How much would you pay for a puppy?

[Shalou]

We are currently looking for a new puppy so we went to the Animal Welfare League to find one that had been abandoned and I was shocked to find that they were $420.00. A bit more than I was expecting to pay. On the website it advertised puppies from $275.00 but there was nothing there in that price range and even older dogs were $300+. We called into our local Pets Paradise store and found that their puppies were $795.00.

Knowing that I'm also going to be up for the cost of vaccinations, food, kennel, registration etc these prices are way more than I'm willing to pay which of course has upset some of the family.

Are these prices what puppies normally sell for these days? We previously had a rottweiler that we paid $150.00 for but that was 10 years ago.

[feeb]

We paid around $500 for each of ours. Both were from a reputable pet shop.

1 had 2 lots of immunisations the other only 1 lot.

They are expensive to get organised with with desexing, microchipping and immunisations.

[~Saram~]

We bought our purebred rhodeshian ridgeback five years ago for $500 so I was shocked when we went looking for a new dog only to find the "backyard breeders" charging this much! We got our pups from the paper and paid $250 for the both of them. Both had been vet checked and had one lot of vaccinations. Having siad that we have spent nearly $1000 in the past 5mths on the 2 of them with vax, desexing, micro chipping registration and two accidents/surgeries

[AliBaby]

One of my dogs was $550 and the other....wait for it.....$1200 (we knew we were being ripped off but I couldnt leave him). We couldnt even purchase him that day as it was above the limit of what we could take out on DP's card (yes clever me got him to pay).

We did end up getting half the money back as he was very sick the first week we got him home and ended up in a vet hospital on deaths door as he and his entire litter got parvo virus. They paid all the expenses and even gave us food for a year, new bedding, toys, etc.

ETA- they came wormed, had 1st vaccination and microchipped

[HotI]

We paid around $500 for each of ours. Both were from a reputable pet shop.

Just wondering what is a 'reputable' pet shop. I am not picking, I thought that all pet shops got their animals from puppy mill type places and discredited all of them. Happy to be proved wrong if there are good ones out there.

[Floweryfields]

Just wondering what is a 'reputable' pet shop. I am not picking, I thought that all pet shops got their animals from puppy mill type places and discredited all of them. Happy to be proved wrong if there are good ones out there.

Yep, this is true, many petshop puppies come from puppy mills and 'dodgy breeders'. I'd steer clear of pet shops all together.

[Astrid]

We paid $750 for a pure bred Aussie Terrier. We did not pay for the papers, so we cannot show him or breed him. Which is a good thing, as he is a complete nutbag and even though there are Grand Champions in his line, he is big for the breed.

[Glamourcide]

We bought a purebred Jack Russell from a local pet shop (we wanted a pup from a shelter or something but they just don't have anything except the council pound within a few hours' drive, and the council really only holds pets until their owners come to pick them up, strays and litters of pups/kittens etc they put down within 24 hours), and she cost us $500.
It was funny because we'd looked at them earlier on in the day and gone home to discuss whether we were up to the challenge/costs of having a puppy (cats are cheap, desex 'em and feed 'em and just keep 'em indoors to save on vet bills like immunisation etc), and when we went back there was another girl cuddling one and carting it around, obviously intent on taking it home... all went well until her boyfriend got off his phone and asked the staff how much they were - his poor girlfriend was ordered to 'put the bloody thing back!' and they left empty-handed
Note: Our local pet shops will take any old thing - if you bring in a box of your mutt's pups and say, 'I dunno who the dad is, hell I don't even know what breed my dog is' they will still take the pups and just flog them off for $50 a pop... they do have purebred pups and kittens come in, some with papers, some not, but there just aren't any 'reputable breeders' locally that have breeds suitable for small children and cats (which we needed because obviously we have a toddler and another on the way, and three cats we would never consider getting rid of)... It would have been nice to have the option of rescuing a dog from a shelter, but again, there are none locally that sell animals as pets, and I personally worry about an abused or neglected animal being around kids and other pets - an ex boyfriend of mine had a dog he rescued from a shelter and it was a complete a-hole. XB was the only person who could go near it, it would nip at me whenever I touched XB or slept in his bed because the dog got jealous, and I could never relax around the damn thing. So I wouldn't want to go and rescue an animal from a shelter, only to have to take it back there because it's bitten my daughter or mauled my cat, kwim?

Our pup (Turbo) came with her first round of immunisations, worming and a vet check completed (and the papers to confirm), and included in the price tag was a free vet visit for us so we could take her and get her checked out at our leisure solely for peace of mind. For us, $500 is a pretty ridiculous price and we are constantly complaining that 'this stupid mutt cost us half a k!!' when she's into mischief or harrassing our cats, but we love her to bits and we would have spent that money on some useless junk anyway

She's not desexed, and when we purchased her the owner of the pet store took our details and wrote them in a 'breeding book' they have that keeps records of which puppy from what litter went home with whom so that in future, if another dog owner is looking to breed, they can contact other owners on the register and discuss breeding. The way they're doing it prevents things like inbreeding and ensures that the dog they intend to breed theirs with is the breed the owner says it is, kwim? We still haven't decided whether we want to breed Turbo in future, probably not as it's a costly exercise and there are already plenty of puppies in the world that need homes, but until we decide for sure we're holding off on desexing her.

