October 4, 2010
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How Much Would You Pay For a Pet?
Three puppies were returned to their owners after being stolen. The puppies were worth $3000 each.
The thieves drop off the puppies after the story was in the news. Here is the link: Link
I always thought a few hundred dollars was pretty high for a pet. I can’t imagine buying one for $3000.
How much would you be willing to pay to buy a pet?
Comments (104)
About fifty bucks.
Eleventy billion dollars.
EDIT: Whoops.
About tree fiddy.
All depends on the breed. I would never personally pay that much unless the pet shit gold and pissed diamonds.
theres no need to spend that much on a pet when theres so many w/o homes that one got get for much cheaper
You’d have to pay me to have another.
that stinks. i will pay nothing to get the pets. there are so many free out there!
though i have spend a lot on my free pets. my cat cost me nearly 400 dollars visiting a stinky vet.
so she better be worth every penny of my 400 dollars considering she was a free pet.
0
Mine came with my apartment.
I’d drive to the Latino district or to Mexico and pick up a stray.
Whatever the adoption fee is at the Humane Society.
I paid $250 for my beagle. People will pay a lot of money for a pet, especially if they want to breed. People are crazy.
And I didn’t realize there was a place you could go that just had beagles for adoption before I got my dog… but I wouldn’t trade my little boy for anything.
I would pay anything to have my cat back.
we paid up to $75 for a bassett a few years ago but that’s about it.
the only pet i’ve had was a goldfish, it cost $2 at a carnival and it died a week later because of accidental febreeze poisoning…….no more pets for me but i wouldn’t spend more than a few hundred for a dog
3,000 is nothing. Get a Savanannah F1 cat. 13,000 easy. But English Bulldogs are highly prized. I want one too… but I won’t pay for a dog when there’s so many suffering.
That’s crazy. Too much. I don’t know, I’ve only bought a rabbit, and he was about $60. Plus I had to buy all his shit… a waste in the end because my ex-roommate’s kids killed him.
I found my last pet, a pet rock, sitting out in my yard. That was a poor investment.
Not $3000.
Get one from the shelter, fuckwads.
pshh, that’s crazyness… all of my pets except one came from the shelter. the one that didnt, came from a home that doesnt believe in spaying or neutering their cats, so they constantly have litters of kittens… who knows what would’ve happened to him if i didn’t get him. my oldest cat is a pure bred turkish van and i got him at the humane society. although i had no idea he was a pure bred of any kind because i was only 10, lol. i wish people didnt care so much about the breed and more about the millions of perfectly good pets that need homes. :[
No more than $200, but that price includes things like nipping the goods and tagging, so.
Vet costs, quite a bit. Actually obtaining the pet, I’ve never paid a dime for that. My kitty was a stray.
How about getting one from the shelter?
We’ve gotten the best dogs from shelters or humane societies – so I wouldn’t pay more than $100 for a dog. I think it’s ridiculous to spend so much when there are so many great pets needing homes – and the shelters are only trying to recoup their money spent in “fixing” the dog, shots, etc.
@ShimmerBodyCream - dude. Exactly.
i think it depends on the dog and whether or not it’s a purebred but HOLY MOLES, that’s sorta expensive for that little guy
No more than maybe $300?
I bought 2 mice for $4 and I still think I over payed.
My dad actually spent $3000+ for a purebred German Shepherd puppy from a breeder as a Christmas present for my stepmother. She was broken up over the death of our ten-year-old West Highland Terrier, Duchess, of bladder cancer the month before, and she’d always wanted a German Shepherd.
Personally, I’d prefer a pound puppy. Save a dog’s life, and they’re the much cheaper option. I’ve also heard that mutts are supposed to be better behaved and are more healthy.
3k is fair, given the lineage. Compare a 3k dollar dog to a mall dog…it’s worth every penny, and then some.
I think it was about $40 when I got my cat at the shelter (and he was fixed, had all his shots and came with a bag of food!)
I would get mine at the Human Society.
The only exception would be whenever I get my Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamutes, which in that case if they didn’t have them there I would buy them from a breeder.
If so, I don’t know how much I’d pay for, but 3,000 each they better have their shots and all that (although I really doubt I’d ever pay that much for a pet).
3k a puppy is ridiculous.
We’re a strict rescue-only household. Just adoption and pet fees.
