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Originally Posted by fasteddie I know that's your personal opinion, but there are many members here with happy, healthy, well-socialized, and adjusted dogs and they got them for $500 or less. I don't think price is an issue either way (either very low-priced or high-priced), and a person should be able to choose to pay as little, or as much as they want for a Yorkie.
I do think that it's more important to visit the breeder and see the conditions yourself. If a breeder chooses to sell a dog for $500, it might not necessarily mean they treat the dog any worse than someone who sells their dog for $2000. Also, there are areas of the country where dogs are cheaper than the "average" going price. |
I was primarily referring to my area...California... when I made the $500 comment, but my basic point is,
I think people should be more willing to pay a "fair" price for a dog instead of trying to get one cheaply and basically cheating the breeder of being fairly compensated for the 24/7 care they have had to provide the puppies and the mother. They need to expect to pay at least the cost of the puppies care to that point so the breeder at least doesn't lose money.
I think if people were more willing to pay the fair price, there would be more breeders providing the very best care that these dogs deserve. No one wants a puppy who hasn't had the very best care and whose litter mates and mother are not well provided for. We want our puppies and their families to have the best possible start in life. But, if you are looking for a yorkie for less than $500 you are looking for someone who hasn't put that much into the dog or you expect the breeder to lose money on the dog and, imo, that is not fair.
I have talked to a lot of breeders and even did a poll on here and discovered that it costs at least that much and usually way more to raise a puppy to 12 weeks of age in a healthy, well cared for way.