My ex was a professional cat breeder so I'm getting a kick. She paid and charged more for kittens than I could justify on a car.

Gave this rancher $100 for my then 4 month old Border Collie. Best Dog Ever.

mr_a: If you want a purebred pup with decent lines, and therefore a reasonable shot at being healthy......

......then you really, really shouldn't be buying a puppy-mill puppy from a pet store.

Dogs aren't an investment.

Except for love.

Speaker2Animals: People who obsess about pure-bred animals and ignore the mutts sitting in cages at shelters should not themselves be allowed to breed.

Yeah, let's not get mad at the idiot owners who don't fix their farking dogs.

MAYBE, just maybe for an English Setter trained to point, retrieve and honor. NEVER hunt an ugly dog!

Not even $10 for a rat.

I just took in a stray cat a few months ago. He's a big, fat guy, about 5 years old or so, according to the vet. Some arsehole just dumped him on the street. I already had another kitty that I adopted from the humane society. I'll never buy a cat or a dog. There's too many awesome ones that you can save at the pound.

My wife and I paid $1200 for our dog because I wanted a Boykin Spaniel and they're fairly difficult to find in shelters. Though, we did find a rescue Boykin about a year after we got ours. We have 3 shelter cats so I hope that balances out.

The_Sponge: If we're bragging about how little we paid for our pets, I'll chime in and say that I paid zero for my cat.

/Was about a year old when I adopted him.
//Some asshole had abandoned him in my ex-g/f's neighborhood.
///Couldn't say no to taking him in.

Yeah, free cats FTW! Our most recent was put in a plastic bag and thrown out of a car window.

\people suck

I paid far more than that for my pure breed. And he was half price because he was not show quality.

And my shelter puppy cost $300.

That being said, my pure breed is far more trainable.

My Bull-Mastiff puppy was like $1,600 and my Frenchie puppy was $1,400. Normally I don't spend that kind of money, but when you want a pure-bred dog it's vitally important to get one with good genes. Otherwise, your $400 "pure-bred" (heavily inbred, most likely) dog will probably rack up the difference in vet bills or may have to be put down at a young age (goddamn hip dysplasia).

Do your research, avoid puppy mills, and if nothing else think of adopting a rescue!

dahmers love zombie: My Shiloh Shepherd was $1000 on a breedback contract. I couldn't breed him without his original breeder's permission, and she had the right to demand that I lend him to her for two breedings if she wished. Or I could pay $2000 for him on a simple ownership contract.

Those are horrible terms. You had to do it, though, to get a 'real' german shepherd and not one of the lowrider mutants out now? :(

I've had mostly mutts, but we currently have two pure bred toy poodles and two retired racing greyhounds. A racing greyhound puppy can run up to $5000, if both parents were AA-class winners. Boss Bailey has 12-generations of winners in his blood. He was a AA-class winner with a bad habit of bumping other dogs. The latter habit cut his career short and made him unsuited for stud duty.

Where the hell are the Johnny Dangerously pics in this thread?

If it came from a pet store the odds of it being "pure bred" as you and I understand it are pretty much nil. It's far more likely the dog was a genetic disasterpiece that bears a distant resemblance to breed standard and will probably need boatloads of pricey surgical procedures so it can die in pain in a few years instead of a few months.

/slight hyperbole
//mostly true

Earpj: Speaker2Animals: People who obsess about pure-bred animals and ignore the mutts sitting in cages at shelters should not themselves be allowed to breed.

Also, if one simply MUST have a pure-bred dog, there are rescues for every breed.

/Granted, those people will usually thing that there is something wrong with a rescue.

Purebred rescues can be pretty insane about placing dogs. Rent? No dog. Live in the wrong neighborhood? No dog. Travel? No dog. Plan to have kids in the next 10 years? No dog. Don't have paperwork showing your last dog died of a health condition as opposed to being put to sleep? No dog.

stpauler: Earpj: stpauler:
Also, I have never seen a Maltese fighting ring.

No, but there is such a thing as a "bait dog".

Now I'm sad.


If it makes you happier, it's just as likely to be some douchebag lowlife who wants a purebred puppy for his girlfriend but doesn't want to spend the $$$. Sadly, dogfighters looking for bait probably have easier ways of getting a hold of small animals than robbing stores.

Have a friend's mom who breeds Bichon_Frises. (new window) Back in high school, she had 3-4 at any given time; now she has 14-16 and some sort of half litter of juveniles to pups. Friend hated it, caused him to move out. She moves 30-40 dogs a year and performs breeding services for other owners (they provide a space and environment for the dogs to fark in). The pups generally sell for $1500-$2500, but certain mixes will be worth more, of course. I don't know whether to feel sad or sick, really.

/my 2 rescued dogs are awesome blah blah blah

We adopted this little guy about a month ago:



They found him in a box on the side of the road with several of his brothers and sisters. We're thinking he's German Shepherd/Beagle.

Haoie: Dogs aren't an investment.

Except for love.

I consider them in investment.

One that generates a surplus of unconditional love over the years.

$1800 is a bit much. That being said, dogs are expensive -- even if they were given to you. Vet visits, food, etc. Even if you paid nothing for them, expect to put plenty of money in.

And get your pet spayed or neutered. Seriously, there are too many dogs and cats in shelters as it is. If you're going to buy from a breeder, do your research, demand references, ensure they are registered with the kennel club. I got my dog from a breeder and he practically interviewed *me* to ensure I was a fit dog owner, then supplied me with certifications and medical histories of the parents and recommended trainers. He was also a CKC judge who loved the breed.

Again, if you're not going to go with a rescue, ensure whoever you are getting your dog from actually cares about the animals.

$1800 might be a little steep for a maltese, but if they are prepared just right they are delicious!

grinding_journalist: Have a friend's mom who breeds Bichon_Frises. (new window) Back in high school, she had 3-4 at any given time; now she has 14-16 and some sort of half litter of juveniles to pups. Friend hated it, caused him to move out. She moves 30-40 dogs a year and performs breeding services for other owners (they provide a space and environment for the dogs to fark in). The pups generally sell for $1500-$2500, but certain mixes will be worth more, of course. I don't know whether to feel sad or sick, really.

/my 2 rescued dogs are awesome blah blah blah

Isn't Bichon Frise French for "Fuzzy biatch"? I would like to own a Frizzy/Fuzzy biatch so I could say that phrase more often.

There's nothing wrong with buying a purebred dog. There is EVERYTHING wrong with buying it from a pet store.

grinding_journalist: She moves 30-40 dogs a year and performs breeding services for other owners (they provide a space and environment for the dogs to fark in). The pups generally sell for $1500-$2500, but certain mixes will be worth more, of course. I don't know whether to feel sad or sick, really.

What is sad or sick about that? A normal puppy litter is between 8 and 10 dogs.

If she has more than one breeding female she could easily do that in a year.