Are all dogs ridiculously expensive now?

[lechatnoir]

We're ready to welcome a dog into our home but just can't afford the ££££'s being asked by breeders and as novice/first time dog owners wary about getting a rescue. Is £1500-2k standard nowadays? I'm shocked and sad that this is beyond our reach so it's looking unlikely we will be able to find one. We are aware that dog ownership isn't cheap and factored in day-to-day costs it's just this upfront lump-sum we're struggling with. Any advice?

My dog costs £250 a month for food, one professional walk a week and insurance. That’s not including things like leads or doggy classes etc - she was more expensive as a puppy.

I think there is an argument for adopting a dog and just doing your best for them. It's not ideal but neither is life in a rescue centre. Especially now when there is so much need.
My dog is insured at a cost of £82 a month. She is covered for £10k vet's fees a year. But I sometimes wonder why. Her age is judged to be around 10 and I am not sure how much treatment I'd put her through or if I'd just let her go. I also feel guilty that she is having all that money spent on her when her friends back where she came from barely get enough to eat. Insurance is in many ways more for the person that the dog.
They are definitely not cheap, mine probably costs about £200 a month. Probably more actually.
But if it's a case of giving a dog a home - preferably one that might struggle to get a home - with a view to doing your absolute best for them without necessarily providing the best of the best and knowing that if anything were to go really wrong then you'd have to pts, then that might be the best they can hope for. Not saying it's right but nothing about people owning dogs is right.

I wouldn't worry about factoring in the cost of your dog destroying things either. That's more about your lifestyle and if you truly have time for the dog and can provide the right environment for it.

Whatever you do I really hope you rehome rather than going to a breeder.

I've just paid £3500 for my youngster , all dogs are expensive for a wellbred animal . I've have just had to take my other dog to the vet for three appointments where he needed scans and in three days it cost me £3200. Vets fees are huge and can add up really quickly .
If you cannot find a few thousand you'd have to go down the rescue route which is a fantastic thing to do but you must get insurance and that could be pricey.

I could not get an adult or even juvenile rescue, and tried for 18 months, despite working from home with only an adult child at home because I have cats! Didn't even allow me to foster!

I do have a rescue puppy though I wanted a specific breed but not a bred puppy so am happy enough as she is a gem and adores my cats so it's worked out well.

It may just take time.

We got our lad from the dogs home, for a donation of £160. Neutered, chipped, vaccinated, the lot. The vet reckons he’s a bichon. I think he’s part sheep. If you register interest at a few they will contact you with a good match, and make sure you are suited, the last thing they want is it being returned. Good luck!

We’ve had our crossbreed rescue for 6 years. She was 7 months old and cost us £180 donation. Insurance is £21 per month for lifetime cover paying up to 10k per year and it includes dental. Food costs £7.50 per week. Flea, tick and worm plus a yearly vet check up, all vaccinations and a nail clip costs £14 per month. She’s shorthaired, so doesn’t need professional grooming, we just bath her at home. Leads, collars, bowls, toothpaste, shampoo, brushes, beds etc. cost a few pounds here and there. She’s never been ill, got injured or damaged anything in the house.
Yes, she will get more expensive as she gets older, but so far, she’s hardly cost us anything.
I don’t think all dogs have to cost a fortune, but maybe we’ve been lucky, who knows.

My cava was £3000

My lab was £1800 two years ago. Worth every penny though!

I don’t think all dogs have to cost a fortune, but maybe we’ve been lucky, who knows.

I do think a lot of it is down to luck, to be honest.

I mean, yes, you can pick a small dog that doesn't need grooming, and that's cheaper to insure and feed - and of course a a small smooth-haired terrier will be cheaper to keep than a Newfoundland

But any dog can get cancer, or tear their cruciate ligament, or pick up a parasite from something, and the most well socialised dogs can get into fights and become reactive.

I always think it's best to expect the worst (in terms of cost) and then if you don't need to spend that much, it's a bonus. What you don't want to do is assume your dog will be cheap and then end up having to rehome them because you can't afford their upkeep.

@lechatnoir The reason dogs cost so much is because of the expectations that come with buying a well-bred one.
For instance, you mention the Cavalier. Lovely breed, but plenty of health issues. Naturally, if you want one, you want to lower the chances of these health issues happening. That is done through image and genetic testing.
These aren't cheap. A MRI that can detect syringomyelia (one of the conditions frequent in the breed) costs thousands. And, if syringo is detected, the dog should not be bred.
Other issues, such as Mitral Valve Disease, don't appear immediately. An echo is recommended every year for breeding Cavaliers, and because it can always show, you should wait a bit before breeding a pair to make sure it won't appear at an early age. As age increases, fertility drops. So you're potentially looking at small litter sizes (especially with small breeds!).
So you should expect a Cavalier to be very pricy. It is definitely not a breed to buy from someone who "just had a litter", because they won't have done the tests needed to increase the puppy's odds to thrive.

I can't find your post about other breeds you're looking at, but I remember your mention of toy poodles. It's worth considering that poodles, their crosses and drop coated breeds require grooming, which isn't cheap.

