... the prices of a Dobe ... are outrageous (one was priced at $5935)! I’m going to wait awhile and get a small rescue mixed breed.
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The cost of dogs from breeders has gone way up with so many single people being confined to their homes. Pets are excellent company. My neighbour is looking for a yorkie (because mine are so darn cute!) but she was quoted a price of $4500! It’s probably the same for all dog breeds.
Y’all probably know about breed rescues....we used Doberman rescues for years. Average price was $350 for a dog over 6 months old, puppies were a bit more. Using a multibreed rescue, we paid about $300 for our current dog when he was 6 months old. We stopped using Doberman breeders for puppies after our third puppy, over 10 years ago when prices were about $600, 25 years ago a puppy was $350.
We then preferred to help dogs in need of a home from rescues. Been very rewarding to do that. Pretty sure most breeds have rescues.
SLIDE
I would never buy a dog from a breeder. There are wonderful shelter dogs who need a home. And there are even breed-specific shelter organizations. Some of those can be expensive but not in these ridiculous ranges.