I know I am preaching to the converted here but just have to get this off my chest.

In the last few weeks I know of 5 new puppies here in the neighbourhood, three of them at my children's school. EVERY SINGLE ONE cost less than £250 (including a cowering, frightened 4 month old weimeraner I have just met, he was bought on X-Mas eve as a x-mas present for a 3-year old !!?????????WHATTT!!!???). The three pups at the school are collies and labs (or crosses?) and they have all been at the vets with diarrhoea and loss of appetite. Some were chosen by because they were the sweet quiet ones hiding under the table (!!!), or because they were the only ones left. None of them were seen with their parents. Some of them have no birthdays because 'The lady was selling them on behalf of her son who was on holiday and she wasn't sure how old they were.' But when I asked if they thought they may have come from puppy farms they all replied 'oh no, nothing like that!' They were found on Epupz or such like, only seen on day of purchase, no previous vaccinations, no papers. When i point out that a well bred dog is more likely to set you back £600- £800 they reply they only want it as a pet. But it is going to be a member of their families for up to 15 years!!!!!!!

God god I am so furious and people are so STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAhh, that's better. So what can we really do to educate them? They would not listen to me. who would they listen to? I think joe public doesn't want to know because he would have to start saving instead of having that pup TODAY.

Yet with other things people know you get what you pay for, or worse still will pay over the odds for a designer label.

Maybe it is because with average luck, nature being kind, some of those badly bred pups won't have problems, or cause problems, or the problems they have the owners don't associate with their poor start.

Must have something to do with the millions spent on advertising, and maybe this is where the Kennel club needs to start, but who will pay for it?

> When i point out that a well bred dog is more likely to set you back £600- £800 they reply they only want it as a pet. But it is going to be a member of their families for up to 15 years!!!!!!!
>

Absolutely true, thats what we get told sometimes, we always say yes you can buy cheaper from local newspapers but you dont know what you are getting health check/temperament wise neither, we have even had people try to haggle on price, no way, they just get told to go elsewhere. 

OMG a pup as a present for a 3 year old, big disaster.

They were found on Epupz or such like, only seen on day of purchase, no previous vaccinations, no papers

To be fair just picking up on the one point re: no dam present, at least that website does have a long disclaimer at the bottom of each advertisement telling people what to look for i.e dam should be there etc. So for anyone to collect a pup without it's mother present has to be a prize plonker in doing so. I'm actually quite pleased in looking at that site recently to see breeders coming up on there now showing the dam and sire's hip, eye and health related tests being done, along with KC reg etc, at least it gives those looking the chance to see what you get for one price and not with the other.

But obviously due to the laxness of the free add sites they are going to attract more of the other types of breeders.

I think people do really know that they get what they pay for, but everyone is out for a bargain even when it comes to something living and breathing. Where people get the idea that quality does not also run to a pet dog too I don't know, but it still is said all too often.

Must have something to do with the millions spent on advertising, and maybe this is where the Kennel club needs to start

Yes, I agree when is it going to start? The KC can afford to blitz the TV twice a year, but I've had a re-think about this advertising malarkey and don't think advertising to adults is the answer, I would say Christmas and the Summer holidays are a good time because the children are off and children absorb so much better, once little 7 year old 'Tommy' has heard that puppies parents need to be KC reg and have relevant health tests and know what a puppy farmer is, he's not going to forget, children are clever and home in quicker on the rights and wrongs of things and are then going to be in his parents ear about it. When children get a bee in their bonnet they don't give in.

I remember mine seeing a programme on free range chickens and the difference between those and battery farmed, they have point blank refused to eat any chicken not free range since. Maybe this is the audience we need to hit as the adults seem to let things go in one ear and out the other.

Maybe we need to just educate the children......................

> everyone is out for a bargain

This is definitely true.  Last year I was offered 350 for a Yorkshire Terrier puppy.  I did try to explain that it had cost me more than that to breed the litter. I was told, well that is my budget!

If they are looking for bargain basement, then they can look elsewhere.  I know it was only £100 below the asking price, but I don't do bartering for puppies.

> If they are looking for bargain basement, then they can look elsewhere.  I know it was only £100 below the asking price, but I don't do bartering for puppies.

Neither do we, many have said "oh i can get a pup for £150 in the loot"  go get 1 then we say, most people are happy to pay for a health tested well bred puppy though.

There seem to be huge variations in pricing for pups in my breed at the moment, even amongst show breeders with health tested stock. No idea how the public are meant to make sense of it!

M.

When i was looking for a Westie puppy last year the prices varied between £250 and £750. My thoughts were £250 seemed cheap and would have questioned why they were selling at such a ridiculous price. So think its in all breeds Lily and youre right i couldnt make sense of pricing either for westies. I only knew the area i was buying my puppy from would have good stock in the pedigree and was prepared to pay for that.

Jean

This is from another forum.... I think it speaks for itself, so, so sad:
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>18 months ago my neighbour brought a Golden Retriever pup she was so proud of herself because she only paid £250 for him,they even offered to deliver the pup!as it was quite away form here,the pedigree papers had to be seen to be believed a piece of paper with 3 lines on it,he was not like a normal pup stayed in his bed never really wanting to go out or walk far.finally after alot of investigation it was found that his hips and spine were so bad that the only option was to put him to sleep.I pleaded with her at the time not to go to this place but her answer was why pay £800 when you can get one for £250 why do people do this?why do certain papers allow these people to advertise

And the real *smart* ones ring up rescue and offer to *take a pup off my hands*.

Yes, quite- If you 'only' want a pet, are not bothered about show prospects and only want to pay £200 surely a rescue is the place to go!!!

We could do with a really well advertised programme along the lines of 'Pedigree dogs exposed' but about puppy farms. That bloody programme seems to have encouraged people away from proper breeders by giving them such bad press, and inadvertently played into the hands of these unscrupulous persons.

£200?? Are you joking? No rescue in Ireland that I know of would be able to rehome their dogs for that.

I get frequent calls about *pups for free* i.e. I should be grateful if they take them off my hands.

I just get people looking at me and then behind my back saying "oh she is just a dog snob" !!!!!
But I will not keep quiet.

And you don't want your dogs anywhere near the pups who have been ill.