I had a German Shepherd pass away 2 yrs ago; if I got one from the same breeder it would be $6-7K now! His prices have quadrupled in 15 yrs. Those are working line/German blood instead of the American ones.
Before that we had 2 poorly bred local ones, as I live in puppy mill territory.
And that is for the cost of a pet-quality puppy? I understand all about pricing going up, I’m actually a GSD breeder that has mixed bloodlines, mine are larger than American GSD but are straight-backed and we focus on health (my main male is almost 12 and sired a litter a few months ago) and family companions so not as intense. Hard to believe that the $6-$7k is for a pet dog, not one intended to go to a working home or already started.