How much should I have paid for this dog?

Question

My fiance and I just bought a puppy he is a Papillon ,Shetland Sheepdog mix and we paid $499.00 before taxes did we get ripped off? Isnt he just a mutt now cuz hes not a pure bred dog I dont know much about dogs and I not really a dog person so for me to pay $499 for a dog is kinda insane in my eyes For that much money I could buy like 50 cats instead. we did buy him from a pet shop so is that just their way of screwing ya out of cash

I had no idea that mutt was so wrong and devastating for a dog to be called I must have given so many dogs a self esteem issue calling them mutts . thank your for bring that to my attention ( sarcasm)princessofpain4you . I told ya Im not a fan of dogs

Answer 1

Mixed or pure,it all depends on what a person wants in a dog.Both can be and are great pets.There is a bit more unpredictability with mixed breeds than pure breeds,as far as possible genetic problems,and temperament.However,purebred dogs can also have many problems,if not bred properly.A purebred bought from a breeder who does no health certifications,or inbreeds,can have many problems too.As far as paying large sums of money for the latest fad,it's nothing but a ripoff.Labradoodles for example are great dogs,but they are a mixed breed,they cannot be registered,shown,etc.People who misrepresent them as some special gift of nature and charge sometimes as much as a thousand bucks or more,are totally misleading people as to what they are buying.If I buy a Coke and and Pepsi and mix them together,give them a new name like "Copesi,does that make it worth ten times more than a regular Coke?

Answer 2

It is not true that you don't have to pay for mixes. Look at all the poodle hybrids out there that are going for outrageous sums. Considering you purchased at a pet store, the price you paid is about right for a cute puppy. Shetlands are great dogs: affectionate, loyal, and very intelligent. I'm sure that in time your little pup will become such a big part of your family that you'll back and think that the $500 was nothing compared to his worth.

Please be prepared for health problems with your dog, though, if the pet store was supplied by a puppy mill (but it might not have been). Sometimes such problems are behavioral (timidness, separation anxiety) but usually they are health-related.

Chances are, if you train him correctly using positive reinforcement and properly establish alpha status early on, you won't have behavioral problems.

Good luck with your new pup and congrats for openning your home to a furry friend. People will tell you that you shouldn't have purchased from a pet store because there are tons of dogs in shelters who need homes. I say that if the pet store dogs are purchased by the wrong owner, they'll just end up as one of the shelter dogs anyway. All the dogs, even the pet store ones, deserve a loving home.

Good luck with your pup

Answer 3

Oh my goodness.... yes he is a mutt. Yes $499 is OUTRAGEOUS and a total rip-off. And buying a dog from a pet store is basically the worst thing you can possibly do when buying a dog.

A mutt should cost maybe $100. One from a pet store, which means probably from a run-down nasty puppy mill with poor breeding habits, should be $0.

Sorry buddy you got taken. But now that you've got the dog you may as well take it to obedience classes, treat it well, and make it worth that $499!

Answer 4

I worked for Pass Pets (a pet store chain) for 5 years.. There are many reasons for buying pets at a pet store. Many people don't have the time or are not willing to do the research and then look for a reputable breeder and then the pet that is right for them.. That said: The pet store industry counts on impulse buyers to fall in love with the animal and buy it before they even consider taking the time to research or even determine if having a pet is a good idea.. They push the cross breed dogs because they pay very little for them. The breeder is responsible for the wormings and shots and then sells the pup to the pet store for an average of $50.. The pet store usually has it spayed or neutered or at the very least offers the buyer a health guarentee that includes a free spay or neuter.. If you don't have the time to research and find a pet thats right for you, do you really have the time to care for and love a pet either? Regardless of what breed it is, if you take proper care of your pet and you love it.. That $499 will seem like the deal of a lifetime in the end!! It's not unusual to see cross bred small breed dogs in the papers for $250 to $300 in my part of the country..

Answer 5

Since you're new to dog ownership, here's a few things you might not have known...

