill that we think all dogs should have. A kennel is

introduced to their pen as soon as they are able to safely climb in and out of

one (usually 3.5 weeks), with the door fixed in the open position so they may

enter and leave as they wish. By this time, they will all be sleeping and napping

consistently in the kennel.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE WALKS

Adventure walks are one of our favorite things to do with the puppies! It

challenges them to use their bodies in important ways as they traverse uneven

terrain, clamber over sticks/rocks/logs, navigate ditches, wade through water,

and so on. As as result, this increases their proprioception, coordination, and

athleticism. Adventure walks are said to lower the risk of hip/elbow

dysplasia, while boosting their confidence & immune system. During these

walks, the puppies learn to take responsibility for paying attention to where the

human is & we work on recall skills throughout.

DOGGIE SENSE

At the 5 week mark we begin letting carefully chosen puppy-appropriate dogs

of all different ages, shapes, sizes and coat types visit our litter. We allow

both group and individual interactions and reward appropriate behavior & self

moderation. Some puppies may be a little nervous and need encouragement to

come out of their shell, while others might be a little over-the-top and need to

work on regulating themselves. The goal is to have puppies that have no big

feelings in either direction about new dogs with appropriate, calm greetings.

OUTDOOR PLAY TIME

Weather permitting, the puppies get to enjoy some outdoor freedom in our

backyard - complete with outdoor obstacles, toys & games of course! If it's just

a little chilly, puppies will get comfortable wearing warm coats & sweaters.

TRAINING GAMES

Each day is different, but we will work on various skills like sit, happy luring, wait,

recall, kennel, etc. We will also start working on leash training & understanding

leash pressure. Resource guarding can be a serious issue, so we work with our

puppies to not be afraid of dogs/humans approaching them when they have a

toy/chew/snack with positive reinforcement & management strategies.

CAR RIDES & FIELD TRIPS

The puppies will start spending more time in the car for quick trips around town

and "field trips" to various safe areas like parks, playgrounds, friends houses

and low-traffic pet friendly stores. They spend the duration of their car rides in

a secure kennel with treats and toys to encourage happy feelings. The first trip

usually elicits minor complaints while driving, but they figure out how to sleep

and be calm very quickly. We try to do a few puppy field trips each week - one of

our favorites is bringing them to sit beside a medium-traffic children's

playground which provides plenty of sights, sounds and smells as well as safe,

structured interactions with children and parents of all shapes and sizes.

SHAPING APPROPRIATE RESPONSES

We intentionally shape appropriate behavior from the beginning, but at this point

we start taking it a little more seriously. We start with "manding" for attention and

shape it into puppies offering a focused sit when they want something, rather

than jumping/barking/nipping. We also work on bite inhibition daily.

POTTY TRAINING

Our puppies typically hit the potty areas of their pen with well over 90% accuracy

by the time they are about 4 weeks of age. By 6-7 weeks of age, accidents are

very few and far between in their pen...so at this point we start making the areas

smaller and the play areas bigger. We add potty spots to any area of the house

they may be in to keep up the good habits, and at this time we start taking them

outside in the morning and every time we wake them from a nap to encourage

outdoor potty time.

VET VISIT PREP

At 7 weeks and on, we will spend a little more time prepping our puppies for

happy vet visits by working on stacking/sitting on a table and holding the skin

between their shoulders to mimic how vaccines are given.

ONE-ON-ONE TIME

We spend individual time with each puppy starting as early as 3 weeks of age,

however once they hit 7 weeks we take that more seriously. Puppies will go on

solo adventure walks and field trips, and we spend more time working with

each puppy individually for skill building, problem solving challenges or just

snuggling to watch a show (arguably one of the more important life skills, haha).

When safe to do so, a puppy or two will also accompany us to training classes

where they will practice settling in their kennel around new dogs in new places.

LEASH SKILLS

Your puppy certainly will not be obedience trial ready but by 7 weeks we spend

more time working on leash skills by taking pups individually for short walks

down the block and back, or practice leash skills in unfamiliar indoor areas

when appropriate and safe to do so.

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

Though we introduced water to the puppies much earlier, now is the time that

we will focus more on actually swimming in water. We have tiny life jackets for

puppies to get used to wearing and to help them feel more comfortable on their

own if they choose to motor around. Some puppies will begin swimming and

retrieving toys from the water, but we spend more time worrying about happy

feelings rather than dock dive or water retrieval skills. Swimming is one the

safest forms of physical exercise a dog can do - it increases muscle tone and

physical fitness without impacting joints regardless of age.

EVALUATIONS

We do APET Temperament Evaluations and Conformation Evaluations with highly

experienced evaluators around the 8 week mark. Depending on scheduling and

the size of the litter, these may all be done in one day, or we may do APET one

day and Conformation another. Decisions on which puppy is best suited where

will be made once these have been completed!

We utilize Nomograph testing on our Dams to pinpoint the ideal time for our puppies to receive their vaccines. A Nomograph is essentially a titre test that checks the Dam's antibodies that she passes to her puppies through her milk, that is then calculated into a layout to see exactly how "protected" the puppies are, as well as their high risk periods. Puppies will actually be resistant to the vaccines if given while they have antibodies from their dam - rendering them useless and the puppies unprotected. Running a nomograph at the correct time helps us ensure that we are only giving the puppies their vaccines when they are most receptive, and therefore the most likely to give them immune protection.

You can view the EBook "Keep Your Pups Safer - Use Canine Nomographs to Better Time Puppy Vaccinations" here.

