I believe as others have mentioned that the poor economy, the fact that females can be bred, how many other breeders are in the area (competition-supply and demand), location are all factors that play into cost. I also believe that if you take the time to go through newspaper ads, Dog Fancy ads, perhaps a local dog show, that you can find a good pet quality puppy for a reasonable price.
I would caution against buying a dog (or any animal) with out seeing it first. Too many people have gotten burned that way since you're at the mercy of the breeder.
I was fortunate- I did see my breeder on the internet, contacted her by e-mail. I told her what I was looking for, my price range and if I could do "lay-a-way" per se. She was a 40 minute drive from my house. She called me the next morning and my daughter and I went out to see the pups (there were 2- 1 male and 1 female and since I was the first to respond- I had the pick of the litter. lol Mom wasn't very big, so she only had 2 pups.) who were 2 weeks old at the time. So I made payments every 2 weeks and by the time she was paid off, she was ready to come home. I was lucky. My breeder is a very kind and caring breeder and woman. For pet quality she charges $550 for males and $650 for females. I didn't ask about show quality, breeding rights etc., as they didn't personally apply to me.
Molly to me is beautiful. I know she's not show quality, but that doesn't matter to me-she's still beautiful to me.
Don't lose hope as I'm sure you'll be able to find one. Try newspapers for the largest city near you to look in. Good luck in your search. I'm sure you'll have your own furbaby soon.
