I get about 10 inquires a week from people looking for puppies, I enjoy talking to each and everyone of them. But when it comes down to it, most of them are looking for that cute $500 puppy. All puppies are cute, come on. What is not so cute are the vet bills later in life and anyone who has owned this breed knows what I am talking about. The most common question I get is, why do your puppies cost so much? Quite frankly I think it is cheaper for me to keep them, than place them. The time and money that I spend on each puppy is out of this world. Those who know me or own one of the few pugs I have breed, know what they got. A beautiful, healthy pug, that is true to the standard.
Back in 2007 I wrote the below post on a public pug message board when someone asked about why puppies from reputable breeders cost so much more. Enjoy....
Reputable breeding starts with having the best of the best. That is a long expensive process in itself. A reputable breeder always shows their stock in conformation (or has a handler do it) to prove that they are worthy of breeding. What makes a pug worthy of breeding? There are 3 pieces to the pie: Conformation (the way a pug looks), Soundness (health), and Temperament. Conformation and Temperament are assessed in the show ring and Soundness is assessed by a qualified vet and knowing the pedigrees. If a pug (or any dog) does not have all 3 pieces to the pie they should not be considered good breeding candidates and should be placed in pet homes.
We love pugs for the way they look and the way they act. We are drawn to their funny little stubby bodies and silly personalities. What if a breeder kept breeding pugs that are long, lanky and are aggressive? This is a distortion of the breed and eventually with main stream breeding practices our breed will change. Reputable breeders spend countless hours and thousands of dollars to maintain and better the breed. Which means, that they are truly breeding for the standard set forth by the PDCA and not for their pocket books. Kitchen breeders, BYB, and Millers are breeding to breed. Some do love the breed and “think” they are doing buyers a favor, when in fact they are not. Some breed to pay their bills, others breed because it is their source of income. Breeding must have a purpose when it comes to purebreds.
So lets talk money. Before even having a litter lets talk about what it takes to prepare a dog for breeding.
Good stock cost $! If you are a Reputable Breeder you probably did not go out and buy a show potential dog but if you did you are looking at $2500-3500 for a dog and $3000-5000 for a bitch PUPPY!!! Once you have the puppy (bought or bred) you spend the next 2 years training, showing, and putting it through health certifications. The training will be the least expensive for the cost, but the most time consuming. Est. about $500 (give or take). Showing….this is the part that hurts. Some breeders spend more than others, in 2005 and 2006 I spent just over $15,000 showing and specialing ONE DOG!!! He was an amazing show dog and I would do it again in heartbeat. I have heard breeders say it takes about $2000-3000 to get a Championship (dogs usually require less time and money than bitches). When the dog is about 18 months it is important to start the health screenings, some screenings can’t be done until over 2 years old. I certify the eyes at 18 or so months and then following I will have the hips, elbows, and patella’s x-rayed and reviewed by my orthopedic specialist. They can also be sent off to OFA as well for review. I spend about $1500-$1800 on health certifications for EACH dog that will be bred. I never breed a dog before it is 2 years old and I never breed without screening first.
Ohh goodie so far we have spent $10,000 and we have not even bred a litter yet! So now onto the actually breeding part.
When breeding usually you own the bitch and you probably don’t own the dog so there are “extra” fees included. This is a estimate on what it would cost if you used a stud:
Stud Fee: $800
Progesterone Testing: $360 (Average is 6 X$60 each)
Shipping Costs of Sperm: $300
AI (if fresh chilled): $150 If frozen it has to be a surgical implant ($300)
Subtotal and no puppies yet: $1310-$1460
Ultrasound at 28-32 days post breeding: $125
YIPPEE we are expecting 2-4 puppies, total cost so far $1435-1585
Option #1 The day has come….and you decided to have your bitch go natural:
Cost of natural whelp….Free but you lose 2 of the 3 puppies.
Total cost of breeding and 1 barely alive puppy… $1500 +/-, you decide to keep it because it is all you have for the next show season and you pray it turns out.
Option #2 The day has come and you decided to have a c-section:
C-section: $700 (it is planned and not an emergency)
You get 3 healthy puppies.
Some of the costs no matter if natural Whelp or C-Section:
Dew claws: $20 per puppy
2 vet visits (between newborn and 8 weeks because you worry something is wrong) $200
1st set of shots at 7 weeks: $45-60 per puppy
2nd set of shots at 10 weeks: $45-60 per puppy
Microchipping: $35 per puppy
Food, supplies, etc. $250
You decide at 10 weeks you are keeping 2 puppies from this litter and you have a PET home for one of them. You must have health certificates issued and contract signed). You get $1200 for the puppy! Ohh goody this litter only cost me $3000!!! What a profit! Ohh but that does not include ALL the money spent on showing and health screenings of the parents!