I spent $800 on my Labrador. As a first-time dog owner, I wanted stable temperament and predictability from my dog’s behaviour, as well as traceable lineage with respect to health issues, etc. Might not be necessary to some, but I was willing to pay for that. Didn’t regret my decision at all. I will probably adopt my next dog though.
All but one of mine were rescues (dogs) but we won’t go into how much I spent on their vet bills etc. Most of them were from friends that were going to have to get rid of their pets for one reason or another …3 were off the street. The most I have actually PAID for pets were a mare and her two week old filly and a gielding..I think it ran me somewhere around $450 for the lot and then I paid $50.00 per month to just pasture each of them. Then they started multiplying. I didn’t breed them, the guy where I had them pastured had a stallioin that got out more often than he should. Finally I sold all but the first filly, she was abour 4 at that time. She was already with foal but I didn’t know it. She threw me a little colt. He was beautiful but the people that were taking care of them at that time were afraid he would get too frisky to handle so I sold both of them.
I want a female breeder quality F1 Savannah cat so probably up to 12k. But then again, I’m willing to drive my car till it dies. It’s all about priority. I love animals, but I dont care for cars or expensive purses…or babies.
$0.
Craigslist, anyone?
I plan on purchasing a great dane, and boy, they don’t come cheap! About $500 for a puppy, plus getting it fixed and shots, etc.
@ShimmerBodyCream - took the words right out of my mouth.
not going to have any
I’d take one in from the pound for a hundred bucks…
depends what you mean by pets. i mean, i have a horse thats worth about ten grand. (i trained him though, so i didn’t buy him for that much) and he is a pet to me. Just a pet that i ride in comps and win stuff on.
Personally I’m an advocate for adopting rescued animals–I “donated” $50 for each of our cats and any food, vet appt., toys, and litter they’ve needed since. There are so many good animals out there that need loved!
@comet555 - @timemeanslegend - @swinginislanddoc - @the_evil_tamica - Yay!!!
Getting a pet (not including supplies/start up) $200. Keeping MY pet, I can’t put a number.
However much it costs me to get a dog from PETFINDER.COM -cough, raise awareness, cough*
Not that much.
Not that much.
However much it cost to adopt them from the local rescue shelter.
We paid $350 for our Chocolate Lab…long story but she is at my in-laws now and I was so upset about it she bought me my Dachshund for $350. My husband bought a German Shorthair from our neighbor for $100; he wanted another hunting dog. And then we recently got another Dachshund. He was $300. We got a kitten from the ARL, and their adoption fee is $95. The other two cats; one was stray one was a farm kitten. All in all, as of today… we have 2 Mini Dachshunds and 3 cats living w/ us. The GS had to be put down do to a genetic liver disease this past March…he wasn’t even 4 years old
And the lab, as I mentioned, lives w/ the in-laws.
i’d rather volunteer at a dog rescue place and play with those dogs for free, and no need to worry about anything else
If they were English Bulldogs, i can imagine that the cost would be rediculious. English bulldogs are a breed of dog that should have died out. They can’t (or rarely) are able to breed and carry pups to term. Most of the time, the dogs have to have “fertility treatments” and major assistance during pregnancy and birthing to produce live pups.
I wanted an english bulldog, untill i learned this unfortunate busines about them, and saw the pricetag. We adopted an americal bulldog from the animal shelter a few months later for 70 bucks
I we had a pet, got stolen. we would get new pets.
Both of my pets were the adoption fee at the humane society, plus 2 years worth of shots, medications, vet bills, etc. have been invested. And of course, I managed to find the only cat in the world allergic to the great outdoors and literally himself. He has daily allergy meds, eye meds for a week whenever he has a flare up and apparently is one day at risk of needing more daily meds. THEN you have the expense of litter, food, more annual vet bills, flea preventative, and whatever else you could possibly think of for probably about 10-15 more years.
I’ve decided NOT to invest in anymore pets. I’ll just have a kid instead, and invest in college funds.
It’s hard to imagine myself paying very much–especially since if you’re paying a lot it means you’re getting a specific kind from a breeder–which I don’t really support. There’s so many animals in shelters, I couldn’t justify buying one rather than rescuing…
My Egyptian Mau Cat: $1850.00
My Quarterhorse Hunter/Jumper: $6,800.00
The Standard Poodle I returned after looking closely at his lineage: $300.00
I paid over a $1,000 for a little puppy but my ex-friend stole it from me. Why are people like that?!
