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You see all the breeders posting lists of basic expenses to justify the price of their puppies. Progesterone, c section, vet bills etc. Then you get the people who ask you, "why are your puppies more expensive than others?" I don't have a simple answer for that question because breeding isn't simple but here's a little idea of the commitment involved to do it properly.
You're paying for the most effort I've put into any single thing in my entire life. For years and years of trying, planning, thinking, hoping and crying. For stressing over every single detail of a planned litter, You're paying for 100% of my time..not just raising the puppies but raising the mothers, the anxiety I feel waiting on health testing results to come back. For hour each way trips to the vet to check hips, elbows, eyes, bloods, dna...the list goes on. Endless phone calls to find the perfect stud dog.
The feeling in my stomach when a Mum is due and every possible catastrophe plays out in my mind over and over. For the heartache when things do go wrong. You're paying for me to say goodbye to my bed and any sleep for 8-10 weeks with the puppies consuming my whole day and night, first to make sure they are warm, and safe from accidents from a tired mummy sitting on one, to feed as much as they need and then to socialise each puppy daily so you can get a polite and confident new addition.
For my living room that's completely destroyed from teething because your puppy will never see a crate until it leaves to come home to you. For me to do 4 extra loads of laundry per day. To get by on a bit of toast because there isnt time for dinner. You're paying for all the things I miss out on with my family or friends because my dogs need me 24/7 and when I'm mentally destroyed with people thinking it's so easy. For all of the judgment and all of the time spent worrying over it. For when I've gotten physically sick from sucking out little noses when a puppy needs help to take their first breath. You're paying for the fact that I can't have the car I want because my dogs need to fit in the back, and that's now also worth much less than it should be because of all the thousands of miles to and from the vet each year. And the fact that I can't EVER go on holiday.
You're paying for me to sit there and cry when I've tried my hardest and something still goes wrong and boy has there been some tears over the years, And for all the comments from my family about money that didn't need to be spent.. but in my mind it absolutely did. For the absurd payment in dog food every month and vets bills that never stop. For the £600 camera I take 1000 pictures with for that one perfect picture of your puppy.. and sitting there praying you like it. For my electricity & heating being treble what they should be. For grocery delivery almost every day because there's always something you forgot at the shop for them, like their yogurt, mince or goats milk. You're paying for my destroyed couches and curtains because I wanted to make sure your puppies were socialized and not cooped up, For every shopping trip for myself to end in a basket full of puppy toys so I wear the same pair of leggings every day. You're paying for the fact that I can never relax and my mind will never switch off from morning til night.
And then the real breeder is one that is there to support you with your puppy for the duration of it's life and happy to still help and advise you 10 yrs later, i still have very good friends from my first ever litter
Sure, the list of basic expenses is long, but never ask a breeder to justify their price. You really have no idea what they go through to make you your dream puppy.
It's really not as easy as it may seem 🙂