There is no money to be made in breeding and if you are making money you are doing something very wrong!
I thought it would be fair to include the costs that BYB face so that you can do a side by side:
2 dogs breed, no history of where they came from, no health screening, but heck they will make cute pets: FREE
Wait 63 days later, bitch has has no prenatal care: FREE
Bitch naturally whelps while owner is at work or stuck in a crate in a cold stroage shed (that is if it is a good miller): FREE
4 Puppies of the 8 live: FREE
Self Vaccinate at 6 weeks old ($3-5 per puppy if usuing vanguard 5): $20 total
Option #1: Ad in newspaper: $45 (the biggest expense yet)...but these are AKC puppies!!!!
An uneducated person opens the sunday paper and see's an ad and shows up at the so called "breeders house" and pays $500 for a puppy that is hardly 7 weeks old, but gosh darn it, it is so cute! Breeder makes $2000 on 4 puppies and they spent $65! Now that is better than the stock market!
Option #2: Miller sells puppies to a broker for $300 each (Miller makes $1200). Broker then sells puppies to a puppy store for $500 each (Broker makes profit of $800). Then some uneducated buyer walks into the store and buys an $1800 puppy that looks more like a rat terrier than a pug. Pet store comes out ahead at a profit of $5200 on FOUR puppies! Heck that is better than a reputable breeder!
Of course I will add that there is going to be a "gray" area here. There are some kitchen breeders who are trying to do it right, they just don't have the back ground or knowledge of how or what is right. The end result is that the breed still suffers from it as the new owners who bought from a great breeder then goes and breeds their cute "pets" instead of getting them spayed or neutered and this vicious cycle never ends!!!
Questions and comments always encouraged!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Spice Litter
On 2/15/2009 Miss Milan started laboring at 7am, at about 11:16am she whelped the first of 5. Here are the stats:
11:16--female--6.0 oz--Ginger
11:54--male--3.5 oz--Sage
12:31--male--4.5 oz--Saffron
1:03--female--3.0 oz--Rosemary
2:27--male--6.0 oz--Curry
We could not be more thrilled at the outcome of this litter. We just hope that in about 6-8 weeks we will be able to see which 2-3 spices will be out next stars in the ring. Stay tunned for more updates.
Friday, February 13, 2009
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!
To all my wonderful friends and family, Happy Valentine's Day!!
I will be out in Lakeland tomorrow and Sunday handling 2 pugs (clients), other than that, I will be at home starring at Milani wondering when she is gonna make it to Monday morning for her 8am Vet appointment. She is not due until Tue. the 17th, but she is so big, it looks like her tummy is gonna pop!!! She is crazy as ever and I guess when she stops running outside that should be indication that babies are coming. I am nervous for her and sort of stressed wondering how in the heck I am gonna take care of her, babies, 4 other pugs, 2 bostons, and SEBASTIAN!!! What have I done? I have an awesome husband who complains about the pugs and the hair, but deep down I know he adores them as I do. He is always really good with the babies too, just does not like to see them born (despite the fact he has done more surgical procedures on dogs than most vets do in their career).
Check out the tum tum on her!!!
Rattle Compliments of Sebastian!!! :) I will keep you all posted through the weekend and will also let you know how the show goes! I will be getting in the ring with a black pug for the first time, I am kind of nervous, but I know I can out handle my competition!! I just realized, I don't even know who is judging.... off too look it up on www.onofrio.com
Again Happy Valentine's Day!!!!
I will be out in Lakeland tomorrow and Sunday handling 2 pugs (clients), other than that, I will be at home starring at Milani wondering when she is gonna make it to Monday morning for her 8am Vet appointment. She is not due until Tue. the 17th, but she is so big, it looks like her tummy is gonna pop!!! She is crazy as ever and I guess when she stops running outside that should be indication that babies are coming. I am nervous for her and sort of stressed wondering how in the heck I am gonna take care of her, babies, 4 other pugs, 2 bostons, and SEBASTIAN!!! What have I done? I have an awesome husband who complains about the pugs and the hair, but deep down I know he adores them as I do. He is always really good with the babies too, just does not like to see them born (despite the fact he has done more surgical procedures on dogs than most vets do in their career).
