How much would you be willing to pay for a dog?

It would depend on the dog and the lineage of the dog, also the breeder. A first time breeder I don't bother with but a breeder with a reputation behind it and references from other happy buyers I would pay up to $5000. That would ensure the guarantees and the dog's health for the life of the dog. My last dog was$2600 and I've never regretted it as the dog was all it was claimed to be and more.

I also wanted to clarify, the $2000 is my limir ofr the dog itself. From the specific breeder I want to get it from, I also have to either pay for shipping or go there and get it myself (I'd prefer the latter)

My Cap would be 3000 for a very well bred, show quality Bouvier puppy. But that would be much later in life.

I have rescued a BYB Bouvier before and the health problems she had were crazy. I really dont want to deal with that again. Although she was an unbelievable dog.

I paid 1000 for Teagan who is pet quality, but from a really good breeder who I would buy from again.

I dont know if I would ever rescue. I am hoping I will but you never know i am kinnda stuck on getting a purebred from a good breeder. Maybe later in life when i can afford a rescue that might have behavoural/health problems. Who knows

I have a friend who does about 1 litter a year of Bouvs. They aren't show lines though, they are true working line dogs from Dutch KNPV stock. You don't see many like the ones he has anymore.

My limit for a dog from a breeder is $1000-1500 (heck, around here you can get a halfway decent horse for that). From a rescue, probably $300.....

Yah that is true, you really dont see Bouves too much period. I would actually go for a working line Bouve as well. Beacause it most likely would be a working dog. I would love to get it trained for protection. Because they are amazing protectors. But we will see that is going to be a few years from now. I just really want to focus on getting a dog that passes all the health testing.

what I would spend for a dog and how I would spend it

I would spend whatever I could for a rescue dog - adoption fee, initial medical expenses due to injury or neglect, spaying neutering etc. Though I probably couldn't commit to a dog who would require expensive care going forward. The exact amount I could pay to start would be dependent on my situation. Right now i have high vet bills on one of my dogs so no fee (or additional dog) is feasible.

It's all relative to how much money I had available at the time, how much debt I had, etc. and quality of the dog, what I wanted him for...blah blah blah

As long as I am happy with the breeder and I am confident I am getting a sound companion... I haven't really set a limit.

For rescue it is a case by case basis, it would depend on the costs that have been spent getting the dog to the rehome stage. I haven't really set a limit either.

I'm sure I have a limit, but it would be to do with gut instinct and what I feel is right or wrong, not based necessarily on a figure.

I have now selected a dog and paid my deposit. After it's all said and done, including the flight, the dog is costing me $1230 + the crate. It's also not the breed I had anticipated, but it's the right dog, and in the end that's all that's important

Shelter I wouldn't do more than $100

I wouldn't do rescue

and for a breeder id say my limit would be $1500 for a puppy
and perhaps $600 for an adult rehome

Fran, out of curiosity, why shelter but NOT rescue?

((I know there's a 30 page thread on rescue/breeders/whatever - NO ONE ELSE needs to chime in, I'm just curious as to why FRAN SPECIFICALLY would get a shelter dog, but not a rescue!! just wondering as many of the dogs in the rescue I volunteer with were shelter dogs anyway - we just take them from high-kill situations in KY & OH & bring them to PA to give them a shot))

I just prefer shelters

I guess I should've been more specific, I wouldn't go to a rescue IN MY AREA.. all the ones around in my opinion are just way too much when it comes to adoption policies

home checks, interview, references, they dont adopt to students regardless of situation or homes with unaltered pets, and the adoption procedure just takes way too long for my taste
oh and of course I am the scum of the earth according to these people because I got romeo from a breeder

we were turned down to adopt an 9 year old 8 pound mix because our fence wasn't tall enough like a 9 year old tiny dog is gonna jump a 7 foot fence.

and the worst was "SURPRISE" inspections, aka: the right to come over and check on the dog any time they please. that just doesn't sit well with me
but since most rescues only adopt out to those in their area, im kinda stuck with em lol

Personally, I prefer shelters in general and generally would only go to a rescue if I really fell for a dog there.
the adoption procedures at shelters are quick and easy and when im adopting a dog..I really would rather not go through all that hassle.. (interview, references etc..etc..) and have to deal with explaining over and over why I went to a breeder for Romeo

thank you, that clears things up considerably I think our rescue is just super laid back on some things... it differs from dog to dog, though. It's actually harder to convince the local SPCA to adopt to you with an in-tact dog or without references... that being said, we do do a (scheduled) home visit, and check vet references.

If I ever get another dog, and of course, I'd love to, it'll be an older dog, at least 6 yrs old or more, probably a Sheltie or a Sheltie mix. I'm a little leery of getting this kind of dog from an unknown background, though. How to reconcile this, I do not know, but I'm not in the market now anyway. I'd spend what I had to for "my" dog, though I doubt it would run more that $200, if that.

I would spend up too 1,500 for a puppy from a fantastic breeder. I might even consider 2,000. If I had the money and there was no other options breeder wise. i would like to think that I would go shelter wise, but I really dont know. I think if something caught my eye and I fell in love I might jump in but who knows lol

When I was breeding I would have paid top $ to continue my line with good lines . Now I'm only into rescue or shelters . Ollie was only $125 ... shots, micro chipped etc . I wouldn't even accept $1000. today !

^^^ This ... the Albert Einstein approach!!

It really IS all relative ... way too many factors to consider to put a set price tag on the idea alone.

If you go through rescue or shelters, you're not going to know the dog's background as far as breeding, lineage, etc. The most you may be able to find out is limited info on history as far as who may have owned the dog before, how it behaved in that home, whether or not the dog has health problems right now, that sort of thing. If the dog was a stray then there will be very little information, except the dog's condition right now.

There may be some general behavioral assessment, if the particular shelter or rescue does that sort of thing. But there ARE mistakes there, either because some shelter or rescue personnel don't read dog behavior very well, or that individual dogs may behave differently in a different settings.

There is also sometimes the "halo effect" in behavioral assessments, especially by small private rescues. (Example: "Well yes, he has bitten four people in the past, in three different past homes ... but he's just misunderstood!!" ) There are even more mistakes in breed guessing, particularly with mixed breeds.

One way around not knowing background is to buy retired show or working dogs rather than go through rescue or shelters. Buying retirees means knowing lineage, breeding, known health issues in the line that may possibly surface in the future, how the dog was cared for as far as vetting and feeding, how it was trained and by what methods, etc. But honestly, you'd be very hard pressed to find any of those retirees for less than $200.

Just wondering what breed and breeder....if you care to say.

There was $1100 difference in price between my dogs, lol.