The hardest thing ever...

[Mach1girl]

No byb frame here. Dixie will be spayed as soon as we can. The other, will not be nuetered right off, as he is going to compete. The third??He is staying for show purposes.

My kid(1) has been there with me all along, and is going to help as he has been doing. My hubby is as well.

Yeah, it is a zoo, but we cant be happier! If you love them, you make time and exceptions and live with it. That is what I am doing.

The puppies are no longer for sale either. Well, let me re phrase, they are going cheap, cheap due to the fact they will be placed ONLY in the best of homes, rather then make a few grand and not know where they are or will end up.

Yes, a litter changes ones whole out look on everything.

Yes, I had all that time to get Dix spayed and pups aborted, but I sure am glad I didnt!

Originally Posted by Mach1girl

Well, let me re phrase, they are going cheap, cheap due to the fact they will be placed ONLY in the best of homes, rather then make a few grand and not know where they are or will end up

This statement scares me. What was the original price of these dogs? What is the price now? If you drop the price too low are are going attract more irresponsible buyers, not more responsible ones. On the other hand, if the original price was so high that you were making money off of selling these dogs then that isn't a good thing either.

Either way it doesn't look like a good situation. You shouldn't be profiting or lowing the price too much. A happy medium is best with a RIGID screening process. Don't let your gaurds down now just because the puppies are getting older and you haven't found homes yet. The worse thing you can do, as a breeder, is let those dogs go to less than ideal homes.

[Gallien Jacks]

Cost is a huge thing to think about when selling pups, cheep pups will go to owners who have little money no matter how good a person they are, If they cant afford to pay a good amount for a pup, the no way can they afford to feed it correctly and pay for any needed vet bills, if hip problems are present in this litter their vet costs will be tripled! You really need to re think this. Cutting the priceof the pups just because they are left isn't good enough. You say you are keeping pup two to compete, what is he/she going to compete in? And pup 3 is going to be shown, so what if this pup does quite well in the show ring? Then what are you going to do? Breed from a pup with such a bad background?

[Mach1girl]

we dont have to worry about pup 3 being shown. She has cerebral palsy.

[Gallien Jacks]

I assume the vet has tested the pup? So you will be selling all these pups with a spay/neuter contract

[bubbatd]

I'm sorry about the pup ! Is that what the vet said. ? so which are you keeping ...lame pup, bad bite or third ?? Is she/he OK ??

[IliamnasQuest]

Cost is a huge thing to think about when selling pups, cheep pups will go to owners who have little money no matter how good a person they are, If they cant afford to pay a good amount for a pup, the no way can they afford to feed it correctly and pay for any needed vet bills

I can't really agree with this. Just because a pup is cheap (think rescue dogs) doesn't mean that a person can't/won't take care of it just as well as they would for a pup they paid thousands for. I used to help with equine rescue - people would pay high dollars for a horse and then let it starve. Never made sense to me, but to some people an animal is a "trophy" and not a living breathing thing.

If you have an intense screening procedure, the cost of the pup should be immaterial. You surely don't want to encourage someone to put high prices on puppies from a litter that has shown so many health problems! Where is the sense in that? The best thing is to try to find excellent loving responsible homes and not to worry about the price any more.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

Originally Posted by IliamnasQuest

I can't really agree with this. Just because a pup is cheap (think rescue dogs) doesn't mean that a person can't/won't take care of it just as well as they would for a pup they paid thousands for.

My the chance is drastically increased, making the chance not worth it.

Originally Posted by IliamnasQuest

I used to help with equine rescue - people would pay high dollars for a horse and then let it starve. Never made sense to me, but to some people an animal is a "trophy" and not a living breathing thing.

True, but that's why good breeders have a rigid screening process. To eliminate those types of people.

Originally Posted by IliamnasQuest

If you have an intense screening procedure, the cost of the pup should be immaterial. You surely don't want to encourage someone to put high prices on puppies from a litter that has shown so many health problems!

The price of the dogs should refelct what the breeder has spent on the dogs in vet bills and general upkeep. The breeder should neither profit from the litter nor sell at too low a price.

Since this litter was your doing you should keep the unhealthy pup (continuing to provide it medical care) , and sell the other two proper homes for the price that you paid in medical bills and upkeep.

[Gallien Jacks]

I wasn't trying to promote pet pups with health issues, I would never sell my pups for less then my original thought out price,yes you may get some with not enough money for a pup that can care for it, but the majority of people who cant afford to pay a decent price cant afford to care for it, and like I said if the health problems are severe then the cost of care will be greater.

[IliamnasQuest]

Originally Posted by BlackDog

Since this litter was your doing you should keep the unhealthy pup (continuing to provide it medical care) , and sell the other two proper homes for the price that you paid in medical bills and upkeep.

Ack, the way you put your post together it makes it look like I was responsible for this litter! There's no way I would be in this situation.

I can't agree with your logic, however. This litter has already shown to have some health problems that could very well be genetic. There are increased vet bills because of this. Why should someone pay more for a pup because it comes from a litter with problems (and therefore vet bills) when in all reality these pups should be spayed/neutered before they're ever adopted out - and then adopted for a very reasonable price to the best homes.

Basing your price on the vet bills means that the less healthy a litter is, the more expensive the puppies are. Pups from unhealthy litters should certainly not cost more, they should cost less! This particular litter should never have happened in the first place. "Breaking even" should not be a consideration at this point.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska