about cheap yorkies, pls read

[KeyaN]

We paid $650 USD for our 8 week old Twix and I thought we got one of the best deals. ( I noticed most breeders wanting $750 - 1000 for the pups) How much should one normally pay for a 8 week old male yorkie? Did I pay top dollar? I don't care too much anyways, We love the fellow (just curious)

Both his parents are AKC Reg, but I haven't reg him yet.. wasn't sure If it's worth it

[cheryl19]

Originally Posted by Little Dog

[F Gothic]At the risk of alot of people complaining I would like to say....Not everyone can afford to spend $600.00 for a pup but then again I don't care about them being "registered" I care that they have a nice loving home. My Wriddle was $100.00 (shots, neutured,wormed etc.) no we don't have papers (puppy mill crap) but I did turn around and spend another $200+ on dental and just recently had to have ears flushed again and meds ($100.00). So just because I can't afford to spend alot on a dog doesn't mean I can't or won't seek medical attention when needed!!!!! I would love to have a puppy but just can't afford to buy one that is that expensive. Yes my dogs eat well I make their treats and most of their food in my own kitchen, I spend money buying clothes, beds, toys etc. I hope some day for the Yorkie Fairy to bring me a puppy but until then I have Wriddle who needed me and loves me not because I spent alot of money on buying him but because I am here to love him and make sure he is safe and healthy! Ok, bash me...I got my big girl panties on.[/FONT]

I too didn't spend a lot for Ivy (250.00 puppymill rescue) but I did spend in just one visit to the vets $500.00 for her teeth. But you would want to be very careful about who you let have them. But anyone who would get mad at you for not giving them away to them I would RUN not walk away from.
So sorry I forgot to welcome you to YT and best of luck

[Sugar's Mom]

When I am selling my puppies, I don't even give those people the time of time. i get so aggravated when people say Oh you are asking too much. I tell them the paper is full of cheap low quality dogs and they should look there because when I set my prices, I don't lower it. Some people are so riduclous. I don't even try to explain all the cost and work that goes into raising a litter. I just say 'thanks for calling" and hang up.

[MyBohoBaby]

Your not located near Mass are you?? ROFL I would be SOO happy to find someone with puppys for $300!!

[Jemma]

Being a previous breeder of Goldens, I can tell you every breeder does get a profit. Parents initial clearances are most expensive. But it is not a every year situation. OFA is final at 2 years of age. Therefore my dogs were never bred before 2 years of age. Preliminary OFA doesn't cut it. That is why OFA won't give a final until 2 years of age. Of course if eyes is a genetic problem, they should be checked yearly. Many breeders give pups their own shots. You can buy 25 shots for about 75.00. That's enough for 25 pups, that's a lot of shots. Just be careful of the expiration date. Usually when you bring a litter in to be examined by a vet, it is like a group fee. They don't usually charge a individual fee per puppy. Some people use puppy pads, some people use newspapers. It doesn't matter unless you don't like newspaper print on your pups, lol.Mom's should be checked before a breeding. I, myself, has a x-ray done towards the end of her pregnancy to determine the total plus I also added a plus one in case any were hidden or one directly behind another.
Yes there will be much time in whelping and raising the litter but we should not charge for our time because we "chose" to do this. It was our choice to breed so how can you charge for time? It is your hobby, to better the breed, right.
Now the responsibility to new owner is to love, cherish and to make sure our pet remains as healthy as possible and all their eeds met. And that does take money. As far as clothes, beds, etc, they are not necessities but more our personal choice, although I've done the overboard in personal choice.
I would say that the first litter is going to be your most expensive because of the testing of parents and other necessities. AND, if you don't lose any pups. Losing pups will deinitely put you in the red. Breeding is a risk, no matter how you look at it. Especially for Mommy.
Now I'm not bashing any breeder. I was a previous breeder of Champion Goldens, so I've been there done that scene. I'm being as honest as I can be, that's all. I also understand that Yorkies do have small litters...I think, lol. I'm never breeding Jemma so I wouldn't know.
My pups did not go for what the parents cost me. 1,800 each. I paid that for the Championship Parents and the clearances for breeding purposes. They are the core of the breeding. But my pups sold for 800. So imo, asking 1,200 to 1,800 for a pup is a little high. The more pet quality sometimes less and a good prospective show a little more. I use to take my profits though and put much of it back into the breeding aspects. New, updated whelping boxes, etc, and a lot of money in show entrance fees and handlers. Not everyone shows so that there is a less expense.
However don't be fooled by a breeder who say's their pups are all show because their parents are both champs. That is NOT true. The gene pool is in the millions and you will never know what is going to hit the ground, figure of speech. So learn your dogs breed, learn the standards so you don't go and look at a litter blind. There are excellent breeders out there and yet there are people with Champs, not so excellent. Therefore, be responsible and research the breed. Look at their faults, and the medical problems they might encounter and what that could cost you. You are paying not only for a puppy but one that is healthy and hopefully free of genetic problems. That's where testing needs to come in. Just because Grandparents were healthy, doesn't mean all their offspring are.
On a final note every breed puppy is someone's royalty.
Have a nice day all. I'm off to fighting a tooth ache and hanging shutters on my house, UGH!! I hate toothaches and am petrified of dentists. I hope my Jemma doesn't have to get her canines pulled, I'll be a basket case.

