And sadly this is the reason why people are flocking to bybs for the "$1,200 special" because who wouldn't want to pay the extra $200 for a "new" puppy nonetheless than some sick old dog?
I don't have an easy solution for rescues, but charging people a mortgage payment for a dog isn't the way to go. IMO if it costs over $1,000 just to get a dog semi-healthy enough to adopt out, then maybe those funds would've been better used being split up to help 2 or more dogs while the sick dog in question was kindly put out of it's misery.
I know a couple people off of other forums who adopted EBs from rescue. If you want a $400 dog an EB is NOT the dog for you. They have tremendous health issues and it does take a lot of $ to care for them. I have never had one but talked extensively with people who have..
Firstly, EBs can NOT reproduce naturally. They have to be artifically inseminated, that cost a lot of $, so your typical BYB is not going to do that. That is also why they go for $1500+ from breeders.
They are known for lots of health problems. I talked to a girl at the vet who told me the dangers of anesthetizing (sp?) an EB compared to other breeds. So spay/neuter is going to cost a lot more.
THIS is why rescues charge $1000 for EBs
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=8607923
Will this EB go for $1000? I know the lady and I highly doubt it. He will probably be adopted for $300 or less.
How much has this dog cost her? Probably well over $1000. How many donations does she have? Not nearly enough to cover his care. Yet, she does this because she loves the breed.
Rescues are in debt already (or the ones who actually do it for the dogs/cats), so they have to try to at least recoup some of their expenses. If
someone goes out and buys a $1200 EB from a poor quality breeder they better have a large bank account saved up for vet bills. If you go through a rescue, you know the dog has been taken care of (if it is a good rescue).
It is hard to understand all of this if you are not involved in rescue. I am new to it but am figuring this stuff out fairly quickly.
Mastiffs go for a lot in rescue as well.