Keep in mind, vet bills can pile up from accidents, not just genetics. My moms dog got attacked by another dog. The vet bills for 2 weeks in the hospital, surgery and then 2 months of physical therapy were roughly $7,000. Her dog is healthy, happy with no genetic diseases (the dog was also just given to her so it cost nothing). My friend came home from work one day and something was wrong with her cat (another friend had this same thing happen with his dog). They both took their pets to the vet ($90 emergency visit) to find out the animal needed emergency surgery to untangle string it swallowed that wrapped around its intestines. This surgery was $1400 for the cat and almost $2000 for the dog. I had a dog growing up that got a piece of stick stuck under his tounge, and in trying to get it out it dug in deeper and pierced his esophagus. Emergency surgery was about $500.

These types of things could happen to anyone at any time. I always tell everyone I know, if you are going to buy a dog, save $1,000 more than you need, keep it in the bank, forget you have it, until the time you need it for the pet. This could go a long ways towards bills for pets. I know it may not seem fair to some for someone else to say to have money in the bank... but I remember having a $400 vet bill for my 2 boys just for vacs and checkups. Nuetering also cost me $350 for one of my boys. I felt that the responsible thing to do before buying a pet was making sure my first year medical expenses were covered cash. It stinks because you may have to wait longer, but it does give you peace of mind to know that you are not stranded should something occur.

I agree with the OP, just because someone is trying to stay within a certain purchase price zone doesn't mean they can't afford to take care of their baby once they get him/her. Maybe their total budget is broken into a certain amount for purchase and certain amount for vet bills, shots, etc. I think I know the post you're referring to. I agree it's important to inform people of possible future expenses for their furbaby but it could be stated as "Remember when budgeting for your baby please take into consideration possible future vet bills etc as smaller Yorkies have a tendency to have health issues which could range in the thousands." rather than "Do you really think if you can only afford to spend $...... for your baby you can afford to care for your baby.....?" (Paraphrasing here). There's a nice way and an insulting way to say things, maybe we can stick to the nice way.:)

:yeahthat:

Just wanted to add that I am waiting patiently saving for our second, we make good money, but I save my own stash for the things that I want, I also save a good chunk for the unexpecteds, so I basically need twice the amount to get my dog before hubby feels ok about it. I have 5,000 saved so far but hubby says its not enough. We don't really talk about the price of the dog until he feels like there is enough saved, This is really annoying but it is also nice if we ever need it. So according to hubby I could not afford to spend 1000 on a yorkie right now, But I take really good care of the one I have and keep saving for Coppers future sis/bro:)

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Hey, I know who u are talking about. I just finished reading the other thread. All I have to say is that ur right... JMO

You are not going to find a good Yorkie puppy in NY for $700, so just forget about that. Then you're going to have vet bills, about $80 for shots a couple of times the first year, and $300-$500 for spaying or neutering. You also have to figure how you'll pay for anything unexpected that goes wrong. It is very expensive. You have to do careful research to find to good breeders who are being careful not to be selling sickly poorly bred dogs, and then you're still going to have to spend at least $1500 for one. It's good you're working hard for your money, don't waste it on an unsound, badly bred dog. If you're very very patient you may find one for adoption that's a little older that someone has to give up.

I basically only sell my puppies to rich grownups who have houses and have had dogs before. That eases my mind a lot about how they will be treated after they leave my home.

No offense but to say you only sell to "Rich Grownups" because you know how they will be treated isn't such a good idea. Ive seen even Rich people treat their dogs like crap.............look at Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears, just because they have a huge wallet does not mean they will do right by their pets!!!! (JMO)

I hope what you said wasn't meant to be rude. I'm not rich and I'm only 21 and my yorkie has everything she has ever needed. She has been to the emergency vet and other expenses and I've always paid. She has a good home, eats better than most people, has tons of toys, and clothes ... Yes, they are expensive to purchase as a pet and to take care of... but even if the owner isn't rich they will always find a way for their furbaby to be taken care of. JMO

Yeah I read your other post. You mark up the price because they are tinies. I think that breeders like that are unethical and just out for money

So how do you determine their financial status? Asset and liability statements? :rolleyes:

To be quite frank the price should be the least concern when searching for a new puppy...

this is a delicate posting... it may hurt someone by tring to defend others....
It all depends where you live and all ... i read the post about expenses.... in my neighborhood a c-sections cost over 1500.00 .... an emergency vet call to angel memorial hospital is 126.00 just to walk in... i have a friend who mistakenly bred her "mixed" with another mix of some kind... she tought she would have cute puppies and ended up with a crazy bill and mixed puppies are cheap... she is never doing it ever again.... besides who wanted pay for her puppies, she gave them away to her closest... for free...
I also read about the insurances.... it is a great idea.....

I have top quality show dogs that are treated like royalty at my house. I'm not rich but have sufficient income from a job to have the means to take care of my dogs. I'm not one bit ashamed that I have to be paid for the work and expense of breeding. I cannot afford to do this as a public service for no money. I don't know what it is about dog breeding that makes people think we should be losing money at it, like we owe it to the world to provide affordable pets. Yes, the majority of my customers are either just plain rich or they have professional jobs with high incomes. They are mostly older people who have had dogs before, usually are replacing one that died of old age. Occasionally I sell a puppy to a young professional person who demonstrates an appreciation for the responsibilities of pet ownership and who has a good family support system in place. I deeply resent anyone telling me what I should be charging for my dogs. You don't pay my bills, so mind your own business!!!