When did pet dogs get so expensive

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Stu1

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#275882 15-Sep-2020 07:56

Our Labrador passed away 2 years ago . We are now thinking it’s a good time to get another dog as the kids are a bit older and we have more time these days. Looking at another lab or retriever. The price of pups are crazy 3500 for a retrevier without papers, a lab with papers seem to be nearly 2.5k . We have looked at HAUA and spca but most look mixed bred or fighting breeds, looked at greyhounds but not the type of dog we are looking for. What’s a reasonable price these days for a Labrador or a golden retriever?

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#2564183 15-Sep-2020 08:50

it seems prices have gone up for all dogs , not just pure breds. Our dog was $350 9 years ago, they call them Daisy dogs in the USA, and today they are around $1500 for the same sort of dog.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

xpd

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#2564185 15-Sep-2020 08:53

We got our pure bred lab (was 1 yr old but no papers) for $100 from a local Facebook group - was someone who wanted to rehome him as they were no longer going to be in a position to keep him. Maybe we were lucky, but worth keeping eye on local community groups.

XPD / Gavin

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gehenna

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#2564194 15-Sep-2020 09:12

My Cairn was $1500 but from an established and respected breeder. I think some of the expense is strategic in order to make it harder for people to get a dog then abandon it after it gets too hard.

networkn

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#2564198 15-Sep-2020 09:24

gehenna: My Cairn was $1500 but from an established and respected breeder. I think some of the expense is strategic in order to make it harder for people to get a dog then abandon it after it gets too hard.

I'm inclined to agree. Our purebred Sable German Shepherd (who sadly doesn't have long to live) cost around $1500. He was a well-known breeder with a great reputation and Thunder has been an absolutely amazing dog, so worth it in my mind.

Not only did we need to pay that much, but we also had to have a local dog trainer from the GSD club inspect our property and we had to interview to ensure we understood the responsibility.

I feel the cost of entry on pets should be higher, not necessarily monetarily.

MikeAqua

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#2564199 15-Sep-2020 09:25

Raising puppies is expensive. Last time I did it (decades ago, 'unplanned') it worked out to hundreds per puppy.

You can get cheaper dogs from the SPCA, than a breeder. The SPCAs I have been involved with have criteria you must meet to adopt a dog from them.

My previous dog was a rescue animal and he a great family pet and the most loyal dog I have ever had.

Beware breeders who 'puppy farm' and are in it purely for the money.

Mike

networkn

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#2564201 15-Sep-2020 09:34

If you can't afford to BUY a dog (at pretty much any price) you definitely can't afford to KEEP a dog :)

It's similar to the comment of if you can't afford a new Mercedes, you definitely can't afford an old one :)

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#2564205 15-Sep-2020 09:39

Yea good breeders spend real money on litters. We paid $1500 for our Dobermann a few years ago and the breeder was quite up front that it really just covers the vet costs. She also imported sperm and did genetic testing for known hereditary issues.

What i have a problem with is people paying $5k for those mutt French bulldog and pug things... just nothing good or healthy about them whatsoever.

gehenna

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#2564207 15-Sep-2020 09:40

Yeah the ongoing cost is a lot, which I don't mind but I'm in a stable job and so is my wife. If we think it's expensive, I shudder to think how those less flexible than us financially cope with their pets, especially if a medical issue surfaces at some point.

networkn

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#2564208 15-Sep-2020 09:43

gehenna:

Yeah the ongoing cost is a lot, which I don't mind but I'm in a stable job and so is my wife. If we think it's expensive, I shudder to think how those less flexible than us financially cope with their pets, especially if a medical issue surfaces at some point.

Our GSD is $160-200 a month in food alone per month. Not everyone is spending that (our boy has allergies and this is the best overall thing we found as GSD's are sensitive to dietary changes).

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#2564210 15-Sep-2020 09:44

We were lucky enough to get an adult (young adult) dog that needed re-homing around 4.5 years ago.

He's a great little dog, but he's a mixed breed, which actually now is a breed (Zuchon/Teddy Bear Dog - or more accurately a Bichon/Shih Tzu cross).

Looking online he'd be around $2K or more to replace if we ever wanted to.

The issue we have is the cost of vet's bills. We paid out (thankfully mostly covered by Pet Insurance) $4k for a cruciate Ligament operation at the start of lockdown.

Teeth have cost us a fortune too.

Dogs are obscenely expensive to both buy and maintain. I love our little furball, but wouldn't go out and buy another.

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#2564212 15-Sep-2020 09:48

networkn:

If you can't afford to BUY a dog (at pretty much any price) you definitely can't afford to KEEP a dog :)

It's similar to the comment of if you can't afford a new Mercedes, you definitely can't afford an old one :)

All dogs are expensive to KEEP.

Fancy breed dogs are very expensive to BUY (thats what this thread is about). When there is big money to be made then you end up with lots of questionable breeders (puppy farms :( )

If a breeder isnt strict about home selection then I'd suggest youve got someone who is just in it for the money.

Unless you have some specific reason to buy a purebred dog why not just get one from the SPCA? We've got two fantastic dogs this way.

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#2564215 15-Sep-2020 09:52

heh my wife was looking at a small plant cutting - someone bought one on trademe for over $1000 !

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#2564222 15-Sep-2020 10:02

chevrolux:
What i have a problem with is people paying $5k for those mutt French bulldog and pug things... just nothing good or healthy about them whatsoever.

A french Bulldog and A Pug are not mutt's they are a pure bread like a Doberman / German Sheppard etc.

Most of the breathing issues have been bread out of these dogs from good breading over the years and like all dog breeders you have to watch out for the puppy farmers.

ALL purebred dogs have they own bad traits.

I used to have a British Bulldog, he could outrun & out-jump lots of other dogs in the park so I know these breeds well and I know a lot of the breeders, they will often spend $15 000 - $25 000 to bring a dog into NZ to improve the gene pool.

There have been top dog judges tell the Bulldog club that our British & French bulldogs are far superior in quality to ones overseas, they have even offered to buy Bulldogs to take back home to improve their breeding.

I lost my Bulldog 2 years ago and miss him dearly, he was just under 12.

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BlueShift

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#2564242 15-Sep-2020 10:13

We paid $1500 just after lockdown for our wee fluffball, and that was a bargain! Similar dogs were anywhere from $800 to $3500 depending on location and who knows what else.

We looked all over the North Island on TM, FB & etc, and in the end he was literally just around the corner from us. Friends of ours made a frankly illegal trip to Northland from Hamilton during lockdown to collect their Lab puppy, and they paid close to $3K.

As you've seen, the larger, mixed breeds are less popular and therefore cheaper.

xpd

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#2564252 15-Sep-2020 10:47

Well, our $100 lab turned into a $3600 lab after a year or so. He decided waiting for us to open the glass sliding doors was a waste of time and made his own entranceway. Almost lost his leg over it.

Was a Waitangi weekend, 11pm, mad rush to after hours vets, back home wondering if we were ever going to see him again after seeing the amount of blood everywhere........ was an expensive weekend in many ways.

But he came back home with 4 paw power intact and is still his stupid self.

We wouldn't be without him even if it was going to cost us more. He's an awesome mutt and loves us to pieces and vice versa.

XPD / Gavin

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