And speaking of crosses: mixing breeds isn't a revolutionary way of fixing issues. If you look for, say, a Cavalier Poodle cross, you should have each parent tested for issues known in their breed. I also recommend you have about doodles here: About Goldendoodles

Because of reasons mentioned above, as well as the basic rules of supply and demand, some dog breeds will cost more than others. Generally the Hound group will have some reasonably priced dogs, as they aren't fashionable right now but can make fantastic companions.

I recommend that you first decide on a breed. Then you can familiarise yourself with breeders, learn to tell ethical breeders from puppy mills, as well as learn more about the breed itself so you're ready when the puppy comes home. Good breeders often have waiting lists, and won't breed without one, so they don't risk still having an entire litter at 8 or 12 weeks old.

The best way to find ethical breeders is through parent club websites, which will often detail what health testing should be done. For instance, on Syringomyelia: Testing

Sometimes these websites aren't updated. In that case, I would send an email. Another good way to find good breeders is to look for dog shows near you. You could either go and watch or check the results online and google the prefixes of the animals there so you can get the contact of breeders.

Finally, as for breed suggestions that could help you, could you please tell me:

What size you're looking for (for instance, small usually goes up to 10kg, but toy dogs max out at 4. Most people think of toy dogs when saying small):
How much grooming and shedding you're willing to tolerate/do (combing every day, combing every week, taking to the groomers):
How much barking bothers you:
Energy requirements (a walk around the block or would you like to jog with your dog):

There are plenty of breeds out there, some of which desperately need new owners.

Does your family cat like dogs OP? My neighbours got a new puppy and their poor cat hates it & seems to hang out mostly in our garden now poor thing.

”fashionable” breeds and crosses- frenchies, dacschund, poodlypoo’s, pugs etc will cost considerably more than the less popular breeds

Yes, this.

We have a springer spaniel from working lines and we paid £600 for her in September. She came from a farm in Cornwall - the owners wanted another gun dog so bred their bitch with another springer from a neighbouring farm that they knew was also a good worker. Purebred but not KC reg. We visited and met both parents (mum with pups then the pups owners walked us over to the farm opposite to meet dad), saw how happy mum was etc.

Springers aren't a fashionable breed at all compared to all the poo crosses which meant pups in general were far cheaper. It was also a very large litter in our case which I think helped the price, as they had 12 left to home after both mum and dad's owners had had their pups which they hadn't counted on!

Springers get an unfair rep of being mad and crazy and loopy. They're not - and even springers from working lines can fit easily into pet homes. The only ones that are loopy ime are those that don't have enough exercise/enrichment/company. A busy household (several people to do adhoc tug of war for 5 mins here and there), an hours offlead walk in woods and half an hour of training or scent work at home and ours is exhausted. She's far calmer at home and lower maintenance than many many cavs and cockers I've known!

@InTropicalTrumpsLand a really helpful and informative post thank you so much. In terms of breed, honestly, we were trying not to fixate on one in case we couldn't find one or decided to go down the reduce route but it sounds like choosing one or two might make the search easier & more focused. So,

Walks - I walk (woods & fields) daily anyway and run a couple of times a week so definitely more than a stroll round then block type BUT realistically I don't want to be out on 10 mile hikes mid winter and some days might be busier so it would be good to be ok with a quick 15/20 mins before and after work every so often.

Barking, we live in a built up area in a terrace so prefer not constant or my poor neighbours will kill us

Grooming, we have a long hair cat that requires a good brush at least twice a week and this is fine. Daily, possibly but prefer not in truth. Don't mind what sort of coat looks wise but clearly need to take grooming (home & professional into account) . No allergies at home.

Size - not tiny but definitely not massive! Labs etc just too big for our small house & garden (and probably higher energy than we can cope with). We don't mind small, just not sure we want teenie tiny yorkie size and DH definitely prefer something a bit bigger.

You're quite welcome. I love talking dogs!

So, here are some breeds that come to mind. Some of them have quite a significant show/work split, and in your case I'd recommend show lines, as they tend to be calmer. It's much easier to get a dog excited to do more exercise than the other way around. I've grouped them in similar breeds. With the exception of Hounds, if you like one, you're likely to like the other ones in the same group.

Beginner Terriers: Border Terrier, Jack Russel Terrier, Parson Russel Terrier, Manchester Terrier.
Smaller spaniels: Cocker Spaniel, American Cocker Spaniel. You could put the Cavalier here too, but they're pricy.
Drop coated small breeds: Havanese, Shih-Tzu, Lowchen, Lhasa Apso, Coton de Tulear, Bolognese, Maltese, Chinese Crested, Tibetan Terrier and Tibetan Spaniel (not actually Terriers and Spaniels!). Some of these may scare you in their show coats, but they can be trimmed any way you want. Won't shed.
Curly coated smallish breeds: Toy and Miniature Poodle, Bichon Frise. Won't shed.
Hounds: Beagle and Whippet. Very different hounds, though.

That's a lot of breeds, isn't it? I'm sorry, I do get excited talking dogs. I'd check one or two of each group and see which you like best. Then you could start looking at things like breeders near you, price and avaliability to narrow it down.