This is an example from one of our past litters:

Living Conditions Gallery

Nomograph Testing

LIVING CONDITIONS

& Play Area Gallery

NOMOGRAPHS

for Vaccine Timing

RAISING PUPPIES

at Border City Bullies

Raising Puppies at BCB

30 Day Health Insurance

TRUPANION

Pet Insurance

The last thing we want is a freak accident occurring shortly after sending a puppy off to their new home, and leaving their new owner with a massive bill on top of all the stress associated with having a sick or injured pet - which is why we have partnered with Trupanion.

Every puppy goes home with 30 Days of FREE Pet Insurance. Your new family member will receive immediate coverage from the time they leave our door with up to 90% coverage and zero payout limits!

Contracts & Pricing

CONTRACT

Basics

Every puppy that we create is sold with a legally binding contract. This is primarily to protect the puppy for the remainder of it's life, but it also sets the expectations of both the breeder and buyer so that there are no discrepancies later on.

Every contract includes Lifetime Breeder Support. This means that we will take the puppy back at any point throughout it's lifetime should the owner be unable to care for it for any reason, and we will facilitate the rehoming process. This is not a courtesy, but a requirement. This is to prevent any puppies we create from ending up in bad homes, shelters, or rescues.

Every contract includes the exact same Health Guarantee. Some breeders only offer health guarantees on dogs slotted to be breeding candidates, but we feel that every home and every puppy deserves a guarantee. This is not a guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen, but a guarantee that we will do our best to make it right if things go south.

PET HOME

This is our most sought after ownership method and 80% of our puppies leave under this contract. Puppy must be spay/neutered between 24-36 months of age, puppy will NEVER be bred under any circumstances. Our pet home puppies do not have serious flaws - we just believe that only the top 20% of each litter should have the chance to move forward in a breeding program, while the rest deserve to live their days out being loved unconditionally regardless of their breeding eligibility.

Homes that have proven to be capable of responsibly containing/managing an intact dog may keep their dog intact indefinitely if they wish so long as the dog never contributes to a breeding (separate agreement).

$3,000 USD

CO-OWN

We usually find 1-3 Co-Own homes for each litter we have & priority is given to these homes. Breeder retains full or partial breeding rights to puppy. New owner can be as involved or uninvolved as they want. Each co-ownership agreement is unique and tailored to fit each home's wants/needs. There are health testing, titling, and general ethics requirements that may be fulfilled by the Breeder, Owner, or both.

This is how we keep our breeding program alive for generations to come - we personally value keeping our dogs in our home as our pets, which means we must find great homes for the puppies that we think could help shape our program's future in the right direction.

Co-Own is a wonderful opportunity for someone who wants to get into responsibly breeding American Bullies but doesn't know where to start and wants a mentor OR for owners that just want a wonderful pet and take pride in helping us get closer to our goal by allowing us to occasionally borrow their dog for extensive health testing, training/titling, and possibly breeding down the road.

$3,000 USD

FULL RIGHTS

We do not advertise or search for these homes, but will entertain the idea with a perfect fit. Buyer purchases full breeding rights to a puppy to breed the dog as they see fit with no restrictions. To date we have never sold a puppy on a Full Rights contract, but we are open to the idea with the right Owner. There would still be ethics, health testing and titling requirements but the Owner would have the freedom to breed the dog as they see fit once general pre-breeding responsibilities have been fulfilled.

Please Contact

SHOW/SPORT HOMES

ALL Owners from every type of ownership agreement are encouraged to get involved in sports & shows with their dogs! It is a great avenue to bond with your pet. There is no additional fee/stipulation that comes along with someone wanting to show or compete with their dog in any way. We will do our best to help coach and help you along whatever path you choose to take with your dog - from sharing knowledge we have about training the sport competitively with our own dogs, putting you in touch with trainers in the area, or finding local events/clubs to get involved with. We want to see our puppies out doing things!

Learn more about Canine Sports here.

CONTRACT TYPES

& Pricing

TITLE

Incentives

Title Incentives

Brand new for 2022, we will be offering title incentives to owners that are interested in earning show, sport or companion test titles with their BCB dog! Each title earned on your Border City Bullies dog will earn you $$$ of the listed price for your next puppy purchase with Border City Bullies. This includes multi-level titles such as RL1, RL2, RL1X, RL2X, RL3, etc.

In-Person Titles: $75 credit

Online/Virtual Titles: $25 credit

We hope this helps encourage our owners to "do the things" with their BCB Puppies & shows our appreciation for their effort put in.

Learn more about Canine Sports that we love participating in with our dogs here.

Learn more about Online titling options here.

"In-Person" means any title earned while being judged in person. This could be a conformation, rally obedience, barn hunt, nose work, weight pull, companion test, etc. These typically require multiple qualified "legs", as well as travel time to get to the venues, and may require multiple attempts to earn the legs needed.

"Online/Virtual" means any title earned by being submitted in a pre-recorded or live video online. This is usually trick dog titles, stunt dog titles, and canine conditioning titles. This credit will only be applied to titles that require some level of skill/training for the dog to complete like trick dog, stunt dog, conditioning, animal actor, rally obedience, nosework, obedience, etc.

Please note: Our prices are subject to change as cost of living and inflation rises throughout the years. The $$ incentives will be taken off of the current listing price of the 2nd puppy at the time of sale. For example, you purchase a pet home puppy for $3,000 in 2022. You earn 8 in person titles and 5 virtual titles. This gives you $725 off of the purchase of your next dog with Border City Bullies. You choose to purchase another pet home puppy in 2026, and the price has increased to $3,500 for all pet homes. You would pay $2,775 for your 2nd puppy in 2026.

Earning titles with your BCB dog does not guarantee you a second dog from BCB. Border City Bullies reserves the right to deny or discontinue a sale at any time, for any reason. Border City Bullies is not obligated to home puppies with anyone. If an owner wishes to have a second dog from BCB, they will be expected to go through the application process a second time.