I figure that yes, they're expensive, but a lot of costs are spread out over time, kwim?? Like, yeah, you might pay $800 for the breed of your choice, but that usually includes their first round of immunisation and worming etc, and then other costs come later on, so it's not like you're paying out thousands of dollars in one hit... desexing (if they don't already come desexed) can usually wait a few weeks or months as long as the dog is being supervised (we keep Turbo indoors at night and if we go out, more to prevent her being stolen than to stop some dog jumping the fence and getting her in the family way), kennel fees etc pop up when you're planning on going away but you already know when that will be so you just put a few extra bucks in the holiday kitty to cover boarding, food obviously is a big cost but whether you pay $100 or $1000 to purchase the dog, you're still going to have to feed it, so it's irrelevant to me anyway...

[India's Mum]

I paid $150 for my Koolie but within a couple of days I realised this puppy was completely deaf which a trip to the vet confirmed. Even after only a couple of days I couldn't bear to give her back (I know what would happen to her) so I asked for half my money back. So all in all, she cost me $75. She turned 13 last week and you could ask for a sweeter, intelligent more devoted pet. She is unfailingly patient with 18month DD and I couldn't imagine my life without her. As I type her head is across my foot under the desk. Best investment I ever made!

I don't know what I would pay for a pet, but I would give priority to disposition over perfect features that tend to attract higher prices.

[dantri]

I think the cost of breeding animals has risen hence there is a rise in the purchase price of puppies. We paid $500 13years ago for our family Cavalier from a registered breeder. Nowadays you're looking at at least $1000 if not alittle more for a pup from a registered breeder. Seems like a lot BUT when you look at what goes into the genetic line of your puppy, it all adds up. When we got our dog, we were buying a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that a) looked like x, y and z (not so important for a pet), b) had a good temperment, c) had rigourous genetic testing in the bloodline to try and eradicate any faults and we knew that he was bred from a healthy, even tempered, good looking mum and dad. He is the best dog we could have asked for. That is not to say that you HAVE to have a purebred because you do not BUT it is important to buy a puppy from the right place (i.e. registered breeders or registered shelters NOT backyard breeders or pet shops).

Pet Shops and Backyard Breeders may sell their animals for slightly less (although I think pet shops are well overpriced) but the puppies and their ancestors have not had the testing to clear them nor have they had the carefully planned mating that means you get what you pay for, a certain breed of dog. Buying from pet shops or backyard breeders may get you a cheaper purchase price but you will most likely run into bigger vet bills in the long run. Not that animals from a shelter or registered breeder don't get sick but the shelter/breeder are there for support.

If you buy from the shelter, the puppy may already be desexed. I know they do this with kittens, it is included in the purchase price. It is a big investment but well worth it for the unconditional love you get. Maybe wait for a bit longer and save some more in the pet kitty so you can be prepared for all the "puppy" costs?

[LimeSlice]

if you get dogs from you local pound/shelter etc, they come vaxed, flea/parasite protected, checked and sterilised already.
If they dont, go to a shelter that does.

We paid $280 for ours, and $180 for the cat.

The bottom line is that I wouldn't buy a pet from a pet shop or a breeder, unless I was after something very specific I couldn't get at a shelter...and that would only be a pure bred Alsation.(And I couldnt afford it, so I couldnt get one lol)

[rosehannah]

I paid $400 for my Purebred Rottweiler without papers about 10 years ago. I could have paid more to get the papers but I only wanted her for a pet.

[Lulu]

Shalou, why does it upset your family that you don't want to fork out thousands for a puppy?

Do you really want to get a new puppy when bubs is coming along so soon? (yay!) I'll never forget the joys of stumbling about for the 3am feed and stepping barefoot into a new puppy turd......

[BeautifulMadness]

I want a puppy lab lol $500 lol my Aunt in law ( my MIL's sister) they paid a few thousand for their dog

[Shalou]

I'm keeping an eye out in the local paper and the shop notice boards. I figure if we're meant to have a new dog then we'll find one we can afford.

We live a fair way out of the city and there aren't any local pet shelters near us (that I'm aware of). The Animal Welfare League is a 45 minute drive away and the RSPCA we haven't gone to as it's almost 2 hours drive away. When we lived in Qld there were alot of rehoming shelters but we've only been able to find the 2 major ones here.

I think I'll start another thread in the S.A members section and see if there are any S.A families who may know of other pet shelters.

[Jennifer13]

Shalou if you're after a particular breed, why don't you try the local club for that type of dog? We got both our purebred Jack Russell Terriers after they had been dumped and rescued by the JR Club. They came desexed, vaccinated, wormed and vet-checked for $250.00. Not 'puppies', but one was only 12 mths old. Clubs will often have either formal rescue services for their breed, or will at least know of dogs that are unwanted, returned or otherwise need a home.

Personally, I think the Animal Shelters or RSPCA are well worth what you pay. Have you tried your local council pound as well? Once dogs have been there without being claimed for a certain amount of time I'm pretty sure they can rehome them. It's worth knowing what dog you're bringing home to your kids, and all of the options I've mentioned will have observed them very carefully to make sure they'd be suitable in a home like yours.

[alioops]

Where abouts in Adelaide are you hun? The RSPCA have a shelter in Lonsdale and AWL is in the Pt Adelaide area. We paid around $200 for our 2.5 year old dog, but pups are closer to $300, from the RSPCA.

Included the price was:
Microchipping
Desexing
Vaccinations
Worming

have a look on adoptapet for RSPCA shelters, there might be another one that I don't know about.

[Floweryfields]

Normally puppies from the RSCPA are more pricey but that cost usually includes worming, vaccinations and desexing fees. Maybe it's the same with these pups.