Carol and Jemma

[Little Dog]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

I agree. IMO, this is just like why the counterfeit designer handbag business came about. There are certain things in life that are luxury, that are not meant for everyone to have. If you can't afford it, you dream about it, but bad people come along and knock it off, lower the value of it, lower the integrity of it. Thanks to them, now you can carry around your puppymill yorkie in your fake Juicy dog bag for $250. Despicable!

First you are VERY RUDE.....Second you have a blessed day and I hope your LUXURY lives a healthy life.

[Little Dog]

Originally Posted by FlDebra

Whoever sold you a $100 dog that had all its shots, neutered and wormed had to have gone in the red. You did say you don't have papers and mentioned puppymill crap. So, did your pup come from a puppymill? You really cannot compare dogs that came through the sick, cruel world of a puppymill with puppies cared and loved right in the breeders home being given constant attention and loving nurturing. Yorkie puppymills came about because people who did not want to or could not pay the higher Yorkie prices still wanted to own them. Enter the twisted puppymiller who can sell for cheaper prices because they don't have a standard of care or any morals. How can anyone expect a breeder to raise quality dogs and then go in the hole so that everyone can have a yorkie?

I understand where you are coming from and would not bash you -- but I still think quality Yorkies are a luxury. I think everyone should be able to have a dog. I don't think everyone should be able to have a Yorkie. Not that yorkies are a mere possession like a car but it is sort of like we may all need a car but some will buy a Ford Focus, some will buy a Cadillac and some will buy a Mercedes. They should not all be priced the same just because everyone deserves a car. You get what you can afford. I know lots of people that can't afford or do not want to spend the higher prices still want Yorkies. That is why so many of the unscrupulous breeders wound up cutting corners to be able to offer cheap yorkies. It hurt the breed a LOT! You wind up seeing yorkies that look nowhere near the standard. You also wind up with mother dogs abused and puppies neglected. But the price is low.

There is no way I would give away my Yorkies to strangers. Selling them for $300 would definately be giving them away (actually going quite a bit in the red!) when you look at how much I paid to get them to the 12 week stage (I listed a lot about expenses in last post and won't repeat it all here...but I spent a lot more because we lost our momma dog too. ) I also had to buy bottles, formula, goat's milk (not cheap), nutri-cal, syringes,etc. I also split their shots which cost more in office visits. So maybe they did cost a little more than the average Yorkie to raise, but I don't think you could do it for a lot less than I did and still be doing it right. Some litters only have one or two and they still have all the same costs that I did. Breeders also wind up with litters where none survive but much had already been spent on preparation. They have to provide year round care for the breeding females and males too. So, as a business -- there are a LOT of expenses a person may not think about. Mine are my pets so I don't figure in the cost of caring for mom and dad. They are my pleasure, but still they are a cost associated with the puppies to some extent.

So -- there are two sides to Yorkie costs. It would be nice if we all got one issued to us when we were old enough to care for them -- no cost at all. But that is not practical and asking quality breeders to sell their puppies for $300 is not practical either. Just another opinion.

I see some of the puppymill types advertising online that they have $450yorkies. I can almost guarantee they are not doing right by them or they could not possibly be making a profit. I suppose when you get into mass production, you could sell them for less and still turn a profit but who wants a puppy whose mother has been kept in a cage, stacked several high, all her life?

