Will dogs come down in price?

[IrmaFayLear]

The prices are insane at the moment. They have more than doubled since the start of the year. For any breed, let alone the designery ones (in which I’m not interested).

Obviously now many, many more people feel they can have a dog if they are wfh, but will the fad drop off?

I have a dog-shaped vacancy here (my adored dog died a while ago) but it seems acquiring one is like the rush into dot.com stocks. I was accepted onto a breeder’s list with price agreed, but then was gazumped as I found they had contacted others on the list with a price of £500 more.

I feel and somewhat about the idea of FB puppy selling pages.
This is the problem. People who see their dogs as a way to make money. Who breed for no other reason than cash. And those who want a pup NOW and don’t want to wait. So they’ll pay stupid money.

Breeding dogs for profit should be made illegal. That way you would shut down the puppy farming trade overnight.

I used to think that maybe the breeders were charging more just because they wanted to deter people from getting a dog during COVID, until someone I know bought a dog from a KC registered breeder with good reviews etc and paid about £800 for it, and then the breeder offered her £700 extra on top of a refund to give the puppy back because she wanted to sel it for £2500.

Someone else I know fell victim to a scam where they had fake vet papers, fake registrations, fake proof of address and vaccination certificates.

A family member has been looking at getting a dog and has found a breeder with a waiting list,good reviews from about ten years ago till now, then says that no, they won’t be able to visit the puppy but she’ll send them a video when the litter is born and they can pay their deposit then.

I honestly think that there’s no such thing as a reputable breeder and that the vast majority are in it for the money only.

if they made profiting from the sale of animals illegal then all the dodgy ones would disappear because they’d have nothing to gain. And while dogs might be harder to come by, at least you wouldn’t end up with people being scammed left right and centre, being sold dogs with serious health problems, etc etc.

These puppy farmers are clever. The scams are elaborate now and almost impossible to spot. one of the people I know who was scammed was a police officer...

Trouble is Alternative that good breeders can still make a profit. They won’t make a living out of breeding dogs but can make a profit on a litter.
I wish I had the answer.

So, so, many lovely dogs in Portugal looking for homes through no fault of their own (owners died, can't afford to keep them). It costs about €500 to transport to the UK but this will probably end after the UK leaves Europe.

This is the FB page - www.facebook.com/Dog-Rehoming-Portugal-UK-100583338351742

I volunteer here so if anyone wants to message me about the type/size/age of dog they are looking for I'd be happy to talk to the staff.

Iv just seen an advert for a 5 month old puppy still being sold for £2k 😩😭

I know wolfie-I mainly follow them for cute photos and puppy chat.

There are definitely some dodgy breeders on there but I do think in the main the sellers are well meaning decentish people who love their dogs but have spotted an opportunity to make some money.

That’s not to say it’s a good idea or the right thing to do.

I can see why people would pay £3000+ for a dog if they think they can get that back 10 fold if they get a bitch.

Even ‘normal’ dogs are being advertised For stud at a cost of £500+

We’ve just been put on a KC waiting list for next year for puppies who haven’t even been conceived! The list of questions the breeder asked us was encouragingly enormous!

Not if they set a limit on how much they can charge.

So, you can charge for costs only. There will be an average somewhere wrt how much the average breed costs, and you can’t go above that, and prospective owners would know that so wouldn’t be inclined to pay more.

And selling of designer breeds be made illegal. Yes, you can breed them if you want, but you can’t sell them for more than say, £150.

To an extent I do also blame the people who pay these ridiculous prices for what is essentially a mongrel.

Just be careful of the dog traffickers who buy cheap abroad and then sell on for profit as a ‘rescue’ dog. Usually private ‘rescues’ calling themselves a charity however not a registered charity. Usually Romanian dogs.

It’s worth checking with your local Vet first for their thoughts

I’m afraid I don’t think people who breed their pets (often with no knowledge or testing) for cash are even vaguely decentish!
If you want a pedigree I would always say go through the breed club first. But do your due diligence. It really is buyer beware.

Yes they will, when the demand drops so will the prices. Rescues are already seeing young dogs coming in because of people buying them and not thinking about the consequences.

My puppy was the same price as the breeder normally charges, find a breed you like and go to breeders. Proper breeders who health test and rear them correctly haven't raised their prices. Only the greeders have.

Alternative, but then you get into how you define a 'designer breed': what about purpose-bred lurchers? Sprockers? The sort of unusual crosses gamekeepers sometime breed, after considerable thought (eg one eighth lab + 5/8ths cocker + 3/8ths springer) for which they have a ready market amongst their friends?