Check out the tum tum on her!!!
Rattle Compliments of Sebastian!!! :) I will keep you all posted through the weekend and will also let you know how the show goes! I will be getting in the ring with a black pug for the first time, I am kind of nervous, but I know I can out handle my competition!! I just realized, I don't even know who is judging.... off too look it up on www.onofrio.com
Again Happy Valentine's Day!!!!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Types of Breeders....
I think a lot of people have misconceptions about what a breeder is exactly. Most know that you don't buy puppies from a pet shop, but if they are in the market, don't want to rescue, where do you get a puppy from?
Newspaper? Umm, not exactly. There are several types of breeders and unfortunately they have all been put in the same category, but all are not created equally. I would like to take some time to describe what the different types of breeders are.
First you have "millers". They are the ones that breed dogs by the masses and they either sell them directly to corporations (Hunt, corp), pet shop or they sell to a broker then they sell to the store. Obviously the conditions in which these puppies have been raised are not ideal, and the quality of the puppies are usually on the poor side.
Keep in mind, when you are purchasing a "purebred" dog, you are doing so because you like a certain look and temperament. Why spend $2000 at a pet shop for something that looks or acts nothing like the breed intended too? Ohh, I know why, they take credit cards or have payment plans. I suppose you will need to pay payments after the thousands of dollars of vet bills that are gonna be racked up.
The next type of breeder is a backyard "BYB" breeder. They typically have a small facility in their "backyard" that hosues 1-4 different types of breeds. They breed to sell puppies to the general population and sometimes even to brokers (who then sell to shop owners). BRB are doing nothing to preserve the breed, they are soley breeding for CASH! As soon as one of their stock comes in season they are bred. Many times BRB are selling AKC dogs, so don't think just because it has "papers" it is important or special, it is not. It means NOTHING! In my opinion BYB are just as bad as Millers, just on a smaller side. They get greedy and they get more dogs, breed more litters and sometimes even cross breed to get more puppies or advertise "designer breeds". You will often see this type of breeder selling puppies on Internet classified sites, newspapers, and personal websites.
Let's talk designer breeds for a minute....
The most common among pugs is "Puggles", a cross between a Beagle & Pug. Now why on earth would you cross something that digs, howls, has joint issues, with something that sheds like a mo-fo, and is also known to have serious structural (joint) issues....that is fine breeding! Both breeds are not without their problems and you go and compound those genes and it makes for alot of Puggles in rescue and shelters, trust me I see it first hand!
The next type of breeder is called a kitchen breeder. While they may have good intentions, it falls short of a quality breeder. Kitchen breeders normally have 2-5 breeding bitches and 1-2 studs on site. They breed their pets for cash. Although they may love their pets, they are doing no genetic testing and they usually know very little about the breed standard and what the breed is suppose to look and act like and most of all how structurally sound they are. These types of breeders also advertise in the newspaper and the Internet as well.
Lastly, there are reputable breeders. These are breeders that pour their heart and soul into the breed and know what the standard is, how to improve their line, they know their pedigree's inside and out and they produce sound & correct puppies, mainly for their own breeding program. Reputable breeders DO NOT breed to sell puppies, nor do they advertise in newspapers or websites. They breed so that they can begin their next generation of Champions and it is their step to perfecting the breed. Reputable breeders belong to breed clubs, rescue organizations, show their stock in AKC conformation shows, and most of all are advocates of the breed. They should be knowledgeable about the history of not only their pedigrees, but the ones that make up the generations before. Most reputable breeders have long waiting lists, because they do very limited amounts of breeding. However, getting a puppy from a breeder like this will pay off in the long run and is worth the wait. Remember buying a puppy is a lifetime commitment and having a breeder be there for a lifetime should be just as important.
When the time comes for you to add a puppy to your family. PLEASE consider that this is a 15-18 year commitment and that cheap is not always best. In the State of Florida you can expect to pay around $1200-1800 for a puppy from a reputable breeder. Still cheaper than the pet shop on the corner but more expensive that from the newspaper. However, I will guarantee at the end of the 15-18 years the puppy from the reputable breeder will cost you FAR less. Remember it is QUALITY NOT QUANTITY, when selecting a breeder.
I always encourage people who are looking for a quality puppy to contact a reputable breeder. Many of them welcome calls/emails and are happy to answer questions. I am always available to talk pugs, so email me at bdazzpugs@yahoo.com.
