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Originally Posted by ButterflyYorkie Prices for a quality, healthy puppy do not start or stop with the puppy...
it's a reflection of the breeder's practices year round, even when there are no puppies. It's very expensive maintaining healthy adults year round. Food, vet care, heart worm meds, grooming supplies, bedding, crates, pens, fencing, LAWN CARE (POOPER SCOOPING), cleaning supplies, tons of washing...I could go on and on, but please be assured that if a breeding program is done correctly with love and compassion, it all adds up and 1200 for a puppy is extremely fair IMO. I will not even go into the costs of showing for those of you who have "ch sired" or "champion parents" pups. 
That's why I get very irritated with the thought of pet stores, mills and brokers..they have NO CLUE. |
I agree with this post 100%. The cost of a stud fee and caring for a female during pregnancy and after birth (EVEN if a C-section is involved) is only a tiny fraction of the cost of the year round maintenance. Additionally, there time and effort that goes into taking care of healthy breeding animals.....
With that said, ultimately, the cost of puppies is determined by the amount of $$ people are willing to spend. If buyers refused to pay what breeders are asking for Yorkie pups and chose a less expensive breed instead, then one of two things would happen -- Yorkie breeders would either quit breeding OR they would reduce their prices.
If we are reducing the cost of a pup to just $$, then where can you get 10+ years of unconditional love for $1,200 plus annual maintenance? I for one, hope that Yorkies always remain at a price that is outside the the amount of $$ that casual dog owners are willing to pay.