Some people

I've had 4 calls today for pups, 2 of which wanted one at the weekend as it's MOTHERS DAY!!! I think it must be the start of the silly season, first question they ask is 'how much are your puppies'.......to which I say, 'I haven't got any puppies'.....to which they reply 'I want one as a gift for mothers day!!'''...............so which part of I DON'T HAVE ANY don't they understand!!!

If the first question they ask is how much, if I had pups or not, I say no sorry......if price is the No. 1 priority then they can't afford one.

Some people make me so cross

If you have no puppies, why were they phoning you

mmmm.... not sure I agree with that

Yes they need to understand the cost implication of owning a dog but I don't measure my capabilities as a dog owner by whether or not I can splash out £100's of pounds on a pedigree puppy - I can't!! But although I don't have a lot of money my dog always come first

If we end up having a litter my buyers will be subjected to a long questionnaire which they will have to complete about raising dogs, general husbandry, how to house train etc and some 'what if?' scenarios. They will also be homechecked and the importance of insuring their animal will be pointed out to them. If I am then satisfied then they can have a dog.

I don't think people should be denied the pleasure of owning a dog, simply because they don't have that much disposable income!

Yes but surely first question should be regarding health checks etc. price is normally the last question when people phone enquiring about pups. I could say £100 and they end up with a pup with all sorts of problems and end up paying out hundreds of pounds for vets.......you can point out the importance of insurance, but there's no guarantee they will take it out once they have the pup

Yes price is important, but health is MORE important.

When I get people with genuine enquiries, then they go through the whole process, questionaires, I meet them BEFORE pups are born, then meet them AGAIN before I agree or disagree on them having one of my pups

also important is having a waiting list before breeding - then callers like this are soon put off, they don't want to put there names down and wait xx

I did tell them this too, that when I have pups due, they are spoken for well in advance, even litters which are planned for later in the year are already spoken for.

When we phoned Bobs breeder up I asked her if she still had any pups left she told me how menny were left, what sex they were and the last thing she said was the price (I wasnt realy intersted in that bit) so for about we talked about whippets and where I lived. So I think she was interviewing me to see if I was exceptable whitch I think was not a bad thing

So what are we saying here-if you want a healthy dog you have to be able to afford hundreds of pounds????

Yes people can be ignorant I agree and should do their home work more but price has been the first thing I have asked about before - simply because if the pup is out of my budget there's no point continuing the conversation - doesn't mean I'm a dodgy owner!!!

lets all chill out here guys!

I think the main point of the thread was people ringing up wanting a pup for mothers day - now that is irresponsible!

Lets not get hung up on who said what, it's so easy to take things the wrong way over the faceless internet.

xx

i agree with crazy cockers. there should be no price on a family member - which is what our dogs are - and with regards to breeding - i would certainly never allow anyone a pet rat or dog tht i had bred if their first thought had been towards how much money it'll set them back.

I look to spend roughly £500 in the lifetime of every rat i own - minimum. That covers most eventual outcomes - same goes for dogs. I would set a plan for myself of every dog i have costing me up to £25,000 in it's lifetime - including initial costs. If contacting a breeder I look to spend no more than £2,000 a pup - and 99.99% of breeders charge much less than this - this way - money is never a problem.

If money is an important factor - then no - perhaps a dog is not a good plan as rthey cost a fortune in their lives. I see what you are saying - those of you who think pup prices should never be exorbitant - and no they maybe shouldnt - but people shouldn't make money their priority.

xx