... Or is the price of puppies absolutely insane??

[Tootletum]

I've been looking to get a dog for about a year, and now that I know I'll be at home for good, had started looking at prices for a spaniel or a viszla. The average asking price for a non KC registered purebred seems to be £2500, and even the lady advertising some accidental mongrel whippets wanted over £1000!!! Who is paying these insane prices???

@eatyourcake

What is insane here is not the price, it is the fact people are still buying puppies, where there are countless abandoned dogs in shelters, desperate for a loving home, including fancy breeds of all ages.

YES. Adopt, don't shop. There's no excuse.

Spot the I haven’t RTFT poster!

It's outrageous. My mum wants a kitten so we looked on Gumtree etc and most people were asking between £200 and £350 for a kitten. Not even a Bengal or whatever just a big standard moggy. I can well imagine the price of puppies

I have a sneaky suspicion that the prices will not return to pre Covid levels now. They've seen what people are willing to pay. My boy cost me £850 four years ago. Puppies of his breed are between £2500 and £3000 now.

bluesapphirestars

Puppies are totally valid for people who don't know if they can handle a rescue who might have issues. I'm kinda tired of people shaming those who don't get dogs from rescues - we tried to, he was incredibly male-aggressive and attacked my dad. He went to an older lady who needed a companion and he was the only dog available for adoption at the time who was appropriate for us.

That being said, I think some breeders price highly to know they're going to a good home and because raising puppies can be a lot of time and expense.

I can't adopt. I live in a flat without an enclosed garden and I have children with additional needs. The fact that I am out and about all day long and my dog is with me the whole time and gets about three hours exercise a day and is never left home alone means nothing when it comes to being allowed to rescue.

@YgritteSnow

I have a sneaky suspicion that the prices will not return to pre Covid levels now. They've seen what people are willing to pay. My boy cost me £850 four years ago. Puppies of his breed are between £2500 and £3000 now.

At some point the market must reach saturation point, though. And I do think there'll come a point when that cute lockdown puppy becomes the adolescent dog that's chewing the furniture while its owners are out at work, and that's when the shelters may fill up again .

you're probably right.

@eatyourcake

100% agree. And if you claim that a rescue doesn’t find your home/situation suitable then it is not in the best interests of a dog for them to be adopted by you.

OP The idea that a dog from a rescue would be dangerous (or more dangerous than a puppy from a breeder) is misinformed. Each dog is different and there are angels and menaces in either lot.

Have you actually spoken to any rescues? Many have puppies as lots of dogs come into rescue pregnant. Why would a puppy that was born, put into a foster home and then adopted out straight away be any different temperament wise to a puppy from a breeder?

Adopt don’t shop. There are also puppies in the rescues...as well as wonderful older dogs who are well-trained and a million times easier than a puppy..

Most people I know have rescues and young children...not all rescues have been abused and are aggressive...

And another one

@LokiOdinson Getting a puppy from a breeder does not in any way guarantee that you will not experience any behavioural problems. And one bad experience with a rescue dog does not mean that all rescue dogs are deranged. Didn’t the rescue you worked with offer adoption support? Why was it only after you’ve adopted the dog that you found out he was aggressive towards males?

I’d also like to point out to everyone claiming that rescue dogs are hard work/ dangerous that almost all of those dogs would have originally been puppies from breeders. So many dogs are in rescue not because they had an abusive owner who beat them up or neglected them, but because of the trend of families buying puppies without putting proper consideration into it (or with the intention of the puppy being entertainment for their children) and then giving up when they realise that it actually takes work, or when they have a baby on the way and no longer care to dedicate any time to their pet. If a dog was too dangerous to be up for adoption it would not be up for adoption and the vast majority are not there because they ate a baby or attached their owner

Well that's because dickheads continue to pay those prices.
Most likely for a flimsy dog with health issues.

Re home.

@TeenPlusTwenties Have you tried private rescues? They are often more focused on the vibe they get from you and the home visits as opposed to wanting you to meet a specific set of requirements like RSPCA etc do

Can i just ask people who are looking for a dog to be vigilant about who they buy them from, family pets and puppies are being stolen every day where i live (Dublin), and many of these are being ferried over to the uk to be sold. A setter and her 7 puppies were stolen recently. It's heartbreaking but it's obviously big business.