Most of our pets have come to us, but the ones we have taken on and paid for, that being our two dogs, we both paid more for their sterilize and vax, so it’s hard to tell.
In the end I think the price would not matter so long as I know I am getting a healthy animal from an ethical source; not a pet shop or a back yard breeder.
I paid 2k for my teacup Yorkie.
Free fifty free.
Geez, that’s ridiculous. It’s sad that people will pay that much for an animal when there are plenty of animals in shelters that need homes. Did I mention that these animals are much cheaper?
Anything over like $300 for an animal is ridiculous…we shouldn’t even have to pay for them.
@ShimmerBodyCream - Agreed.
I’m not spending that much for a dog or animal period. There are plenty in shelters that need love etc; Why not get them over there?
@crazy2love - You have to buy rabbits’ shit too? I thought they shat for free.
For me, the real question is: How much would I pay to get rid of the one I already have. >.>
@bamsniko22407 - lmao! wow.
Thats crazy! I never really understood why it mattered so much to people if their pets had ‘papers’.
Im way too cheap to even pay a couple of hundred dollars!!!
shelter
I paid $350 for my chocolate lab puppy a little over a year. She’s AKC registered and has some pretty decent hunting lines, which is what my intentions are for her – field trials and dock diving, and she’s been doing pretty well for being so young. =)
We also have three cats, all of which were rescues from situations that surely would have resulted in certain death for each of them. =(
I don’t exactly consider my horses to be pets, so I don’t think they’re relevant to the post.
i paid $50 each for two of my guinea pigs.
at the time that seemed like a lot of money.
my other guinea was free.
so to answer your question:
fuck.
no.
Shelter pets are the best and need love the most.
I paid $300 for my Jack Russell. 100 for him, 200 to fly him from Kentucky to California. Worth every penny.
I wish they would make adopting dogs a cheaper and easier process. If I were to adopt, it would cost me hella money.
My pet has cost me thousands of dollars every year.
Idk, we payed $350 for my adorable baby.
But those puppies are so cute! The article said they weren’t selling them though, just giving them to friends and family, that’s just how much they were worth. Technically, they weren’t being sold for that much.
SO CUTE
Not very much. I prefer to adopt my pets, there are so many animals out there needing homes, I wouldn’t look for one that was purposely bread and cost hundreds (or worse yet, thousands). So the amount I’d pay is the adoption fee. Just because a pet is of pure breed does not indicate whether or not it is a good pet. Our kitties are from the shelter and they’re just perfect for us. I am having difficulty understanding how people could spend so much money obtaining a pet when there are so many needing a home that’s close to free.
@ohyeahbabe27 - Agreed! I think people should adopt from their local shelters (or shelters from all over their country/state if allowed) because not only are the animals given all of their shots and spayed/neutered, they’re microchipped, make wonderful pets and usually cost under $100! Besides, the cuter breeds usually tend to be mixes anyway, right? =P
Depends on the pet. If we’re talking fish, then I’d pay no more than $50. If we’re talking dogs or cats or other small animals, I would only pay the adoption fee at the shelter or any costs that came with adopting a pet from the shelter. If we’re talking large animals such as horses, I don’t think I could ever afford one even if the animal itself was free.
Prefer mutts. Better personalities, dispositions and less illnesses. So, I wouldn’t pay much.. No more than $100 max.
Christy
@ShimmerBodyCream - Agreed.
If someone stole my dog I would probably pay more to have him back. I love him <3*
i love those dogs… but i’d nver pay that much geez. i got both mine at the pound and theyre wonderful
Dogs with papers can be expensive, but that’s because they carry on a *documented* family line. Personally, I’m all about adopting from a shelter, but for breeding, papered dogs are the safe way to go. Puppy mills are NEVER okay though, and that’s most likely where that puppy is from.
No more than 100 because if I ever do plan on buying another dog, I want to buy one from the shelter.
Shelter fees are usually around ~$50. I think rescue groups run about the same.
Probably $500 or less. Most of the shelters or rescue groups in our area are about $150-$200. Our dog Chloe was $400, she’s a purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Supposedly the purer they are decreases the chances for tons of medical problems. Supposedly, but you might wind up getting a billion-dollar dog.
If your dog was purest of the pure and good for breeding or showing, and you could get money out of it, then by all means, pay the big money because people’s willingness to pay that much is what will allow you to sell the puppies for a large amount
I do love the purebred dogs but I’m not big on the whole devoting-my-life-toward-breeding-or-showing thing. A pet’s a pet to me, so any mutt is as good as the other. So I personally wouldn’t pay over $200 if I really, really wanted the dog.
