[hat trick]

Just curious if I'm out of line on my thinking. Last summer my brother had called me about getting a possible puppy. My golden is 12 yrs old and I know his heart was in the right place but this is what he told me. A friend of a friend had 11 puppies and wasn't sure if he could find homes for all of them. The only thing he could tell me about the puppies was.... One of the parents he paid $5000 for and the other $2500. I declined because I want my future puppy to be from a reputable breeder and I just can't take time away from my old guy even though I dread knowing sometime in the future I will be dogless for a period of time. Well they evidently have had another litter ( the 2nd in less then a year) and my brothe a nd sister in law went out to see the puppies and evidently are going to get a puppy ( I believe for free). They haven't looked for a puppy from any other breeder. Personally I think they are focused on how much this guy has supposedly payed for the 2 dogs he is breeding. It all seems a little suspicous to me and unfortunately they won't take my advice about clearances etc. Am I off base in my thinking?

 

[3 goldens]

You can pay for fortune for a car and still get a lemon. Just aying a lot doesn't mean it will be perfect, and same with puppies. Seems to me if the paretns dogs were THAT costly, there would hav to be a lot of GOOD background for them both.

One thing for dead sure, IF I WERE TO DECIDED I HAD TO HAVE ONE OF THE PUPS, I WOULD HAVE IT CHECKED OVER HEAD TO TOE BY A VET AND GET SAS MUCH FACTS AND BACKGROUND ON PARENTS AS POSSIBLE..

 

[Shalva]

I have mixed emotions... part of me says they can't be responsible obviously and maybe they should get stuck with a whole litter of puppies and that would make them think twice about being irresponsible again in the future....

there is part of me that says ok your brother and sil are getting a puppy for free... and they will love the pup and the pup is free... is there the potential for problems sure....

if they were paying for the pup I would be quick to say that this is a problem and I would come down hard on that but they aren't....

would I pay for a puppy from this "breeder" absolutely not.... ever....

I have mixed feelings aobut it

 

[cgriffin]

I never like it when people boast about how much they paid for a dog. If they have the paperwork and clearances for the parents to back it up, fine. But most of the time they are just plain full of themselves. If your brother gets a free pup, good for him but I would not rush out to get a pup from them myself.
Good thing that you are thinking about your old golden in this first and spend time with him instead of trying to add a pup. When my previous golden was old, he did not want to share momma time with any other dog and he was happy being an only child.

 

[Sweet Girl]

If someone bragged to me that they paid $5000 for their dog, I'd ask what that $5000 got them. And if they looked at me quizzically, I'd know they were had by some unethical money-hungry breeder.

That said, if your brother is going in with eyes wide open, knowing that there are (unlikely) any health clearances, and basically rescuing a puppy, I'm okay with that. I'd be not okay with it if the people were demanding hundreds or thousands of dollars for the pups.

 

[Jige]

Sounds like these people are uneducated just like so many people out there. They have two dogs instead of learning how to be responisble pet owners they are supplying the nation with more dogs that might or might not find good homes that will possibly add further to the pet overpopulation.
I dont care how much they paid for their dogs I like to see people being responsible and giving away puppies is not responsible.