How much is that doggie in the window?

Question

How much did you pay for your dog and how do you think that price was determined by the seller?

Shelter/rescue owners, please answer too!

(I have one mutt that was free because it was an accidental litter so they gave away the pups to friends and one shelter mutt that I paid $175 for. The $175 covered a clean bill of health, neutering, and a rescue fee.)

Priscilla, WHY was the cost $1800 though? Why not $500? What did your money pay for?

I'm not trying to be mean (I usually am, but not this time). What justifies paying over a couple hundred for a dog?

Those of you buying designer dogs....do you see that your money is wasted?

This was the point I was trying to make.

Thank you everyone.....especially to the ones who paid A LOT and can justify the price tag!

Answer 1

I have a friend who breeds Shih Tzus. She charges around $600 per puppy. She told me that her price is determined on the amount it costs to have the litter. The expense of having both parents tested for genetic abnormalities, the quality of the pedigree, the cost of the birth, (if there was a need for a c-section or not) the cost of the shots, the worming, the vet checks and clean bill of health, the medications for the pups (Advantage is sent is used before they leave her home, and a tube is sent home with the new parents), she micro chips every puppy and registers herself to the chip, so if they every end up in the pound, she can take legal action against the purchaser. (It is in her contract to return the puppy, and never, ever, send it to the pound!) She also puts $100 of the purchase price aside, in case the new owners proceed and get the puppy fixed. Part of her contract offers a refund of $100 if the dogs are fixed within the first year.

Many of the people out there seem to just pull a number out of the air and go with that. People don't really seem to want to know where the amount came from, just if they can afford it or not!

Answer 2

I have paid everything from $60 for a rescued shelter mutt to $1,200 for my purebred golden with 29 champion bloodline lineage, who has 6 health guarantees and was guaranteed the pick of the litter to be a champion show dog, which she is, thank you very much!

I run a working dog rescue and I take in dogs that need a job, such as an Aussie, and train them in herding, agility, etcetera.
I also alter each dog that comes in if needed, and include that in the adoption fee.
Un-altered: $200
Altered: $120.
Those who rescue from me love my rates because the dogs come ready to work and are already trained in the basics.
I never adopt out to someone just looking for a pet, unless the dog is very elderly and just needs some quiet loving.

Most of my current dogs are purebreds, such as my Toller, which is rare breed for good reason. Birdie cost $940 from a breeder in New Hampshire. I went and picked her up, so I guess I saved about $200.
But I would never pay like $500 for a golden retriever, as they are way too common and I desire the best of the breed standards in goldens. Plus, I research breeders for like a year in advance before deciding on a pup.

But you can definitely get a loving dog from the shelter for under $100 these days. Great idea.

Answer 3

Two champion-line Irish Setters: About $800 each when taking into consideration how much was lost in the poker game before my uncle won them and gave them to us.

English Springer Spaniel: $250 from a pet store, before the evils of pet stores were widely known.

English Springer Spaniel mix: Free to own, because we found him at a rest stop. But then about $300 to get him healthy.

German Shephard/Golden retriever mix and lhasa apso mix: Both free, and have been in good health. We were given them by people who couldn't care for them anymore.

My cousin and her husband spent over $2,000 on a yellow lab from an AKC breeder. For an extra $800, the 12-week old puppy was supposed to be "fully-trained." It's housebroken and knows commands just fine, but the dog is crazy. It has a fondness for eating wallpaper and eating through doors and walls.

After considering the experiences of myself and my family/friends, I don't think I could ever pay a signifcant amount of money for a dog. Not when our local shelter charges about $75 for their dogs, depending on what medical care they needed.

Answer 4

I paid £350.00 for my American Akita. The price normally is
£600 - £1000 pounds. The reason I paid so little is because he is not KC registered.
The funny part though - I have come across many Akita owners including ones who breed Akita's and they all agree my Akita is awesome. They ask me do I show him etc. They look him over and can find NO FAULTS.
Maybe I got lucky, who knows? All I know is I paid half the going price and have an Akita they have actually told me they envy. I would not pay for a KC registered Akita now - I have studdied this breed for days on end. I know what to look for and look forward to purchasing a female soon.

Answer 5

Two "rescues".

One from a shelter - he was fully vaccinated, and neutered. He also came licensed. $90. He's a Heinz 57.

One from a rescue - he was fully vaccinated, but didn't have his county license. $150. He's a purebred JRT, and the rescue had him neutured because he wasn't altered when he came to them.

They're both wonderful pets and I wouldn't trade either one. I think both rescue situations set their fees based on how much money it costs them to break even; the first shelter gets county and state funds and has vets who do a decent number of spays and neuters free of charge. The rescue is home-based, gets no governmental funding and pays for all vet care for each dog, including spaying and neutering.

Answer 6

My dogs have always come to me free. My first dog, Cocker Spaniel/Poodle cross, was given to me by a relative; second one, Border Collie/Blue Heeler cross, was going to be euthanized because in the divorce settlement neither party wanted him; and my present dog, Smooth-coated Border Collie, was given to me by a friend because I asked her if I could have him. Each of these dogs has ended up being worth gold to me.

My then fiance, now husband, paid $75.00 for an English Cocker Spaniel from a back-yard breeder. Needless to say, I was not impressed. This dog was a baaaaaad dog.

I expect to spend a little more on my next dog as I want a Blue Merle Border Collie from working parents, from a local breeder. As this is not a common color for Borders I find her price acceptable.

spazrats

Answer 7

Me and my boyfriend just recently bought a red female doberman. We paid $400 for her, she was already had her dew claws removed and her tail docked. She is from the Kimbertrall(sp.) Champion line, which is a very good line. She has 22 champions in her family. But there are some dobermans that cost $3000 and up. I am very happy with her, we paid a resonable price.

Answer 8

We paid 250 for our dog, mostly because his breed is often hard to take care off and to breed and the litter is often not that big. The 250 covered the dog perfectly healthy, groomed, nails clipped, neutered, and all of his shots.

Answer 9

I got my 12-year-old dog for free when she was just 2 years old. She belonged to a relative that couldn't have her anymore. She was spayed, vaccinated, well-trained and came with a crate.

I got my other dog as a 9-week-old puppy from the SPCA. He was up-to-date on his shots, cost $135 Canadian dollars, the cost included a free vet check-up, neutering when he was old enough, deworming, and some coupons.

Answer 10

It has been so long since I have 'bought' a dog I don't even remember. I get offered dogs from breeder friends regularily.

I suppose I would expect to pay $1200 - 1500 for a top quality show prospect from a top kennel.

I sell mine for much less, I don't care if they go to show homes or not. I am not after ROM's and breed for me. Some go to show homes, but I would rather they went to a great pet home than a so-so show home.