@skyepotato - wait til you get a coupon.
I never buy one pet. always the best is slave one from the streets
well you know, it depends. i would pay a lot for the right reasons, e.g. reputable breeder who have done all proper testing from parents, champion lineage, etc. in the case of the english bulldog puppies in the article they’re actually almost always that expensive regardless of pedigree because they are difficult to breed therefore rarer, and, you know, basic economics. i paid about $200 for my shiba inu 5 years ago from, admittedly, a crappy backyard breeder. it would be a bit hypocritical of me to speak out against backyard breeding but back then i knew no better and just wanted a puppy. it’s a huge crapshoot to buy from people like that but i’m thankful that my dog is gorgeous and healthy.
my cat was like $20. still gorgeous, not so healthy, but a temperament to die for.
I paid $125 for my chihuahua. But I wouldnt pay anymore than that. Otherwise I’d go to the shelter… all my friends who got dogs from the shelter are so cute and obediant, not like my little brat. lol.
If I were a breeder of endangered animals like certain kinds of parrots? I would definitely shell out for a good bird to ensure he’s healthy and has good genes. But just for a companion animal? Certainly less than $100. You can’t put a price tag on ability to cuddle
in china there is a dog that is worth 100s of thousands! but i paid 850 for my chihuahua.
The most I have seen anyone pay for a dog was a few hundred Euros and that was because the dog had been trained as a guide dog. It was for one of my younger cousins and her parents wanted a very well trained dog. My mom is involved with a few shelters and running them isn’t cheap. More than one has had to close down because they couldn’t afford the property they were based on. 3k is way over the top for a dog, even a very rare breed. What gets me as well is that the mother of these pups was halfway through her lifespan at 4 years old. If I paid that much for a dog I’d want one that would live until their mid to late teens at least.
not $3000. paid a couple of hundred for my golden retrievers and they were worth every penny. best dogs ever!!
My two sugar gliders were about $250 each. Maybe a little more, with tax. But they were so worth it, and there are basically no vet costs, and their food is generally inexpensive. My dog wasn’t even that much. 0.o Whoops. But I love all my pets.
Pets are priceless. But I always go to the pound to get my dogs. Hands down, they are healthier and better behaved. They don’t have all the inbreeding that is causing problems in pure breeds.
I would never buy a pet. There are so many cats and dogs in shelters where the only costs involved are for neutering and vaccinations that you’d have to be pretty damn stupid to pay a [backyard] breeder for a designer animal that’s been inbred or has received minimal, if any, veterinary care.
2 pounds.
I paid almost $900 for my Shiba Inu (the one in my AV). Wouldn’t take it back for the world. Great pet and very protective of the family. He is the ONLY one I have purchased through a breeder though. All of our other pets were adopted from the SPCA, but just look at that face!!! I would have paid 3 grand if I had to.
My Fiance and I are planning on getting two English bulldogs after we get married. We chose this breed after researching many different breeds. English Bulldogs most closely meet the characteristics we are looking for in four-legged companion. This breed is expensive mainly because of the birthing process. Due to the stature of EBD (the broad shoulders, etc) many puppies cannot be delivered naturally, many of them must be delivered via c-section. Also, because of their stature, mothers do not carry many puppies (usually no more than 3) making them more rare than many other breeds (our golden lab delivered 13 in one litter). Different families have different needs in a pet, meaning sometimes the breed that best fits the family will be more expensive.
About 800 or 900.
Any more than that and you’re usually paying for the parent’s conformation titles, which just means you’re getting a dumb dog. Dogs imported from other countries are also in the thousands, but those are usually some really nice dogs.
I think mine was $300. But I’ve spent several thousand on him over the years for food, shows, supplies, and vet bills. There’s no such thing as a free dog.
I’d rather adopt.
I can get one for free at the pound. why would I pay for one?
The issue with buying these “designer pets” is that they are often
predisposed to illness and other diseases due to the fact that they are
generally inbred to preserve the “purity” of the breed. I think it’s
insane to have an animal basically made for you (because breeders
generally force the mating process- rarely does it happen naturally)
then pay $3000 for it when you could of adopted a pet for around $30
and donated the rest of it to help stop the euthanization or
maltreatment of animals everywhere.
Just an animal lover’s opinion…