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Originally Posted by capt_noonie  Have you ever worked in the entertainment industry? Not all in the industry are actors. There are very skilled technicians that are never known that work in the background. Nevertheless, I think this may be better off on a topic of it's own. |
I wasn't talking about the techs, ancillary personnel salaries. Those people work hard for decent but not outlandish money for the work they do as far as I can see. The point I was making on this dog forum is one of where our priorities are set and how far down the dog's is on that list. I mentioned millionaire actors' salaries here to draw the distinction of what price our society is willing to pay and not to pay and when we complain or don't complain in two situations.
One instance maintains that a reputable breeder spends a great deal of time buying and setting up places for their dogs to live comfortable lives, study endlessly, research, attend all manner of functions to network and learn, learn, learn, spend endless hours being mentored, working like slaves for their mentor(
), expend large amounts of $ buying dogs and then the rest of their lives building and maintaining a wonderful house pet relationship and then have to network very well in order to be able to breed outside their own dogs when needed, spend time/$ vetting/testing their dogs, learning all they possibly can about pregnancy/whelping/puppy care and all the basic-plus of medical care until they can stabilize enough to start to the vet, watching preg mom, vetting her prn and then if the pups can be whelped at home, hours on hours watching, helping, reviving, encouraging nursing - oh, on and on and on - I'm only touching on the tiny tad I know about. I wonder how many hours and real $ goes into breeding a Yorkie litter and then treating all the dogs like the loved little creatures they are. Not to mention the endless hours they spend emailing/talking/vetting prospective buyers - checking on their vet history and all the things, assessing their pet-worthiness not to mention their worthiness for one of her beloved pups and then the endless puppy support for life. They work like dogs producing a fine litter - and sometimes just get one - or none - litter and mom can die. Huge vet bills.
I just think that if they have a quality, healthy, good-tempered dog that won't live under the couch and bite every ankle that walks by and not have a list of congenital defects a yard long, these ladies and gents should charge enough money to cover their costs, time and whatever! And, make a profit. What they do as breeders who want to produce really fine dogs for buyers who want to buy a dog from someone who treats it and its dam/sire as pets and will support me for life if I have a question or issue, should be a substantial sum of money. A few thou for all the work, money, time, angst, love and all the rest poured into their "product" should be rewarded and encouraged.
Compared to the millions of dollars some of the most dysfunctional people walking this earth get for spending a few months speaking lines, dodging fake punches, hitting marks, emoting for the camera, I think a breeder who has worked hard for years establishing fine lines should ask the price they want for pet, show, whatever and her price not be discussed publicly here as if the breeder were doing something a little iffy or perhaps questionable. To me, what reputable breeders who treat their little charges with love and like a loved pet and produce wonderfully healthy, happy dogs charge should be what they feel is fair for their work and time and expense and years of expertise.
Using actors' highly-paid wages and not those of the background personnel, draws a dramatic difference of what our society deems worthy and is relevant to the discussion of dogs' prices. Most people think an actor should get however much $ he can get someone to pay him, saying they wish they could do it, too! The staggering, almost indecent sums of money an actor is paid are just snickered over.
Ask most people what a reputable dog breeder should get, and - well, you know exactly what people say -
overpriced!
Too much money! Hardly anybody says a dog breeder of fine dogs should get however much $ she can get someone to pay her! Bet you won't find one if you ask a group of people say good breeders should be able to get as much as they can for their work by people who are willing to pay it.
People just put a premium on entertainment and celebrity and all that goes with it and few seem disturbed by the indecent sums of $ these folks make for a few hours or months of work. A star can get close to a million dollars for a cameo - for a day's work in a big blockbuster. When it comes to our dogs, we have no such generous feelings toward their breeders - they are seen as sort of stepping out of line if they charge what they feel they should be paid.
So I felt the issue of price for anything is relevant to what the buyer places a premium on. If, rather than actors, perhaps one can consider what a singer like Justin Bieber takes as his cut for each of his songs or appearances vs. a reputable Yorkie breeder.
At least what a breeder charges us doesn't affect everybody as directly as entertainers' high salaries do. The more stars make, the more it is just passed along to everyone who goes to a movie, buys a popcorn, watches a TV show, goes grocery shopping, buys gas or uses any of the commodities whose companies buy ads on the networks, subways or the internet or invest in a group that backs movie or song production.