Dog prices

[missha20]

Wondering what other people thoughts on getting a puppy in this unprecedented times. I would like to get a dog as my working pattern has changed (as many other peoples I guess) and my family always have had cats and dogs but I cannot afford the dog due to work commitment not cos of money but cos the responsibility burden. My dad used to gave champion purebred Chinese crested (his breeder friend gift) from 9 weeks so I realise the hassle and commitments coming with having a dog. It is not the point -as I am rather nerdy person :) and done a lot of research on the subject. So my question is how other dog lovers managing to get a puppy these days. The prices went up at least twice. Two of friends bough dogs last year and aware of the market, plus there are statistic available for historical prices for any breed. Personally I dont HAVE to get KC register show class dog but the reality is due to huge demand people selling all sort of cross bred for the price your would pay in 2019 for purebred KC register ones. I cannot find any puppy of few breeds I like under 1000£. In the same time the breeders sell puppies now for the price of the 10 yo car. And the clubs actually advising do not pay this extreme prices as by this we are stimulating puppy farmers and backyard breeders to produce more and more. I have read about some magical reputable breeders who doesnt put the prices up high -but where would I find them? Cannot take the rescue dog as I am not satisfying their criteria's mostly due to 7 ye kid at home. Would appreciate other people opinations/ thoughts greatly.

Prices are crazy at the moment, I have been looking after losing our dog last year, also my parents are looking after losing theirs a few months ago (they want to rescue). The kind of breeds we were looking at used to be some of the cheapest but are now £1500+, we are unable to get a rescue due to a failed rescue last year (complicated but I don’t think we could risk it again). I can’t justify spending over £1000 so for now we will remain dogless. I know people say “if you can’t afford to buy one then you can’t afford to care for one” and yes, that used to be true but prices have doubled over the last year making it hard for many people to afford.

Personally I would not pay those silly prices. I adopted a rescue pup a few month ago. Yes hes needed training but hes a lovely dog. Your not guaranteed a nice dog just because you buy one. Many breeders breed purely for money.

What breeds are you looking for OP?

Have a look on the KC website and do a search for breeders near you. Then contact them to be put on their waiting list. It might be a few months - years wait but it's a better bet for finding normal prices than places like pets4homes.

I don’t see them coming down any time soon, to be honest. I don’t think I agree they are silly prices either. The value of something is simply what someone is prepared to pay.

The prices being charged are an absolute disgrace. So many of the lockdown pups will end up in rescue once people start going back out to work, or end up on gumtree trying to recoup some of the costs - heartbreaking.

Are people still trotting out this myth?

Maybe it's a good thing they cost more now . People may put more thought into if they actually want to commit to a pet . And if they really want one they will save up .

@rainbowducks

Are people still trotting out this myth?

Which myth?

I'm in a similar position, lost our DDog last year and would love to get another but I wouldn't pay these prices, not because I can't afford it but because I don't believe that these dogs are coming from reputable homes/breeders, it's backyard breeders and puppy farms.

I don't know if I agree that there will be this wave of dogs being given back to rescues, the longer the lockdown/s go on for I imagine the less likely that actually is.

I also don't think prices will remain this high longer term. I think the people who would be willing to pay this money will start to reduce, there isn't an endless supply of people who would be willing to pay £3000 for a puppy who hasn't been socialised, health checked etc.

@henryhooversnose

Maybe it's a good thing they cost more now . People may put more thought into if they actually want to commit to a pet . And if they really want one they will save up .

I don't think willing to pay £3000 for a dog = decent and responsible owner. And if it did, I think rescues should charge significantly more for rescue dogs. £400 (ish) must mean the new owners are practically Cruella DeVille.

There should be a puppy tax (for over a certain price - not on normal time prices) which is given straight to animal rescue given so many of these opportunist breeders are going to be the cause of increase in number of rescues.

I think my take on this will differ from the majority, but I am admittedly a skeptic of the saint-like breeders mumsnetters who don’t get a rescue dog approach to get their puppies. It’s always claimed that they aren’t doing it for money but for love of the breed, and therefore the £1000 (or more) they charge for their puppies are just costs to break even.

I think most people know that’s not entirely correct, to say the least. Most people who run a business do so because of some sort of passion or interest. I mean, mumsnet itself is an excellent example of this. It’s certainly not always perfect but it stemmed from someone’s desire to make parents lives easier, to use the then-new-founded internet to swap resources, ideas, combat loneliness and while the sometimes long days away.

And it makes a profit. I’ve never seen anyone suggest that Justine et al shouldn’t pocket some of the profits that come from advertising and from other sources. I do believe they try to do so ethically, they don’t accept certain adverts from certain companies, they do at least try to deal with trolls and troublemakers, they allow discussions even though these invite hate from some far corners of the internet, but bottom line is, it’s a business and they make a profit.

Any business that’s run well will stem from someone’s interest or enthusiasm for something, whether that’s niche childcare, vegan soap, books, environmentally friendly sanitary towels. Dogs are no different. I would expect a good breeder to have intricate knowledge of the breed, be aware of health problems and have tested accordingly and have selected the best dam and sire (not just put any two lovely pedigree dogs together for mating) and ensured the bitch is well cared for and has appropriate vet treatment (and like any business that might mean you sometimes lose money) and that the puppies themselves are well socialised and are happy and have access to toys, clean, warm bed, etc.

None of the above stops it being a business. It might be an ethical business, just as some clothing or hygiene or technology companies are ethical and thus charge more, but it’s still a business.

If you’d bought a house as a BTL and the going rate of rent was £500, would

Hmm, Mumsnet, I take back the nice things.

