How much would you pay for a puppy?

[Lulu]

Ah, I get it now!
Actually she wasn't a pup at the time, she is my sisters dog and we were dogsitting. She didn't know how to signal she needed to go poo, so did it in the HALLWAY....



Are there other shelters around your area? They may be different in prices? Keep an eye out in the local papers etc - sometimes people can't keep their dogs (moving etc) and try to house them instead of dumping them. You never know.

Its hard when you have your heart set on something, I'm sure a puppy will find its way to you soon xoxoxo

[Muppity]

We paid about $800 for each of our pure bread border collies - worth every cent. A few weeks after we got one we were offered $2000 by a sheep dog trialist - DH says I should have taken the money and run - that one has probably cost us $10000 in vet bills in the last 2 years - but I could never part with either of them

[Nicambhar]

lulu - The aussie bulldog is cute, but not as cute as the British. There is a waiting list with most breeders, though I did see one for $1300 in the trading post, was selling due to illness - my first thought was that it's been knocked off from someone's yard and being sold for a quick buck LOL..
We had one live next to us a few years back, he was absolutely gorgeous and his name was bronson. He ended up having to be put down cause he had some problem with his mouth.

[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.

[Pretty Butterfly]

We payed $750 12 years ago for a puppy!!!

But he was a Alaskan Malamute, just stunning, called Chief....
We also didn't pay for papers, thank god.. he's as doppy as dog doodoo....

[helle]

We have a pure bred german shepherd who cost us $900 (with papers). And I've recently found out that the breader has whacked the price up to $1200. Personally I think it's money well spent, he's a gorgeous boy!
I think the reason shelters and things are starting to charge alot for dogs is so that they know whoever buys them isn't going to love them for a week and then shuv them back out on the street, because they've been sold for a decent amount of money they know they're going to be looked after, if you know what i mean?
Good luck with your hunt though! My SIL bought a dog for $50 from a lady who's dog accidently became preg before she got a chance to de-sex her (oops!) and she is gorgeous!

[Cupcake]

I have a Rottweiler which cost me $80 in 2007, and just recently brought a pure bred American Staffy for half price at $1000 from a breeder =)

I dont think the AWL can justify charging that much for stray dogs that you still have to register, they are de sexed and a lot of the time they've guessed the breed, my father asked them why they charge so much and the lady said they are just charging what any other pet store would, yet with another pet store you get papers and a puppy which you can deside to de sex or not. Little frustrating

[Glamourcide]

^ I have to agree with Teagz_88, I'm convinced the reason they charge so much is to try and weed out potential 'owners' who are either buying on a stupid whim, or to stop people with less than good intentions from taking home dogs for dirt cheap and then using them for things that would make the responsible, loving pet owners amongst us sick to the stomach.

[Cupcake]

But what about people who love animals but cant necessarily afford the $400 ... the interviews they do with people prior to taking the dog home weed out a lot of unsuitable owners im sure

[1MOREPLZ]

there are quite afew 'rescue' dogs that breeders take on and re-home..some for the de-sexing fee..PM me if you want a link
for those that say..you didn't 'pay for the dogs papers' that is actually illegal, breeders have to hand over papers when you purchase a pedigree dog from them, they are not to keep the papers.


Crufts aren't the ones who are asking that British bulldogs are 'bred without so many face / leg problems' it is the FCI, Crufts is actually the name of a dog show.

As for Aussie Bulldogs being 'a newly recognised breed' they may be to backyard breeders / australian people but they are not a recognised purebred dog.

[LimeSlice]

It would be lovely if they were all $100 but unfortunately dogs cost money to keep. And many shelters dont put dogs down. They could have been caring for that dog, relying on charitable donations, for months before someone adopts it. It vet bills cost money, food, having people to clean out the enclosures and maintain the property, some come chipped.... These costs are real and cant just be ignored because ma and pa dont have $300. It is just of those things

[Glamourcide]

^ I know, I often complain about the cost of purchasing a pet too... I wonder if maybe they think, 'Well if you can't afford x amount of dollars initially, then how can you afford to 'appropriately' care for it' (immunisation, worming, flea treatment, grooming, emergency vet costs eg if it were hit by a car etc, annual registration, desexing, kennel fees for when you go away on holiday etc etc etc)... I get where you're coming from because I too am an animal-lover on a budget, but then you hear stories about people who are willing to spend up to $100 on an animal just to use it for something not very nice (eg I know of people who train them - abusively - for fighting, or buy kittens for things like crab-pot bait etc), or just people who are happy to spend a hundie or two on a pet and then realise later on that it's not a suitable breed for their lifestyle and it ends up back in a shelter or worse... and then I kind of feel glad that the initial cost is high enough to prevent people like that getting their hands on an innocent animal who depends on humans to love and care for them.

