[KazzyK810]

Originally Posted by ShowGirlLola

In my area you most likely spent at least $500 if you have a small dog, $800-1200 for a desirable breed like a yorkie. We payed $350 each for my poodles in 1997.
My neighbor bought her dog in Lancaster PA from a puppy mill, he's small and a mixed breed, I think she paid $500.
same here if you are buying from a breeder. My point was, most people around I know do not think about getting a dog, and then seek out a breeder. Most make a spur of the moment decision because someone they know has puppies, or they get them from our animal control shelter, or craigslist type ads.

Honestly it terrifies me that it's so easy to get a bully breed here and so hard/expensive to get anything else. Not all bully breeds are bad, but it's still concerning. I'm also right between Camden, Philly, and Trenton, so I'd say a lot of these dogs are related to fighting or guard dogs.
Apparently it's not hard to get one from a shelter either, my neighbor has a mix with some pit bull in her, she's a very nice dog but they're awful owners and I'm afraid she's going to snap one day. She's already proven to be animal aggressive, she killed their cat. Anyway the owner has 2 kids, 1 is severely autistic, neither is good with animals. Their past dogs were kept in small kennels 90% of the time (this one isn't), their last one hung herself (tethered, jumped over fence), and their pets get minimal vet care. They have no business having a dog, or a cat.

It's the same here with the bully type breeds. They are about ten to one in the shelters. And dog fighting is a big problem here too. And while there are plenty of warnings about not listing your dog as free, lots of people still do. Thats how the elderly couple across the street ended up with the shih tzu. It was free to a good home and they were worried someone would take it for dog fight bait, so they took it.