To wonder when (if) the price of puppies will go back down?

[EliseRainier]

We've been wanting to get a Springer pup for ages but have been waiting until we move to a bigger place, which we now are.

I've looked on the KC website and there aren't currently any litters in our area, but quite a lot on pets4homes but my god the price!! Like £2-3K when we were looking at less than £1K before lockdown.

AIBU to hope that the price goes back down once things go back to normal, people start going back to work etc or is this just how much dogs cost now?!

Rescue unfortunately isnt an option for us currently although I'd like to in future.

Given job losses I would expect prices to go down, or more dogs end up at rescue centres, or both.

£2, 3, 4,000 is extortionate for a puppy; telling people they can't afford the dog if they can't pay that is just like telling people that if they can't afford private IVF, they can't afford children. Complete bollocks.

OK, IVF is comparable to having a puppy now?

Having a puppy of your choice at a price everyone can afford is not some sort of minimum standard human right. Can't believe how entitled people are being.

As with holidays - a lot of us will have to wait - it's not the end of the flaming world.

I'm glad rescue centres have such strict rules and the cost of puppies are high. I'm a cleaner in other people's houses. The number of dogs and puppies were their owners tell me they are left all day on their own really really depressed me. I watched dogs pacing for hours and witnessed pups caged with no food, water or anywhere to toilet.

The number of people who get dogs then just don't bother with them, or give correct care is astounding.

There needs to be more stringent regulations on who is suitable for dog ownership.

We've just banned advertising puppies for sale on Done Deal here in Ireland. A step in the right direction. Lots of dogs being robbed from gardens here. A lot of whom end up on the ferry over to the UK, poor things.

The price will come down next year. Anyone who has ever thought about getting a dog now appears to have one, so there won't be much of a demand.

The only people selling puppies for thousands are opportunistic back yard breeders . Anyone who pays three/four grand for a French bulldog isn’t very intelligent . Gestation for puppies are 62 ish ? days . Lots of people will have gotten their bitch pregnant deliberately to take advantage of the situation . Some may even have done it twice by the end of the year .
With the economy being in trouble I doubt anyone with any common sense would pay thousands for a pup.

My friend who breeds (shes caring and registered) said that all the people in the dog (breed) club she is in are breeding as they cannot go out to the dog shows they normally do - so September time there will probably be many more dogs around

Midnight- they’re breeding their dogs because they can’t go to shows ? Seriously ? I don’t see the connection . They’re breeding their dogs because they want to profit from inflated prices . I hope they’re stuck with them all tbh .

I dont think so, my friend normally does a breeding once or twice a year, depends on when, i think they have all decided that they are at home so might as well do this years one now, instead of later in the year

you dont take pregnant dogs to shows, so you avoid breeding during show times... its not difficult

That’s odd. Breeders we know (who limit breedings anyway for health reasons ) aren’t able to breed for another month or so anyway because no one is able to travel to stud etc. I’d rather wait and know it was safer tbh. We’re on a waitlist for a Springer (we lost our almost 13yo lab two months ago) and our 14yo lab really isn’t going to last forever... I’m hoping that the timing will work. It’s completely impossible to even get a rescue appointment here. They have hundreds of applicants for each dog that comes in and are trying to rehome as soon as possible. So the animals go up between 7-9pm and the staff book meets for the next day on a First come first served basis. They just don’t have the capacity to run waitlists of thousands of people. And we live in the arse end of nowhere. I have no idea where all these people are coming from.
I go via the breed sites and look for registered breeders. We’ll be able to take a second dog soon so if there is a bump in animals left in shelters and the crazy demand drops, we’ll be able to rehome then. I’m not sure it will happen. I know a number of people who have effectively decided to make lifestyle changes with work being the very lowest of priorities. Only finances will change their minds and most are comfortable not working at present.

@EveryDayIsADuvetDay

WTF do you all need pedigree puppies? Rescue organisations will soon be inundated with young dogs that irresponsible owners did not think through properly, and then realise that: They need time money and attention Can't be taken into the office or left home alone all day Prohibit getting a new rental property or aren't allowed by the landlord in the current one. Don't match the furniture (until they've covered it in their hair 🐶)

This. If you can't handle a rescue - and fair play, not everyone can - you shouldn't get a dog at all. You need time and space and patience. Too many people rush in without thinking the commitment they're making through. I honestly think you should have to have a licence and pass inspections before you can have a pet.

I’m in the US but we paid $2000 for our lab three years ago so I don’t really think 2-3k is honestly that outrages for a puppy (assuming they’re from a reputable breeder and parents are titled, have been health tested etc.) but also, where are you looking? Maybe try reaching out to your local parent club and asking for the number to the breeder referral. They’ll be able to point you in the right direction!

@thecognoscenti a rescue was my original first choice but we dont meet their criteria (which I think is bonkers but it is what it is). The spaniel rescue I was looking at doesn't seem to have any shortage of homes for the dogs they rescue though, every one they post about is inundated with applications.

I'm fully aware that dogs take time, space and patience which is why we've waited so long for the right time and circumstances.

