Wow, this is a most interesting thread. I'm just in the process of purchasing a tiny. I've seen the ads and websites where some breeders are asking in excess of $5,000 for a tiny and for the life of me I don't understand why anyone would pay that when well bred healthy tinies are available at reasonable prices. I certainly expect to have to pay for the extra care and vet costs associated with producing a healthy tiny but if those costs are in the thousands of $ then I'm not interested in that dog.
If buying a pup I always try to by the runt of the litter, not because of size but for spirit. Most of my life we owned mixed breeds, everything from tiny terriers to a Newfoundland and picking the runt has never failed me.
I have owned several yorkies over the years, most of them rescues, but some which I have purchased from breeders. They've run the gamut as far as size is concerned, from 10 lbs down to 4.5 lbs and everything in between. I presently have one aging gal who is a rescue and she's cost us well over $8,000.00 in vet bills in the 8 years we have had her. This time around I will buy insurance for the new puppy.
I don't expect a breeder to provide a guarantee that the dog is never going to be ill. I do expect them to sell me a vet certified healthy dog with no known familial diseases or conditions.
Breeders do not however disclose hereditary conditions they learn about after the fact and to that extent you are taking your chances. It is really buyer beware. Thankfully we now have the internet so checking on a breeder's past successes or failures is fairly easy.
Anyone who does their homework beforehand will quickly learn that $4,000 and up is not the standard price for a tiny. They need to question that and if the answer from the breeder is "because the dog is a tiny" then walk away from that breeder or at least realize that you are being over charged. Some people will be more than happy paying an inflated price because they've fallen in love with the idea of owning a tiny.
On the other hand if I was a breeder of tinies my priority would be to make sure the dog was going to a home that understood the challenges of owning a tiny, it certainly would not be about $. Too many of these dogs are sold to people who don't have a clue what they are getting into. They are ill prepared for the costs and responsibilities of owning such a dog and the poor little things get bounced around from one owner to another until they end up at a shelter.
Why am I buying a tiny? I can no longer lift a 7 or 8 lb dog. I can afford to properly look after one and I've taken an extensive pet first aid course just to be on the safe side. I have years of experience with yorkies and know what I'm getting into. The alternative was one of those yippy little mexican chi's and I just couldn't see myself going there. |