I’d also like to point out to everyone claiming that rescue dogs are hard work/ dangerous that almost all of those dogs would have originally been puppies from breeders. So many dogs are in rescue not because they had an abusive owner who beat them up or neglected them, but because of the trend of families buying puppies without putting proper consideration into it

I've been looking at the rescue sites regularly since my dog passed away and I agree, not all the dogs are flagged as difficult - the problem is that those who can live with cats (and probably children but as we are childfree I haven't been checking for that) are as rare as hens' teeth and seem to get snapped up straight away.

There do seem to be more dogs with limitations/problems than not - in short, you are often taking on a dog that someone else has damaged - and this is frustrating when you can be reasonably confident that if you'd had the dog from puphood, it would be properly trained and socialised, yet you have to unpick all sorts of issues.

For those who say rescues are saying they can’t adopt, I can agree that some places have very harsh rules.

One of the first places we went to told us categorically that we would never be able to adopt because we had children.
No one had asked us and we didn’t have children at the time.

Then they said as we both worked f/t we couldn’t adopt.
No we didn’t

Then they said we lived on a main road which was against their policy to adopt

We didn’t.

We ended up walking away as they really didn’t want us there.

Then went to the Dogs Trust and met dpup who we fell for immediately. Dogs Trust had a completely different attitude to us.

I have noticed this ! We would love a dog either buying from breeder or one from rescue but both option seem out of our grasp just now.

I agree if you want a fully grown dog who is good with cats and children then they are very rare.

However a pup would fit well but puppies aren’t really advertised. You have to register and they will call you when they find one for you.

Didn’t the rescue you worked with offer adoption support? Why was it only after you’ve adopted the dog that you found out he was aggressive towards males?

They didn't. It was because they hadn't spent the time assessing him, so we weren't interested in returning to them.

Nowhere did I say all rescues are deranged, for fuck's sake. Stop putting words in my mouth - I fully support rescue, but I also support responsibly buying from breeders if it's the best option for the family.

Family local to me breed 'shitpoo' type and have inflated their prices 3-fold during lockdown. Puppies now pushing 3k each.

I'm very pro adopt but rescues are mad.

We live in a large house on a path (not a road) off a small cul de sac. Quiet rural area. We had one child under 5 who was used to cats (all relatives have them). We were happy to get a cat, not kitten.

It took a YEAR to find a tiny rescue that would accept us.

@Deadringer yes that's what worries me about those prices. Keep seeing loads of ads selling grown dogs "due to family breakdown", which I guess is what they would say...
@IJustWantSomeBees I never said I thought rescues were dangerous. And yes, many dogs can be dangerous with improper training. Still not sure what's wrong with wanting a puppy who'll grow up with my kids though. As I say, I've no intention of paying those prices, so I'll see how things are looking at the end of the year.

We paid 2,500 for our “mongrel” as a previous poster has called her. And she is absolutely the best dog and we would pay double that for another one like her! We know a few people who have bought the same “mongrel” non breed after meeting ours and who are equally as smitten. We have had her two years and she is the best dog. I have had dogs growing up; so has my partner. But this one is a special kind. We think she must have been bread this way, as others who have the same also say nothing but positive. Sure you can get a rescue dog or buy a dog for a few hundred, but the one we bought is known for its temperament, being smart, cute, the works. She seems to just understand things after us saying once or twice or even just talking to each other. She literally just gets it. One day I asked her what’s in her mouth and she dropped it. I never taught her that. From then on if I asked her she would just drop what was in her mouth. If I tell her to go fine my husband dd or ds she will do just that. She has learned to tuck her tail under when she sits in the sofa when I made a comment to my dh about the fact I don’t like her butt touch our sofa! I can go in and on about how much she understands. How sweet she is etc. So yea, we would pay a crazy amount for her. It was money well spent. The entire family is smitten. Absolutely no regrets.