Thanks for all the helpful tips

Every dog needs time and patience. We didn’t want a rescue dog where we had no idea what we were taking on. We wanted a puppy whose parents we’d met so we had a good idea of what we were getting. We have every right to choose the best way of acquiring a dog.

@VinylDetective spot on

@thecognoscenti

I don't think they rush in, I think their expectations don't meet with reality and breeders (the ones who don't have a waiting list and can't afford to be that fussy) don't have the honest conversation as they're trying to make a sale.

That's why rescues usually do home checks, a 1 hour conversation with someone about the realities of dog ownership not only makes them think about what's realistic but also manages those expectations. This often means they are better prepared if they are a newbie dog owner.

@VinylDetective its not true that you have no idea what you are taking on with a rescue. A dog from a good rescue will have been thoroughly assessed and therefore you will know what dog you're getting. He may not be the perfect dog on paper, but you will know what you're getting.

You'll get breed traits and health history from a puppy, but that's all you'll 'know' what you're getting.

Tbh, regardless of the other factors, I would have thought that people selling puppies at this time would be upping the price to try and make sure that anyone buying one is genuinely invested in the dog. If you have to stump up £2k+ up front for a dog during a time when money is tight for many people then the people who are going to do so are the ones who can a) afford to, b) genuinely want a dog and c) are more likely to have considered the long term commitment a dog is. If you cover b&c but currently cant afford the prices then anyone who genuinely wants a dog will be willing to wait and pay when they can afford it, and those who don't will lose interest and a dog is saved from being rehomed once the honeymoon period is over.

A friend of mine runs a cat shelter and they have said that interest in the cats up for adoption went through the roof during lockdown, but as they were unable to arrange visits to the shelter or do home checks they had to inform people that they would not rehome until after lockdown was lifted. Despite this, they would chat with the adopters to try and work out a shortlist of available cats/kittens that would be best suited to each person's situation to streamline the process after lockdown (eg if they had young kids they would immediately discount cats that needed a quiet/childfree environment). So many people were upset that they couldn't get a cat right now
but it just meant that those who were unsuitable weeded themselves out as they were the ones who were more bothered about getting what they wanted when they wanted it than the welfare of the cat they wanted to adopt.

You'll get breed traits and health history from a puppy, but that's all you'll 'know' what you're getting

I completely disagree. If you see the parents and they’re friendly, sociable and calm there’s a very good chance your puppy will be the same. You know it’s been socialised, as ours was with someone else’s children, you know it’s used to being handled all over, you know it’s leaving a loving home and moving into another. If all a dog’s ever known is love it’s much less likely to have negative traits.

However fashionable it might be to get a dog from a rescue, it’s not for us.

I was turned down for a rescue dog because I live near a road and only have a small garden.

The road is extremely quiet and I rent a field behind my house where I exercise my current dog.

@VinylDetective please don't misunderstand, I'm not criticising your decision to get a puppy from a good breeder and checking on its background.

But your assertion about rescue is incorrect.

I was placed on our breeders waiting list about 18 months ago, the price she quoted 18 months ago is very similar to what we paid for our puppy at the start of June, he was £50 more than the original quote and nowhere near £2,000-3,000.

It's funny you should mention young dogs, there are several on pets for homes who have been handed back to the breeder. The hilarious part is the breeder is now trying to claw the money back by selling an 16 month of pup for £1500. I could do nothing but laugh. All these silly people buying up dogs during lockdown and now they are just getting rid of them like an object. If they couldn't have a dog before lockdown maybe they should I have thought what will I do with it after. People never seem to suprise me. Well good luck to the breeders that are getting their puppies back and then trying to get the money back the lost. Greed doesn't always pay.

I’m very thankful I got my pup a year before Covid as I wouldn’t be able to afford to buy one now. For average people on an average wage they are creeping out of being affordable which is a shame as pets are incredibly important in many ways.

@Lmf85

It's funny you should mention young dogs, there are several on pets for homes who have been handed back to the breeder. The hilarious part is the breeder is now trying to claw the money back by selling an 16 month of pup for £1500. I could do nothing but laugh. All these silly people buying up dogs during lockdown and now they are just getting rid of them like an object. If they couldn't have a dog before lockdown maybe they should I have thought what will I do with it after. People never seem to suprise me. Well good luck to the breeders that are getting their puppies back and then trying to get the money back the lost. Greed doesn't always pay.

The is a really old thread.

But if you give your puppy back to the breeder, unless there's something really wrong, with the dog that should have been picked up at birth, you don't get your money back.

So the breeder isn't trying to claw money back.

A dog of 16 months old, is unlikely to just have a problem discovered that the breeder should have been aware of when they sold the dog. So again, a dig handed back at that age, there would be little to no refund due.

And if the dog, does have a birth defect that should have been picked up, by the breeder it would have been picked up at a vet check with the owners. If the new owners didn't take the dog to the vets for 13/14 months, they are unlikely to get their money back from the breeder.

I agree, some people got dogs without thinking what happens down the line. But, I don't think these breeders are 'clawing' money back. Ad they won't have issued a refund, in the vast majority of cases.