One thing I did forget to mention in my previous post is that I'm not anti-rescue. Currently my only pet is a rescue cat. It is definitely worth considering as a venue to explore. I would only be very frank with the rescue and expect frankness back (ocasionally they hide issues that make pets hard to adopt. You may want to ask if the dog has any pre conditions that would have to be declared for insurance).

We don't mind small, just not sure we want teenie tiny yorkie size and DH definitely prefer something a bit bigger

there are a lot of yorkie breeders now breeding back to original sizes and moving away from the teeny tiny ones.

our last one was a similar size to a King Charles, Lhasa also etc.

they’re great little dogs.

My previous dogs were pedigree KC registered puppies with all the good credentials and they were not stupidly expensive but then dogs were more affordable back then.

Finding my current dog was a nightmare from dealing with “breeders” who didn’t have a clue about health checks or even breed standards, they only tried to appear respectable by asking for a lot of money even if the dog was an irresponsible mix of several breeds to the point you could not even anticipate what the puppies would look like when they grew up. A lot of them were puppy mills and I have to say I was not willing to pay the huge amounts KC registered breeders are asking for these days. Obviously, I didn’t want a show standard pedigree dog but was not prepared to pay so much money for one that was not even that.

It is true that most rescues have an over population of staffies and greyhounds and big dogs, the fact so many staffies end in rescues make me think they are often favoured by people who have no knowledge or interest to take good care of the dog and socialise them well. Greyhounds are great pets but most of them are ex-racing and therefore non insurable so may cost more in the long run.

I knew I wanted a small dog and that they normally fly off the shelves in rescues very quickly, so I made a habit of checking the RSPCA page first thing every morning. Once one that fit the requirements was advertised I was there within 2 hours. I have got the sweetest dog I ever had, who is absolutely gorgeous as well and costed less than £200 (this may have gone up in recent years).

She is clearly a designer mix but as nobody can be sure of her background, I have her down in the insurance as a mongrel which saves me quite a lot of money 🙂

Could you socialise an assistance dog like a guide dog or hearing dog puppy? It would be with you for 12-18 months before going to its new owner. It may be hard to give them up but you'd be changing a life (I'm a recipient). You could always then socialise a new puppy. So you've always got a puppy.

Because KC registration has come up a couple of times...

KC registration alone does not mean anything alone about whether it’s a good breeder or a well bred dog.

But there are no acceptable reasons to not register a litter in a breed that’s eligible. * if someone isn’t doing it, either their dog isn’t purebred, it’s endorsed and not supposed to be bred from, or their breeding practises are terrible.

*sheepdogs and greyhounds have their own registers and some breeds aren’t recognised by the KC.

The Dogs Trust website is a depressing testament to how stupid many people are. Within 70 miles of here all the available dogs are either American bulldogs, huskies, GSD and Rottweilers with a few chihuahuas thrown in.

Many of them can't live with children. One says it can't go to a house where there might be a visitor under 16. I despair at how we have allowed money grabbing arseholes to profit by pumping badly bred puppies into the hands of people who haven't the first idea what to do with them and get bored when they realise it's quite a job to riase a dog.

Not all breeders charging that amount will be legitimate either, as a dog is a 10-20 agreement its definitely worth doing research on breed etc. Backyard breeders won't tell you there is an issue, they just want your money. Most rescue centres will work with you to help you find a dog that suits your lifestyle. Any good rescue centre would prefer to turn people away who don't have the time or environment for the dog than just let the dog go to get the kennel space. If someone is rehoming a dog privately there is a reason why, don't be afraid to dig. Good luck.

😂yes indeed! Our pup also destroyed the spindles on the staircase.

Getting a rescue isn't for the faint hearted or first timer, they generally come with issues

That’s not true tbh.

There are plenty of dogs in rescues that don’t have “issues”.

Lots need basic training, but so do puppies. Some need very little beyond settling in, they’re in rescues despite having had a decent owner because something has happened to their owner.

Some have more challenging behaviours and wouldn’t be suitable for an owner with no experience, but rescues rehome them knowing that, so they wait for someone with the appropriate experience to apply.

It's not a mark of a good breeder on its own no. We viewed KC pups who were clearly farmed. But it does enable you to check the lineage and health tests as it's all online. A scary amount of people mate direct relatives and don't consider it a problem 'as the dogs want to do it'.

I would agree that the only reason not to register a litter is the breeder has something to hide. I'd want to know why not and 'I don't like the KC' is not a legitimate reason.

I wouldn’t recommend any of the terrier or spaniel breeds if you need something that won’t have a prey drive and will be happy with 2x15 mins a day. Even cavaliers… I’ve had them my whole life (my two currently are rescues… so they do come up!) I’ve never had one that wouldn’t chase cats/squirrels etc.
Also they aren’t the absolute couch potato’s that other toy breeds are and while they wouldn’t destroy the house with 2x15 mins a day they’d be pretty unsettled and annoying.

A bichon could be a good fit for you, several of my friends with children have them (a few of which also have rabbits/cats etc) and they are generally pretty easy going with good temperaments