Tazar Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Long story short but I ended up going to a pet shop today to pick up a puppy a lady purchased because she did not want it to be left alone in the glass box. With the help of a rescue group, she will find a wonderful forever home and is currently sleeping safely in her crate. Before anyone lambasts anyone, the ladies heart was in the right place, doesn't help the cause I know... I have never purchased a puppy from a pet shop but listening to the rubbish the sales people were sprouting made me feel even sicker than I already did being there. They started to give me the run down on how to care for the puppy, feed it twice a day...what the...twice a day, I told her I didn't need 'educating' as I knew what to do and couldn't wait to get out of there. For me, the most mind blowing thing was the price $1200 for a tri crossed pup!!! The place was packed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 $1200 I work at a pet store that (to my distaste) sells puppies and that even shocks me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denali Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I know.. It's crazy the prices they charge. Walked past one today, they were selling kittens, Labelled as domestic short-haired,not pretending to be an eotic breed. They were being sold at $800! For a moggie! It was crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 (edited) It's not only the petshop ... Yesterday I met a guy (first time dog owner) at the dog park with 2 staffy crosses. He told me they'd both come from "breeders" and the large male one had "papers" - being a Staffy/Bull terrier cross. I explained that this dog did not have "papers" as in from a registered breeder because it was a crossbreed and the "breeder" was therefore a backyard breeder and explained what "papers" actually are. I'm finding that a lot of bybs are telling people that they are getting "dogs with papers" when they are referring to microchip and vaccinations etc. It's intentionally misleading as they are also calling themselves "breeders". He disclosed that they'd paid $500 for the smaller female cross and a family member had bought the other dog for quite a bit more than that ... The large male was not desexed as they were planning on breeding in the future. Needless to say at this point I had steam coming out of my ears but politely explained why that might not be such a good idea. Edited October 27, 2013 by dogmad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I was chatting to my neighbour yesterday she was thinking of getting another dog to keep her other little scruffer company, she was telling me they were $1300 at the petshop for a mutt, current one was from the markets a few xmas's ago. I managed to keep really chilled and tell her about "paws" ,she was very keen, so hope she had a look. Its very hard to refrain form going all "crazy dog lady" on people, I just mention price, and that gets them interested, then mention all the backup they would get, matching the right dog etc, softly, softly works. I met a lady a few weeks ago with a red amstaff, red nose, she told me he was "papered" I didn't believe it for one minute, he looked like he had lab in the mix, she eventually realised when I pointed it out her "papers" were vac papers. Again, took my time, walked with her, dog was very nice, young ,but easily overstimulated, it was her first dog too, gave her some tips on situations to avoid etc, and she was really grateful and asked if she ever saw me out if she could join me as my dogs were so calm. $1300 seems to be the norm around here for a petshop mutt, I think it must be due to people's lack of knowledge about where else to go, they can get a well bred health checked dog for that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I've had that chat a few times as well. Most recently it was our old neighbours who told me they were thinking about paying $1700 for a pet shop oodle thing. I couldn't control myself and blurted out 'How much???? For that??????' They then asked what we paid for ours. $500 for two pedigree greyhounds, chipped, vaccinated and desexed, with ongoing backup. They elected not to get the puppy, but only because a puppy and. Newborn were likely to be too much work together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I wish that somehow public knowledge about purebred dogs and how to find one could be raised. I often point people in the direction of Dogzonline's list of breeders. I'd like to see the ATO investigate the BYBs and make them illegal at the same time ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 (edited) Ive heard some pet shops are getting smart now and not wanting to get a bad reputation with selling puppies in their stores ( because of all the anti pet shop stuff going on) but a few still do it discretely behind the scenes. I found this out recently . They just don't keep them in the shop itself , but still charging the high amounts! Edited October 27, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 The fact is it is not illegal to breed any dogs together, charge what you like & papers, registered a breeder can mean anything. If they have bred them they are a breeder. Registered can mean the dogs are registered with the council & papers can mean vaccination, care & sales papers. People don't know the difference & there is little support, public knowledge or marketing to let them know. Someone I know heard a pet shop telling an elderly couple that the lab cross puppy would not grow to be a big dog at all Stepped in & got abused by the staff but the elderly couple did walk out minus a puppy. There is not much to be done about it all. Pet shop sales will be here forever & their suppliers. They make the government too much money for it to be stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 We go back to posts discussing breeder's non responses to the enquiries of the 'ordinary' wanna be puppy buyer. Years ago, my husband and I went to have a look at a litter of black and silver puppies at a then well known puppy mill breeder/vet who had a shop set up. We just wanted to see the difference between the black and silver and salt and pepper as puppies. The poor little mites were brought out from the back of the shop revealing thinly fur covered bodies. My heart told me to get them out of there but my head told me otherwise. The price i ended up paying for a puppy from a registered breeder was actually less than asked at the pet shop. I am adding that I would never buy a puppy from anywhere other than a registered breeder and I also add that personally, I have had no problem getting responses from any. It could be that the breed I have, (miniature schnauzers) are a breed that need regular grooming etc. and I have a proven track record so to speak. I understand that the majority of breeders would prefer to have their dogs to go to owners that have certain knowledge of the selected breed. BUT, there has to be the first time and for the puppy buyer if there is no joy from breeders, off they go to the pet shop to aid the bank accounts of said shops and byb. I know it works both ways and potential buyers can at times be a pain but how else are they to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casowner Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 (edited) I own a pet shop, we do not sell puppies instore or back door or any other way. We have a rescue group that comes in (in the first year and their first year 400 animals were rehomed) and we recommend SACA but some people want a designer cross, all the pure breed convincing will never change that. Regarding prices and not speaking about puppies but "products" shops have high overheads - rent, staff (up to $45hr each on Sundays), superannuation, electricity, phone, taxes and the list goes on so while bybers etc breed two dogs together they do not have the overheads that a business does. I do not know of any store that charges those prices in SA unless they are frenchies or their crosses Edited October 27, 2013 by behluka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 (edited) I know people often say when i said how long we waited for our current girl that they wouldn't want to wait a long period on a waiting list and still not know if they are definitely getting one or not from the breeder. So thats the thing they can get one straightaway from a petshop or byb (when they are advertised everywhere) and the bonus is they don't have to be interviewed etc to be able to get one.. but thats the reality of it i guess .. Edited October 27, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 It's the designer dog thing fooling your average owner. I remember the days when "woopsie" Heinz varieties were practically given away because people were too stupid to slap a label on and charge a fortune. Marketing is everything. It's a pity because there are some genuine breeds in development, but most pet shop dogs are just Heinz with a label and not intended to do any good for any breed just line the pockets of the humans involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Good on you for posting about this, Tazar. And I think it was a fair thing that you helped out the lady whose heart was in the right place to rescue a pet shop pet. A pet owner I know was horrified to see puppies of our breed of interest in a store for over twice the price of those from excellent registered breeders. Being outspoken, she made that observation at top note ... adding that the puppies didn't look anything like the quality from registered breeders. Stomping outside... she had an attack of the guilts. The poor little puppies were the meat in this awful sandwich & maybe her outburst had affected their rehoming options. So she went back in & added , 'But they're nice little puppies & need a loving home like any other dogs'. The store, by the way, was crowded. Just adding, I find a lot of pet owners don't know that they can buy direct from registered breeders ... or think that it's only other 'show people' who can buy from them at some imagined enormous prices. Would be good to get better information out to the pet buying public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'smum Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I see this all the time. If theyre really lucky, that $1300 gets them a bonus case of parvo chucked in for no extra cost. One lady got very upset because her dog was listed as a cav x on her file and demanded it changed to "cavoodle". After I explained to her that our system did not have cavoodle as an option due to it not being a recognised breed and gave her points of contact that she could go to to verify what i was telling her, eventually she became quite upset and told me she'd paid $1200 for him at the pet shop. He'd also been quite a sickly puppy and cost hera lot at the vet since. That is a conversation i probably have at least once a day. It really breaks my heart. Firstly to see young puppies treated in such a way. Secondly to see people who thought they were doing the right thing (i remember all the books i read on pet care 20 years ago reccomended buying from pet shops!) being taken advantage of like this. And thirdly because of all of the other sweet puppies dying in pounds and shelters while crap backyard breeders are churning out more and more puppies to satisfy demand. Its a sad situation all round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazar Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 Do you know it was the cheapest puppy in the shop, they went up to $4 or $4.5k!!!!!!!!!! I often hear people say yes my x whatever has papers, it