Would you say it is not ethical to charge this much, this house was only worth £300 when I bought it? Probably not because apart from anything else you’d get undesirables who want to take advantage of a cheap home. Prices are just what something is worth at that any one time. Puppies are no different, the more people want them the more they will be worth.

Many peoples lives have permanently altered. It’s misleading to think that some time in February people will go back to the office. WFH was steadily gaining popularity anyway. Like it or not the rescue centres aren’t bursting with french bulldogs and cavapoos and spaniels, it’s as it always was, greyhounds and jack russells and in particular, bull breeds. Go for a walk in the park of an affluent area and it’s filled with bounding labs, spaniels - and the much hated on here poo crosses. Anyone’s life can change but for the most part these demographics aren’t the ones who sell or abandon their dogs, probably because they can afford to pay for dog walkers and day care and the like even if life does change.

There is nothing wrong with buying something you want and there is nothing wrong with charging people money for something that they want to buy. This only becomes a problem when animals or people are harmed in the process which is why we should rightly be pushing against puppy farms and their like. But otherwise I really can’t see the issue.

I would expect a good breeder to have intricate knowledge of the breed, be aware of health problems and have tested accordingly and have selected the best dam and sire (not just put any two lovely pedigree dogs together for mating) and ensured the bitch is well cared for and has appropriate vet treatment (and like any business that might mean you sometimes lose money) and that the puppies themselves are well socialised and are happy and have access to toys, clean, warm bed, etc.

I totally agree with this, which is why I don't think the current puppies represent good value for money, yes they represent what the market is willing to pay, but it isn't good value for money.

It’s what they are worth in the current market, that is exactly the same as anything else.

@henryhooversnose

Maybe it's a good thing they cost more now . People may put more thought into if they actually want to commit to a pet . And if they really want one they will save up .

I could afford to pay the price but I refuse too, it’s just crazy money.

There should be a puppy tax (for over a certain price - not on normal time prices) which is given straight to animal rescue given so many of these opportunist breeders are going to be the cause of increase in number of rescues

^Only on MN.

Maybe the person buying the dog should also take some responsibility. And definitely never change circumstances in the next 15 years! (No baby, breakup or needing a job/ money for starters!) After all, they are telling the breeders that they are home 24/7, that they have owned a dogxhorse-cat before and... and.... and!

As for pricing, I hope they stay high, I hope that in future there will be less dogs around because people will have to think about spending 2-3k on a puppy. Then there will be less dogs in rescue and less puppy farming. Less over-breeding and hopefully "better quality" puppies.
But that's wishfull thinking!

Saying “I hope the prices stay high” is really insensitive though. Do you not realize most families will not be able to afford a puppy at this price? All this will do is make family friendly breeds a luxury item like an expensive phone or car. It won’t buy them better owners.

For many children growing up with a dog is one of the most fundamental positive experiences of their childhood. It used to be commonplace and available to the poorest families. Do you think it is a positive thing to deprive these kids of animal companionship too, just like they are deprived of expensive items that their middle class peers have? Or should they contend themselves with bull breeds and dogs other people threw to the shelter?

Seriously, caring well for an animal is so much more than being able to afford to spend 2000 pounds for a puppy. Animal ownership should be regulated much stricter than it is now, but raising prices has nothing to do with it.

As for pricing, I hope they stay high, I hope that in future there will be less dogs around because people will have to think about spending 2-3k on a puppy - one of the problems with such high prices though, is dog thefts. This is a growing problem currently, and the inflated prices are really not helping.

Dog theft is a huge issue, it’s happening a lot here.

I think it’s unfair to assume only those who can afford a £2000-£3000 dog can realistically care for one. There are many people who live alone that rely on a dog for company, these people can not afford such high prices. Realistically a dog prefers someone who’s home a lot rather than someone who has loads of money and works all the time, someone who disabled for example, someone who’s retired, or someone who’s a stay at home parent?

Most rescues charge £200-£400 for a dog which is great if you fit the criteria, I’m all for rescuing but all the rescues here seem to be importing dogs from China and Romania now rather than helping dogs in this country, maybe there’s a lack of dogs here? My parents have been looking for a rescue for a while but can’t find anything suitable, most of them are nervous or don’t like kids.

Prices are beyond crazy atm.
We paid £400 for our Bearded Collie pup back in 2017, we knew the breeder so fair enough we got a discount, but looking yesterday online there was one advertised for £2200. That was for a non KC registered pup!
I can't see prices going down anytime soon.

When we were first looking for a dog, we did try to get a rescue dog but they all seemed to be Staffies or staffy cross breeds, which we didn't want (autistic son prone to meltdowns - needed a very calm, patient dog.) Maybe it's different now?

@FreshfieldsGal

Prices are beyond crazy atm. We paid £400 for our Bearded Collie pup back in 2017, we knew the breeder so fair enough we got a discount, but looking yesterday online there was one advertised for £2200. That was for a non KC registered pup! I can't see prices going down anytime soon.

When we were first looking for a dog, we did try to get a rescue dog but they all seemed to be Staffies or staffy cross breeds, which we didn't want (autistic son prone to meltdowns - needed a very calm, patient dog.) Maybe it's different now?

My DD’s have ASD, we used to have a Staffordshire bull terrier, since we had her put to sleep my dd has developed a fear or any dog that doesn’t look like our old dog. We had a rescue for a couple months and it went for my dd (not a bull terrier) so now her fear has grown. I don’t think we would risk a rescue again but we would love another bull terrier, they are the most loyal dogs. We bought ours for £350 but now to buy one they are £1000-£2000.

That's a very good point about children from lower income families. It seems that only the well off can have anything these days. Also a good point about the well off working longer hours and not being in for the dog. Higher prices do not help the dogs.