Personally I think tighter rules on health testing would wash out a lot of the cowboys. Parents not tested? Maximum price mandated by law.

Our puppy was the breeder's regular price. She is well-known in her breed community, has a reputation to maintain, and doesn't mess people around. And loves her dogs.

Dogs are for life not just pandemics. Once people go back to work these dogs will be relinquished to rescues or sold. I see ads online "Due to a change in circumstances we have to sell" . I took a rescue on we wanted another dog however we waited til after lockdown was eased as we knew the rescue would be full. We have a lovely dog that we rescued. No way would I be paying those silly prices on principle. Even if you do pay those silly prices your not guaranteed a good dog. I know someone who paid a lot of money for a dog from a breeder and they have their hands full. Their dog is a nightmare to be honest.

My sister has just spent £3.5k on a goldendoodle. He is a lovely boy but that is stupid money for essentially a mongrel

Sprockers have been going for anything from £1700 to £3000 as they’re desirable family pets.

My sister is due to have a litter next year (well at least her spaniel is) and she’s already said she won’t be charging disgusting prices, she’s going to stick to the price structure she had before which was around £1000. I don’t think it will be hard to sell at that price but she also has a puppy contract where the pup can go back to her if owners decide it’s not for them

We're planning to get a dog from a rescue shelter some time soon. Don't much mind what, as long as it's not snappy or too large. Don't even mind if it's a bit older.

The only ones they seem to have are snappy, big and ancient !! Saw a lovely boy on one, but the poor lad was called Tyson, and his description skirted around the fact that he was a bit on the large side and enthusiastic , and couldn’t live with children or cats...

Another dog looked promising, but it said he had an epileptic fit if the television was on - no good for this house [Netflix bum outline on sofa].

I think there'll be lots of dogs coming into rescue soon or by the spring if you can wait that long.

Blimey! I bought our sprocker 5 years ago for £275! I had planned to get a new puppy this year. My father died and left me some money so I was going to use this. Contacted a few breeders pre-Covid but then lockdown happened so it was all put on hold. Now prices are much higher than they money I had put aside for a new puppy and any sensible reputable breeder has a waiting list into the next millennium or they just ignore calls/emails. I guess that we won’t be getting a friend for ddog then! I just hope she lives to a ripe age because I’m not sure I’m prepared to pay £3000 for another sprocker! She’s a lovely dog but she’s not even a pedigree!

Unfortunately the price of dogs is fueling the dog theft craze. The amount of dogs being stolen is awful. Not puppies but older dogs too.

I paid £250 for my cross breed dog (it‘a not a “poo” type). Saw one online for £2500 yesterday - insane!

There are 100s if independent rescues mainly foster based, look past RSPCA and Dogs Trust, there a breed rescues, literally up 100,000 dogs per year go into rescue in the U.K.!!

We were planning to probably wait until the spring, TBH. We only moved into our house last spring & we still need to board the loft, put shelves up, etc. There's still boxes around that we've not unpacked (because we can't board the loft yet - new build). Don't feel it would be fair to a dog the adopt it until the house is more sorted out. And we can get a crate if necessary, or a nice bed for it, & a proper space for its bowls etc in the kitchen.

We've just adopted a JRT-ish dog from Portugal, she has a lovely temperament, a little timid at first out and about, but 3 weeks in is developing confidence. Absolutely perfect for us, and cost £300 for spaying, microchipping, vaccinations and transport.

As with any source, you need to ask questions and take your time, but there are small independent rescues that bring dogs from overseas. The one we found had a link with a shelter that has a team of volunteers that help with the dogs, so they get to know those with the temperament to be good family pets. Then every couple of months they bring about a dozen over, with a guarantee that they will rehome if it doesn't work out. But that is very rare.

We had started looking for a puppy prior to lockdown (had to be a puppy and not rescue for various reasons) and finally found the right puppy just as lockdown happened, we paid a (small) deposit and the breeder had drawn up a contract with price etc in it thank god because suddenly the prices started to skyrocket. We have a cocker spaniel and prices round here for a pure bred cocker are now at £3500

Reputable breeders not greeders will sell you a puppy at the correct price. You will have to go on a wait list as . If anyone is trying to sell dogs at over inflated prices or asking for deposit etc they aren't someone you want a dog from. They have no interest in their dogs just pound signs.