Now some of the $6000 price tags seem pretty ridiculous, especially because they are usually NOT the result of a careful breeding programs painstakingly spread over 20-30 years to carefully refine features. No, those price tags are usually because the puppy is extra tiny or being called a "rare." But I think prices up to $2000 can usually be justified. The crime is when they ask that high of a price but only provide the care of a puppymiller who usually charges 1/4 of that. I don't mind the high prices though if they have quality yorkies and they provide them with excellent care to get a great start.

I RESCUED my Wriddle because there were over 900 dogs without homes, in need of special care and alot of love. So don't bash my PUPPYMILL dog!!!!!!! I HATE people who think they are better than others. Have any of you LUXURY dog owners ever heard of KARMA? Think about it before you open your mouths to speak....I have read on here where some people spent fortunes and now their babies have all kinds of problems....hmm. Just because he doesn't have papers doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a good home with people who love and cherish them. No I wasn't looking for a LUXURY when I got him my LUXURY is knowing I don't have to BUY things to make people think I am better than anyone else. I WILL compare my "puppymill" to your "luxury" any day. No you would never bash me but you bashed a poor little dog. Geez...

[Jemma]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

I agree. IMO, this is just like why the counterfeit designer handbag business came about. There are certain things in life that are luxury, that are not meant for everyone to have. If you can't afford it, you dream about it, but bad people come along and knock it off, lower the value of it, lower the integrity of it. Thanks to them, now you can carry around your puppymill yorkie in your fake Juicy dog bag for $250. Despicable!

I don't think FlDebra was quite comparing it the way you are. I think she was comparing the difference in the prices of cars to what people can afford, not that they are fake. Like the different prices of cars are exactly as she said. The more you get, the more you pay. And some peope just simply can't pay for the luxuary. However, some cheaper cars can last a long time if cared for properly. But you would never get the price like you would a Mercedes. So for those who buy a cheaper Yorkie, make sure you give it extra care and take special care because you just might have some problems. Hopefully, you won't. And many don't.

Carol/Jemma

[Little Dog]

Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail." - Henry Wheeler Shaw

Someone needs to practice what they preach

[BLowry]

Originally Posted by Little Dog

I RESCUED my Wriddle because there were over 900 dogs without homes, in need of special care and alot of love. So don't bash my PUPPYMILL dog!!!!!!! I HATE people who think they are better than others. Have any of you LUXURY dog owners ever heard of KARMA? Think about it before you open your mouths to speak....I have read on here where some people spent fortunes and now their babies have all kinds of problems....hmm. Just because he doesn't have papers doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a good home with people who love and cherish them. No I wasn't looking for a LUXURY when I got him my LUXURY is knowing I don't have to BUY things to make people think I am better than anyone else. I WILL compare my "puppymill" to your "luxury" any day. No you would never bash me but you bashed a poor little dog. Geez...

I don't think anyone here is bashing puppymill dogs. My parents rescued a puppymill puppy. A pet store was closed down and a wonderful woman who lives 2 towns away took ALL of them. My parents got their beautiful little mini schnauzer, Heidi, at 7 months old. She had been kept in a small cage her entire life and "marked" as a breeder. Heidi was VERY timid....although she never bit, growled or was aggressive in any way. However, Heidi also came with A LOT of health issues and had to be put down when she was just 7 yrs old. The thing about puppymills is the the way the adults are kept, and, buying from a pet store is keeping mills running. I TOTALLY understand they need loving, caring homes as well....I don't know if you have ever seen a puppymill but, you can google it and see the deplorable conditions these poor animals are kept in. These people that have mills don't care ANYTHING about animals...all they care about is the almighty dollar...I am very glad that your little furbaby is ok..And I understand that not everybody can afford a pup over $1000.00 dollars.

[Little Dog]

Originally Posted by BLowry

I don't think anyone here is bashing puppymill dogs. My parents rescued a puppymill puppy. A pet store was closed down and a wonderful woman who lives 2 towns away took ALL of them. My parents got their beautiful little mini schnauzer, Heidi, at 7 months old. She had been kept in a small cage her entire life and "marked" as a breeder. Heidi was VERY timid....although she never bit, growled or was aggressive in any way. However, Heidi also came with A LOT of health issues and had to be put down when she was just 7 yrs old. The thing about puppymills is the the way the adults are kept, and, buying from a pet store is keeping mills running. I TOTALLY understand they need loving, caring homes as well....I don't know if you have ever seen a puppymill but, you can google it and see the deplorable conditions these poor animals are kept in. These people that have mills don't care ANYTHING about animals...all they care about is the almighty dollar...I am very glad that your little furbaby is ok..And I understand that not everybody can afford a pup over $1000.00 dollars.

