Does anyone else think it's not on...

Errata

I think if someone wants a particular breed, perhaps because their parents or grandparents had one when they were a child, and it's a very rare breed that doesn't come up in rescue centres then they're perfectly entitled to spend as much money as they wish on their dog.
Some people like rescue dogs others don't. Some rescue dogs can be absolute gems and others complete fiends with no hope of changing.

Smickan

minihay wrote: »

I agree with Bean Counter - we tried 2 rescue centres and the RSPCA wouldn't let any dog go to a home with children under 3 and the other home was similar, and you never know what the poor dog's been through before so I do understand this.

Have now decided to buy a puppy and have researched breed etc thoroughly but the differences in prices have been shocking. We have ended up paying £260 (still a lot) for a non KC registered pup which doesn't bother us as are not planning on showing but some people wanted £600+

I agree, some people really do want such ridiculous prices!

We got our poor Mickey from the RSPCA - he adored me (and vice versa) but took a dislike to my mum - the behaviourist and vet said he had probably transfered it from the womans kids before who he was snapping at to mum and it couldn't be trained out of it.

We recently paid £120 for a Yorkie/Border terrier cross and £100 (well £150 with train fare there and back taken into account) for a Border Collie/Border Terrier cross.

I was regularly searching for puppies/dogs in the area and saw some bulldogs going for over £2000!

kyh

I'm with Bean as well as Mrs PP. I have a pedigree dog but she is also a rehome. Her breeder always kept the top !!!!! from each litter for showing (all her girls end up at Crufts) but when my girl got to 18 months she decided she wasn't going to breed from her. Normally she would have kept her but as she knew I had lost my other dog she asked me if I would like to long term "foster" her. She has been with us for 3 years and is wonderful. We will be "investing" in a new puppy from the same breeder next year to start showing (which I really enjoy as a semi serious hobby) and yes if I can save the money we will be spending about £1000 on her. If we were not able to keep our current or future dog for whatever reason her breeder would have her back. I believe if you want a particualr breed then paying a reputable breeder that sum of money is worth it for a dog who has been well bred and cared for.

I do also believe though that there are too many unlicesned puppy breeders and why we end up with so many unwanted dogs in rescue homes. People think dog breeding is easy money and for some "puppy farms" it probably is but I would certainly never go to one.

When my little one is grown and we have more room around the house then we will look at rehoming a rescue of this breed.

RooBee

Each to their own.

I have a 'free to any home' dog here who was unwanted by his previous owner.

I also have a pedigree for whom I paid the going rate for a puppy which, at the time was £800. Now, it would be closer to £1000 which is what I expect to pay for my next puppy of this breed. It is a fairly uncommon breed, although not rare as such. When you divide the cost up over the lifetime of the dog, I don't think it's a lot to pay for years of companionship.

Responsible and reputable 'hobby' breeders who only breed to further their own line, and when they want to keep a pup for themselves, put a lot of time, effort and care into breeding. Health testing, stud fees, veterinary care, additional food for Mum and pups, equipment and 10 weeks of constant care of attention all add up in terms of expense. A pup from this type of breeder is worth every penny and I have no qualms about paying the going rate. If a breeder of this type has a large litter, then they may turn a small profit but, more often than not, they will break even at best. These breeders don't tend to add to the dogs in rescue as they commit to taking responsibility for the puppies they breed for their entire lifetime and will usually have a contract stating that pups/dogs must be returned to them if for any reason the owner can't keep it.

Someone who just mates two dogs of the same breed, without any thought to their health, suitability etc (i.e. a back yard breeder or, worse, puppy farmer) and who tries to charge the going rate for puppies is breeding only for the money. Not illegal unfortunately but immoral and I wouldn't buy a dog off them in any circumstances at any price. These are the breeders who cause the rescue crisis. However, it is all a matter of supply and demand...while people continue to treat dogs like an accesory that can be bought now and then dumped tomorrow for the next 'must have' thing, then BYBs and PFs will continue to ensure that there is an endless supply.

pboae

I paid about £200 for my rescue dog, (still a bargain considering how much he had already cost the rescue). His original owners probably paid around £1,000 for him, just to abuse him horrifically for 2 years. He is also very badly bred with numerous health problems. So I don't think paying a large sum of money is a guarantee of quality on either side.

Having said that, if people are going to choose to go to a breeder rather than a rescue, then I would rather they went to a good breeder and paid a fair amount for the dog. Breeding healthy good quality pedigree dogs is an expensive buisness. There are stud fees, health tests, registration fees, the costs of whelping and feeding, etc. If it is done properly the breeder will be barely making a profit, even when they charge up to £1,000. Especially for breeds that have problems with natural births.

