How much should I expect

[mooncancook]

We decided to get a Westie. We checked a couple local shelter home and there isn't any. From online searches it seems the price of a puppy would be in the neighborhood of $1000. I found a local breeder and I was quoted a price of $1850. That is too expensive for me.

Is $1000 about right? and how can I find more local breeders? I'm in the bay area btw.

 

[spidey07]

600 bucks

By breeder pet quality do you mean you want to breed them? If so then yeah I can see the price getting pretty steep.

 

[mooncancook]

Originally posted by: spidey07
600 bucks

By breeder pet quality do you mean you want to breed them? If so then yeah I can see the price getting pretty steep.

No not for breeding, just pet quality as opposed to show quality. $600 would be very reasonable, so I guess $1000 would be a reasonable budget. I thought $1800 is a little over the top.

 

[mugs]

I read recently that the average dog owner spends $33,000 on the dog over the course of its life. :Q So $600, $1000, it doesn't make much difference.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: mooncancook

Originally posted by: spidey07
600 bucks

By breeder pet quality do you mean you want to breed them? If so then yeah I can see the price getting pretty steep.

No not for breeding, just pet quality as opposed to show quality. $600 would be very reasonable, so I guess $1000 would be a reasonable budget. I thought $1800 is a little over the top.

We looked at them a while ago, their really nice dogs and VERY smart. I'm pretty sure they're in the paper for for 550-600 bucks for pups here.

 

[mooncancook]

Originally posted by: mugs
I read recently that the average dog owner spends $33,000 on the dog over the course of its life. :Q So $600, $1000, it doesn't make much difference.

that's over $180/month for a dog that lives 15 yrs. That's believable as some dog owners probably buy their dogs Burberry accessories

 

[alkemyst]

pet quality from a breeder = problems. Otherwise they wouldn't whore out the pups.

Adopt a westie from the pound, there are too many pets as it is. Most breeders are just hicks with a nice dog. Westie's are pretty common ^.,.^ -> arf

Unless you are going to ACTUALLY SHOW and BREED you are just promoting the problem.

I'd say a good percentage of new dog shopper talk about show and breeding but few even end up taking the effort to train and socialize

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Do you know much about the breed? I would suggest contacting the American Kennel Club for a list of breeders in your area.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: mugs
I read recently that the average dog owner spends $33,000 on the dog over the course of its life. :Q So $600, $1000, it doesn't make much difference.

Feeding it nothing but high-grade beef? Geez.

My cats....let's see, say 17 years of life per cat
Dry food is probably less than $150/yr. $2550
Wet food, maybe 10 cents a day. $620.50
A vet visit, oh let's just say once a year for $100. $1700
Total: $4870.50 over its entire life.

Cat toys consist of ping pong balls, a laser pointer, moths that wander into the house, and balls of paper. Cat beds consist of the floor, furniture, and the odd empty shipping box.
Cost of cat: Free, from a family member's farm.

I guess people spend what they want to on their pets, but geez, $33k is really up there. Probably up with these $25k weddings and such like that. (My parents' wedding cost less than $100, total.)

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: mugs
I read recently that the average dog owner spends $33,000 on the dog over the course of its life. :Q So $600, $1000, it doesn't make much difference.

I read a "theory" recently that said that gravity is an illusion caused by the expansion of the universe. As everything is increasing in size, which we cannot perceive, we sense it as a force. i.e. things aren't always what they seem. I dismissed it as garbage coming from a crackpot. The $33,000 figure - I wonder if it's from a related crackpot? Or if it's coming from someone who's simply bad at statistics (which isn't uncommon)

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: mugs
I read recently that the average dog owner spends $33,000 on the dog over the course of its life. :Q So $600, $1000, it doesn't make much difference.

I read a "theory" recently that said that gravity is an illusion caused by the expansion of the universe. As everything is increasing in size, which we cannot perceive, we sense it as a force. i.e. things aren't always what they seem. I dismissed it as garbage coming from a crackpot. The $33,000 figure - I wonder if it's from a related crackpot? Or if it's coming from someone who's simply bad at statistics (which isn't uncommon)

Do you just dismiss anything that doesn't seem believable to you? The amount sounded high to me as well, but it's not so high that I'd dismiss it outright. I don't know what the source was, but I have no doubt that there was some basis for the $33k number.

Here's a page that breaks down the costs and estimates them: http://www.peteducation.com/ar...at=1671&articleid=1543. The "high" cost is nearly $40k. Some of those costs may depend on the dog or the owner. In light of those numbers, $33k doesn't seem so unbelievable.