How much would you pay for a puppy?

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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?

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)

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.

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......

hahahaa love ur post Lulu!

Well done on going to the animal league.

Dogs/Puppies from rescue organisations are usually priced according to the care they need when rescued. Some have significant vet bills as they are nursed back to health, then yes, there's desexing, microchipping, vaccinations, worming & feeding.

My bitzer from a rescue organisation was $180 and my pedigree labrador was $1000.

I wouldn't buy from a pet store unless it's something like "pets at home" who stock dogs/cats/puppies/kittens from the Lort Smith Animal Home. There are so many abandoned animals out there - if you want a specific breed, then look for that breed "rescue" group. You can get an older animal (usually toilet trained etc) for the fraction of a cost, and know that you're saving an animal from death.

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

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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.

:redface: I'm trying to convince DF to let us get a British Bulldog, for $2500, think I am almost there...
We paid $600 for one of our cats from the pet store, he's worth every cent.

OOhh, I love those bulldogs sooo much. Crufts has insisted they get bred without so many face and leg problems now. The only reason I don't have one yet is the worry about their faces.

Have you looked at an Australian Bulldog? WOW they are amazing but alot bigger than the british. I think they have only recently been recognised as a new breed. My friend has 2...I love them sooo much!

I should post a photo...

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.

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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.

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

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.

Thanks for all the replies, I never expected prices for puppies to be so high.

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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......

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It upsets my family because DD's 14 & 3 had their hearts set on bringing home a puppy after they looked at the AWL website that said they were $275 so when I found that they were well over that price and wasn't willing to pay more than $300 it caused lots of dramas - hence stopping in at the pet store.

Having a new pup and a baby doesn't worry me too much, the kids and hubby will do most of the work and we don't plan on having our new puppy in the house living areas while the kids aren't around to supervise. No late night surprises for me. Did you let your puppy run around the house at night? We have always kept ours outside at night or in the laundry.

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 :D

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...

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.... :lol:

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!

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

^ 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.

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

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.

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

^ 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.

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.

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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)..

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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.

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.

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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)...

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I must admit that I was going to write something similar to this. Sure, it's great to be able to get a wonderful companion at a bargain price, but it's also very important to make sure that you have budgeted for any ongoing costs associated with having a pet, as well as knowing that you would have the finances to care for the pet if a medical emergency or condition arose. Even the most strictly bred dogs can develop some kind of medical condition that can be treated with lifelong meds, and it's best to know that you can cope with the additional financial strain that may be needed if your pup is one of the unlucky ones.

But on the upside, if you have already considered all of that and would still like to get a dog/puppy, then rescue groups are a great place to start looking. They take on dogs of all sizes, breeds, ages etc... and the dogs are often placed with foster families until they are adopted. This means that they are not kept in cages, and are interacting in normal family situations. The foster carers make detailed evaluations of each dog and make recommendations as to what sort of home the dogs would be most suited to (for example, whether they should go to a home with or without children, whether they should go to a home with existing pets etc). The organisations are usually pretty strict about who they adopt out to and make sure that you get a pet that is suited to your home. They put a lot of time and effort into saving and rehoming dogs, and want them to find their forever home :) If you would like any contact details you can pm me and I can pass them along to you.

As for me personally, I paid $750 for my purebred Japanese Spitz from a registered breeder and it was worth every cent. He's actually sleeping across the doorway into the study as I type, lol, what a life!


EDIT: Just wanted to add that I think Dantri's post was fantastic!

We have just spent $500 in the last week on vet care for our dog because she got a severe gastro/enteritus thingy <sigh>.

Dogs are expensive. There is no way around that. If you can't afford $500 or even $1000 to buy a dog in the first place, you will be in trouble once that inevitable first large vet bill comes along (and it will, sooner or later - we had to spend thousands last year because Rosie needed emergency surgery. What else would we have done? Let her die?)

10 years ago I paid $800 for Rosie, a purebred miniature schnauzer puppy from a good breeder. I'd expect to pay a lot more now, though it does vary considerably with the breed of dog. This cost is trivial compared to the cost of caring well for an animal that you take responsibility for.

There are two good ways to buy a dog. Either get a puppy from a good breeder or get a dog from a shelter.

When you buy from a shelter you are:

- saving a life

- getting a dog that has been temperament tested as being suitable for your situation

- you can choose a dog that is already toilet trained, etc, saving you a lot of time and effort in the first year.

- getting a pet for good value (considering vet bills for worming, desexing, temperament testing etc)

- supporting the work of the shelter, keeping other dogs and cats from being killed just because they were wrongly bought or bred in the first place.


When you buy from a breeder you're getting more than just a purebred dog.

- You're getting assurance that the dog's parents, grandparents, great-grandparents etc are free from whatever the main congenital disorders of the breed are, you should be given the certification that proves this (after you've done your research on that breed, of course).

- Just like humans, dogs learn particular kinds of things at particular states in their development. Weeks 4-12, roughly, in a puppy's life, are critical for developing social skills both with other dogs and with humans. When you buy from a good breeder you're getting assurance that this dog has been raised for those first critical weeks in a good environment, getting the right sort of education from its mum (and preferably dad and other relatives), and also from the breeder allowing the puppies to interact with the household and other humans, and to encounter normal household situations like a vaccum cleaner or a dishwasher. You get to meet the mum (and if she rushes out and bites you you know what kind of temperament her puppies will have...), and to discuss with the breeder what kind of upbringing those pups have had in their first 8 weeks. Getting this early education right is priceless and you can end up having to spend a lot more than the puppy's cost, in things like vet consults, dog training, etc, if the puppy hasn't been given this opportunity to learn the right things at the right time.

By the time a breeder has paid for the costs of the mother's whelping and vet bills, the puppies' immunisations, feeding, etc, they don't get a lot of change out of charging your a few hundred dollars or more for each puppy. Most breeders do it for love, not for money, as the only way to make money from breeding dogs is to do it in a "puppy mill" kind of a way. They put in countless hours making sure that you get the best possible family pet. This is, in my opinion, well worth paying for.

When you buy a puppy from a pet shop, here's what you know about it:

- you may have no clear idea what breed it really is. You don't know how large it will grow and what temperament it will have.

- you don't know whether it has congenital problems or not. You don't know what the cost in vet bills of any such problems could be (friends bought a cute maltese X puppy from a pet shop on impulse and had to spend several thousands correcting its leg deformity so it could walk without pain)

- you do know that most likely its mum has been forced to give birth too often too fast and has had inadequate nutrition and exercise for her good health. Here at BellyBelly we know what difference this can make to human babies - it's the same with puppies!

- you do know for sure that the puppy has been removed from it's mum too early (earlier than 8 weeks) and that it has spent time in transport and then in the extremely stressful conditions of being in a pet shop and poked and prodded by people. This means it is more likely to be sick from stress lowering its immune system. and also that it is missing out, day by day, on crucial socialization that needs to happen in roughly weeks 4-12 of it's life. It isn't learning from adult dogs how to behave towards other dogs and it isn't learning from humans how to behave rightly in a human household. Both of these lacks can cause big behavioural issues later on.



In my opinion, pet shops in Australia should not sell puppies or kittens at all. Too many problems are caused by this indiscriminate selling of living animals to people who don't know enough about their needs or care to take care of them properly. The many thousands of animals we kill each year because they have been dumper in shelters are testament to the scale of the problem. In Melbourne, half of the dogs that go into the Lost Dog's Home (largest animal shelter) are killed. And 90% of the cats. I am sure the figures would be similar in other cities. It's a disgusting indictment on the way our society treats animals as disposable things rather than living creatures for whom we are responsible.