I guess you didn't read what I did but it's ok. Google puppymills/WV thats where mine came from!!!!! Yes I know and KNEW where he was coming from that is why I got him. Also just saw on her where a RESPECTABLE breeder was just busted for "puppy mill dogs" hmm....kinda makes you wonder doesn't it.

[tinyterriers]

I had Silky Terriers I bred and i had to get the dew claws and tails done when they were two days old, thats what the vet told me.

[Jemma]

Originally Posted by Little Dog

I guess you didn't read what I did but it's ok. Google puppymills/WV thats where mine came from!!!!! Yes I know and KNEW where he was coming from that is why I got him. Also just saw on her where a RESPECTABLE breeder was just busted for "puppy mill dogs" hmm....kinda makes you wonder doesn't it.

Did you rescue yours from I think it's called Parkersburg? I think there were like 1,000 rescued?

[rjones]

I think 300 is great. I got my baby on Tuesday and he was the last of the litter/since he was the biggest (I wanted the biggest pup of the litter and I wanted a boy and IMO, even the owner said so, he is by far the cutest)...I got him for 300 and drove over 3hrs one way, and literally ran to get him. I never see yorkies for that price, they are 700-1200 around here, and the cheapest I saw was 450, a puppy mill, and heck no....

I did get full AKC papers and i was shocked b'c I told the owner I will neuter him asap, for his health and really didn't care about the papers, just about the lineage and whether any pups had been sick. He also came with his tail docked and dewclaws removed, with his 1st set of shots...For 300/what you are asking, I would jump on the price and take a pup and get him into the vet asap. This breeder has only had one pup who got sick from parvo but that was the owners fault for not keeping him up to date on his shots.This man has been breeding for 10yrs he only has 2 mommas and one boy. Kingston's mom is a silver, gorgeous girl and her personality was so friendly and outgoing...She was 6lbs (which I so hope Kingston becomes/weight) and his daddy is a black and tan 2-3 pounder, hillarious little boy. You could tell they were def well taken care of and great with kids.

[rjones]

Originally Posted by Britster

I definitely agree with this!

I don't really like the argument "If you can't afford $800-$1000 for the pup, you can't afford to take care of it!!" because that's not totally true. I also don't care about papers or anything as he's my pet, not my show dog or a stud or anything. I'd rather save the few extra $100's to purchase extra food, toys, beds, etc for the dog to have. And, god forbid, if something were to happen and need medical attention then yes, I would scrape up whatever I've got to care for my baby!

But just because I'm not willing to spend $1000 on a dog does NOT mean I don't have the money to care for it. It's hard to explain what I'm trying to say but you said it well. Some people make it sound as if you have to be rich in order to own a dog and that's not true at all. I'm a college student with little money but I just set my priorities straight! My personal needs and every-day things I use as well as Jackson come first. Most of the stuff I buy Jackson... he doesn't really NEED lol. But anyways, now I'm rambling. I just don't really like that argument. Also, I do understand breeders need to make back what they put into the process but at the same time... I know the shelter I go to, all their dogs are $150 adoption fee because they bring their dogs to a low cost clinic to get shots, spay/neuter, etc. It's possible to get shots and surgeries cheaper and have them done just as good. You can get a perfectly healthy rescue dog Yorkie at a shelter for between $50-$300.

However, I do agree you shouldn't list any dogs for free on Craigslist or wherever because of the fact that there is so many evil people out there so it's definitely good to have some kind of fee just to know the person is serious.

I so agree, I never considered a yorkie as a pet b'c I couldn't afford the 750-1,000 plus food and taking immediatley to the vet with all the shots. I only had dachshunds, and was considering a mini schnauzer or a corgi and was only going to pay 300 tops on the new pup. I can def afford shots and food but I think the principle was, should I spend so much for a puppy when I can rescue a pup, etc. I really wanted to rescue and went everywhere but alot of the dogs has to many issues, and even though I would have rather rescued I knew it wouldn't be fair to the dog b'c I do work fulltime, attend grad school, and just didn't have the time to devote to the issues that I might encounter...I never wanted a puppy after fostering but after Sophie passed I just couldn't get another lh doxie at this time. I also fostered dachshunds when I had my Sophie girl and it was great, so rewarding and fullfilling. I really took a chance on the yorkie breed and yes I did tons of research, but never considered one b'c I couldn't afford the 700-1,000 pup fee.