Here is a side by side comparison on breeders: http://www.jlhweb.net/Boxermap/reputablebreeder.html
Newspaper? Umm, not exactly. There are several types of breeders and unfortunately they have all been put in the same category, but all are not created equally. I would like to take some time to describe what the different types of breeders are.
First you have "millers". They are the ones that breed dogs by the masses and they either sell them directly to corporations (Hunt, corp), pet shop or they sell to a broker then they sell to the store. Obviously the conditions in which these puppies have been raised are not ideal, and the quality of the puppies are usually on the poor side.
Keep in mind, when you are purchasing a "purebred" dog, you are doing so because you like a certain look and temperament. Why spend $2000 at a pet shop for something that looks or acts nothing like the breed intended too? Ohh, I know why, they take credit cards or have payment plans. I suppose you will need to pay payments after the thousands of dollars of vet bills that are gonna be racked up.
The next type of breeder is a backyard "BYB" breeder. They typically have a small facility in their "backyard" that hosues 1-4 different types of breeds. They breed to sell puppies to the general population and sometimes even to brokers (who then sell to shop owners). BRB are doing nothing to preserve the breed, they are soley breeding for CASH! As soon as one of their stock comes in season they are bred. Many times BRB are selling AKC dogs, so don't think just because it has "papers" it is important or special, it is not. It means NOTHING! In my opinion BYB are just as bad as Millers, just on a smaller side. They get greedy and they get more dogs, breed more litters and sometimes even cross breed to get more puppies or advertise "designer breeds". You will often see this type of breeder selling puppies on Internet classified sites, newspapers, and personal websites.
Let's talk designer breeds for a minute....
The most common among pugs is "Puggles", a cross between a Beagle & Pug. Now why on earth would you cross something that digs, howls, has joint issues, with something that sheds like a mo-fo, and is also known to have serious structural (joint) issues....that is fine breeding! Both breeds are not without their problems and you go and compound those genes and it makes for alot of Puggles in rescue and shelters, trust me I see it first hand!
The next type of breeder is called a kitchen breeder. While they may have good intentions, it falls short of a quality breeder. Kitchen breeders normally have 2-5 breeding bitches and 1-2 studs on site. They breed their pets for cash. Although they may love their pets, they are doing no genetic testing and they usually know very little about the breed standard and what the breed is suppose to look and act like and most of all how structurally sound they are. These types of breeders also advertise in the newspaper and the Internet as well.
Lastly, there are reputable breeders. These are breeders that pour their heart and soul into the breed and know what the standard is, how to improve their line, they know their pedigree's inside and out and they produce sound & correct puppies, mainly for their own breeding program. Reputable breeders DO NOT breed to sell puppies, nor do they advertise in newspapers or websites. They breed so that they can begin their next generation of Champions and it is their step to perfecting the breed. Reputable breeders belong to breed clubs, rescue organizations, show their stock in AKC conformation shows, and most of all are advocates of the breed. They should be knowledgeable about the history of not only their pedigrees, but the ones that make up the generations before. Most reputable breeders have long waiting lists, because they do very limited amounts of breeding. However, getting a puppy from a breeder like this will pay off in the long run and is worth the wait. Remember buying a puppy is a lifetime commitment and having a breeder be there for a lifetime should be just as important.
When the time comes for you to add a puppy to your family. PLEASE consider that this is a 15-18 year commitment and that cheap is not always best. In the State of Florida you can expect to pay around $1200-1800 for a puppy from a reputable breeder. Still cheaper than the pet shop on the corner but more expensive that from the newspaper. However, I will guarantee at the end of the 15-18 years the puppy from the reputable breeder will cost you FAR less. Remember it is QUALITY NOT QUANTITY, when selecting a breeder.
I always encourage people who are looking for a quality puppy to contact a reputable breeder. Many of them welcome calls/emails and are happy to answer questions. I am always available to talk pugs, so email me at bdazzpugs@yahoo.com.
Here is a side by side comparison on breeders: http://www.jlhweb.net/Boxermap/reputablebreeder.html
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Miss Milani!
Well 10 more days to go and I am sure Milani is counting down as well. We will know monday the 16th how many babies she is carring! I am thinking 6...Her right horn is much fuller than her left, so I am thinking 4 on one side and 2 on the other. I guess we will find out shortly. She really has been amazing through this pregnancy and still manages to go outside and run the fence as if she was not holding a cantalope in her tum tum. I will keep you all posted on her progress.
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