If a breeder can afford to sell their pups for a couple of hundred quid then they will be backyard breeders who've put two convenient dogs together, with minimal (if any) health tests and no consideration for bettering the breed by carefully choosing a sire to complement the dam. Because if they were doing it properly they would be losing hundreds of pounds on every pup.

Having said all of that, I still think rescue dogs are the best.

Dennis99

It's the same with these "designer" dogs.
Locally they are asking £700 for a Labradoodle and I've seen ads for up to £1500.
£1500 for a ruddy mongrel!

orlao

I can see what people are saying about it not just the large amount of money but the fact that breeding and buying dogs while there are so many in rescue does seem a bit wrong.

In saying that, over many years I've had rescues from charities, unwanted dogs given to me by private owners and I also bought a very expensive pedigree puppy.

As far as the pedigree dog is concerned I spent 18 months looking for a suitable rescue in that breed and couldn't find one! Admittedly, my circumstances were such that I had a very long list that any dog would have to tick which made it very difficult but IMO there was no point in taking an unsuitable dog that may have to be returned so eventually I decided to get a pup as it could then fit into my household from the very start rather than have to go through a big retraining program that may or may not have been sucessful.

If I hadn't wanted a particular breed I could have widened my choices of suitable rescue dogs and possibly found a rescue.......but I have waited nearly 20 years to be in a position to have this dog and I'm afraid I got a bit selfish:p and went ahead and bought a pup but it took me nearly a year to find the dog I wanted so it wasn't an impulse buy IYSWIM

BTW, my dog, although KC reg had a restriction on his registration that his offspring couldn't be KC reg without his breeders permission.......mind you he was castrated at 6 months so really wasn't a problem:D

Jules22

of all the rescue dogs i've had only 2 have stayed.my experience of some rescue centres haven't been good. they have been full and seem to just want to home the dogs wherever, regardless of the family circumstances.

i bought a pedigree and paid £1000. he came from a very reputable breeder who did all the health checks required. i waited 2yrs for the line i liked.

i would pay the same again for the same breed. worth every penny( or pound!)

foreign_correspondent

I too knew exactly what sort of dog I wanted - a small to medium one with a good temprement - I was not bothered about looks one bit.

After visiting three rescues in one day I found Badger, a smallish tricoloured female dog, about four or five yeas old. Friendly, daft and fussy, and she took to us. She has been fabulous, and cost £95, speyed, chipped and vaccinated. To me she is worth much, much more. She is a great dog, very clean, no bother, happy as larry, and lovely with my little niece.

My mum was so impressed by the Badger that she went to look at a jack russell in a local rescue - she loves dogs but had a young terrier years ago (bought from a breeder) who was just too mad for her, so he went to live with my dad. She was scared to take on another dog in case 'she wasn't a good owner'.. as I said we went to look at a Jack russell, but my mum fell for a stunning looking young chocolate and white lurcher x... not the dog I would have chosen for her - but they 'bonded' - my mum has had her for a couple of months now, she has never had an 'accident' in the house (the dog, not my mum!), her training is coming on brilliantly and last week she won reserve best in show (out of about 100 dogs) at a charity dog show!

Both the dogs are great with children, and lovely together, although the little one is definitely the boss. In fact the only dog in our family who is not so trustworthy is my uncles westie, bought from a breeder for quite a bit of cash. He isnt a bad dog, but cannot be truted with kids, and is a bit smelly despite regular trips to the groomer!! (sorry doggo!)

Buying from a breeder is no guarantee of temprement - I would rather get an older dog whose personality has developed than take on a pup. But having said that, for those who do want pups there are plenty in rescues.

I could not bring myself to line the pockets of a breeder whilst lovely dogs die in the dog pounds.

foreign_correspondent

roguebrogue wrote: »

Unfortunately it's a never ending circle. As long as there's demand for puppies people will keep buying them. Plus what would happen to the puppies if they weren't bought

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what an odd argument - think about it - supply and demand! - would people keep breeding them if they weren't profitable? - probably not, and the rescues would not be full of these dogs a few months/years later.

There is a demand for puppies but a lot of people forget they are hard work, and not so cute and fluffy for long. So many dogs end up dumped at 6-12 onths, once they get gangly, cheeky and demanding.

If you really do want a pup there are plently in rescue centres already. I could have chosed from several but went for an older dog because I didnt fancy the toilet training, chewing and general mayhem that comes with a pup!!