Yes, you got a mutt. Anything that is a *whatever* mixed with a *whatever* is a mutt. I see nothing wrong with the term. I have a mutt myself, though usually I will call him a "mixed breed"--it just sounds more impressive ;)

Yes, that was too much money for that dog. That is the going rate for such dogs right now, though, because, like you, most people who get them don't really know that much about dogs and dog breeding.

And finally, these sorts of mixed breed "designer dogs" pretty much exclusively come from either puppy mills or backyard breeders. Because he came from a pet shop, he more than likely came from a puppy mill. A puppy mill is, basically, a factory farm for dogs. They keep multiple dogs per cage in tiny cages and just breed them and breed them and breed them until they are all used up. They do not get let out to run around, they do not get proper veterinary care, usually all their teeth and hair fall out. Then they kill them and use them for fertilizer.

By paying that much money for that dog, you've supplied the people who breed dogs in horrific conditions just to make a quick buck with the money they need to keep on doing that over and over and over. It takes next to no money at all to keep 50 dogs in tiny cages and feed them crap and not give them veterinary care, and then they sell dozens of pups for hundreds of dollars each. You just supported that.

What's done is done, you bought the dog. But please don't do it again and when people talk to you about the dog, please tell the truth about what you did and about puppy mills. Say that you did it because you didn't know, but now you do know and want to make sure no one else does that.

Answer 6

anything bought at a pet store is going to be twice as expensive,your fiance got ripped off,had he looked in the local paper he could have found a mixed breed for half that or possibly free,but most people are putting a pretty hefty price tag on mixed breeds theses days depending on what they are mixed with,small dogs are generally more expensive,anyway you paid too much,but now that you have the puppy,he will return your investment and you will never regret paying that much for him,both of these breeds are very smart excellent watch dogs and loyal to the end,you say you are not a dog lover but give him a chance he will change that

Answer 7

Sorry! You got taken! I owned a pet shop for 6 years so I know that you got ripped off! This dog should not have cost more than 50.00 at a pet shop. The dog is a mutt. You could have gotten him at the pound for about 25 dollars. Pitiful!

Answer 8

The fact is, any time you buy a dog from a pet store, you get ripped off in more ways than one. Paying that much money for a mixed breed when so many of them are killed in shelters every day seems utterly pointless to me -- you're just encouraging unethical people to breed mutts on purpose, which means that more are killed.

It is also a fact that every puppy in a pet store comes from a puppy mill -- high volume breeders who keep dogs only for their ability to make them money. These people have no interest in health, temperament, or any other factor that goes into making a good pet, and their dogs are generally kept in factory-like conditions without any of the social aspects and care that every dog deserves. The parents of your puppy were not kept as pets, they lived in wire cages and the mother was likely bred on every heat cycle, and will be until she's no longer useful.

Many puppies coming out of pet store can and will have health problems due to indescriminate breeding practices. They are often sickly, and have social issues due to being removed from their mother early in order to get them to the pet store while they're "still cute" and marketable.

http://www.nopuppymills.com

I believe that anyone who's just looking for a companion should get a mixed breed -- but they should adopt that dog from a shelter (for a fraction of the cost!) and save its life.

PS - The term "mutt" is just a word, another quick way to describe a mixed breed. Any derogatory meaning assigned to it comes from one's personal issues. Sheesh.

Answer 9

Actually.......mixed breed dogs all all the rage right now. And yes, they are expensive! Just look in the classified ads. Anything mixed with a poodle is costing a fortune. I always believed mixed breed dogs were cheaper, but not any more. Plus, mixed breeding makes them stronger, I really believe. So, enjoy your dog. Papillons are cute in themselves, so I can only imagine how cute this dog must be.

Answer 10

Yes you got ripped off. I have a rottweiler and he only cost $400 and he is pure bred. You should not pay anything for mixes.

But when you think about it, it's ok. The dog will be worth it eventually because you'll love it! And purebred dogs are incest anyways, they're all related! They end up getting more health problems than mixed breeds... but still. You pay more money for the purebreds than the mixes.