[Pandora]

It depends on the breed.
We had a Tibetan Terrier, who now lives with MIL. The normal price for them is $800-$1000. On top of that we paid about $200 to have him flown from Perth to Melbourne.

[Jennifer13]

I wonder if maybe they think, 'Well if you can't afford x amount of dollars initially, then how can you afford to 'appropriately' care for it' (immunisation, worming, flea treatment, grooming, emergency vet costs eg if it were hit by a car etc, annual registration, desexing, kennel fees for when you go away on holiday etc etc etc)..

You're exactly right, Donna. Pets are not a cheap 'accessory' and if you are caring for them properly what you are talking about paying for them upfront from a shelter is less than it will cost you each year to have them immunised, wormed and get flea treatment. That doesn't even get to proper food, shelter, grooming, kennel fees (or a place to stay that will let you have pets - which is what we do and pay a bomb for the pleasure!). I guess the RSPCA and shelters would rightly suggest that if you are baulking at $300 upfront you probably don't have the financial resources to care for a dog properly.

[dantri]

I know it can be frustruating to have to pay so much initially for a pet but they cost a lot of money over their lifetime so you really must be prepared for it. And I really don't think the shelters are asking too much. For $375 you get an animal that is

- vaccinated (approx $80)
- desexed (approx $130)
- wormed and flea treated (approx $20)
- with improved health from original condition it was brought in in
- well fed, healthy and well socialised by the shelters, its paid and unpaid staff (medium sized dog would cost what about $20/week to feed, say they had the animal for a month before rehoming which is probably about right considering time to assess, recover from desexing and get healthy so that is $80)

So all up that is $310 so far. I haven't included any vet bills that may have been needed to treat the animals upon being surrendered to the shelter, costs associated with paying paid staff, administration of the shelter/charity, electricity/water bills, rent for the premises, cleaning products, toys/blankets etc PLUS the work that goes into running the shelter and securing funding for it to continue. I'm sure all of that would add up to $65 per animal easily. Not to mention that the staff there will help you try to find the pup/dog that suits you and your lifestyle AND most shelters, if it doesn't work out with the dog at home will take them back. They'd rather see the animals placed in a loving forever home than get their $375.

A pet store sells their animals for the same $, if not more. They don't care who they are selling to. Not sure on their refund policy. They don't come desexed which means you have to go to the bother of getting that done, or facing an animal coming into season or worse getting pregnant. You don't know their history so perhaps the animal is genetically geared towards having problems. Your beloved "puppy" has complications and needs a c-section. You're looking at a grand or so for vet bills. Not to mention the upkeep of the puppies until you can rehome them and the heartache at having a sick animal and having to say goodbye to the puppies you helped raise. They're also not well socialised, they're kept in small cages all day while people goo and gaa over them. I don't know about their arrangements for after hours but I cannot imagine that it is much better. I've seen cross-breed puppies (very cute of course) for sale in pet shops for more than a purebred from a registered breeder. And as for pet shops recording details of puppies in an attempt to appear responsible - by selling desexed pets they are being completely irresponsible.

Sorry to go off on a rant but this is something I feel incredibly strong about and I really think that shelters are getting a bit hammered here. IMO they are much more responsible than pet shops. If you do a bit of internet searching on the number of unwanted puppies/kittens and dogs/cats that are put to sleep every year it will make you feel sick to the stomach. A lot of these deaths could be prevented by simply not allowing pet animals to be sold before desexing. Please please, be responsible and do not buy an undesexed animal. It is sooo much easier for you, your family and the animal and helps to reduce the amount of animals euthanased every year.