has papers alright, vaccination and microchip papers. Education needs to start with primary school kids. The DPI run the responsible pet ownership program and seem to go to most schools, not sure if it is included in their program but it sure as hell should be... Watching it like a hawk for parvo, believe me, it has had two shots so fingers crossed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 (edited) I know people often say when i said how long we waited for our current girl that they wouldn't want to wait a long period on a waiting list and still not know if they are definitely getting one or not from the breeder. So thats the thing they can get one straightaway from a petshop or byb (when they are advertised everywhere) and the bonus is they don't have to be interviewed etc to be able to get one.. but thats the reality of it i guess .. THIS! The amount of people that would go on and on to me about 'How ridiculous' I was by waiting for so long for a puppy I 'Don't even get full choice of', before I even got Nova was astounding. Now that I have him I get "Wow no wonder you waited he is beautiful and so lovely, he's going to make some great puppies for you". When I tell them that he will never be making any puppies you should see their faces. Oh and not to mention, being an Aussie Shep and most people around here looking at them think he is a Koolie cross, then go on about why would I spend so much money when I could've gotten one of What's His Names koolies x kelpie x border pups for a carton of Extra Dry. Edited October 28, 2013 by LisaCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I was once told by the owner of a pet shop that sells puppies and kittens that I could tell a puppy was a pure shar pei because it had a black tongue. She was manhandling that pup and it was terrified. This was not very long before I started fostering the breed and can confidently say now it was a cross, a terrified cross. That particular pet shop is gone now. It took local whoopsie litters so was only selling them for no more than $850. But the huge pet shop in a shopping centre up the road never sells anything for less than $1200. I can walk past a window full of pups and pass it again several hours later and half those pups are already sold. It shocks me the money people will spend on a pup of unknown origin and a purchase without/with limited pre-planning. I'm sure they also buy leads and beds and toys while in the shop then probably toddle off to Coles to buy the cheapest food they can for it because they have already 'spoiled the puppy' buying it expensive accessories. The prices of dogs through a breeder or rescue are so much more affordable AND you get so much more with the dog, including support for your questions or concerns. I've given up trying to understand the mentality behind why people randomly buy such expensive dogs from pet shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casowner Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I was once told by the owner of a pet shop that sells puppies and kittens that I could tell a puppy was a pure shar pei because it had a black tongue. She was manhandling that pup and it was terrified. This was not very long before I started fostering the breed and can confidently say now it was a cross, a terrified cross. That particular pet shop is gone now. It took local whoopsie litters so was only selling them for no more than $850. But the huge pet shop in a shopping centre up the road never sells anything for less than $1200. I can walk past a window full of pups and pass it again several hours later and half those pups are already sold. It shocks me the money people will spend on a pup of unknown origin and a purchase without/with limited pre-planning. I'm sure they also buy leads and beds and toys while in the shop then probably toddle off to Coles to buy the cheapest food they can for it because they have already 'spoiled the puppy' buying it expensive accessories. The prices of dogs through a breeder or rescue are so much more affordable AND you get so much more with the dog, including support for your questions or concerns. I've given up trying to understand the mentality behind why people randomly buy such expensive dogs from pet shops. I guess the same can be said for registered breeders with blue staffords I waited for 3 years for my pup, I was going to get a girl but got as female ASD nearly a year earlier so was waiting for a male. Luckily I changed as the bitch only had 2 male pups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippin13 Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I like reading these threads because it re-inforces my decision to wait for my pedigree bulldog. My breeder has a litter due in November and of course there is no guarantee I'll get one and even if I do I will still have waited 6+ months and paid $3000. But then I researched the breed and have fallen in love with them and want to get one which has the best genetic chance of doing well so here's crossing all paws and tails that it all works out. I'm normally a terrible impulse buyer and have no patience at all but the idea of contributing to puppy mills is just too disgusting. My only problem now is I have friends who keep saying 'Why don't you get a rescue dog instead of spending all that money?'. Ok rescue dogs are a great idea but I had to do a lot of convincing my OH to let me get a dog and only by researching a breed that fitted his very specific requirements in a dog and a bulldog is that breed. Having decided the breed i naturally wanted a pedigree to get the healthiest dog I could. I think its important to think about how a dog will fit into your lifestyle and a unpredictable rescue x breed isn't always an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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