Here are 2 that landed in my mail box today:

Subject:   A message from
Date:  Tue, 2 Aug 2005 11:54:47 +0100
do you have any westies for sale and immediate delivery?

Subject:  A message from
Date:  Tue, 2 Aug 2005 10:31:00 +0100
How much do u charge for a puppy?

I have visions when people ask such short and sweet answers of someone standing at a shop til with westie puppies in the shopping basket :-D

its unbelievable isnt it? like when people say to me i want a pup for say july as if its a piece of furniture they are ordering in!! do they really think a good breeder would sell such a person one of their pups??

Some people just come out with the silliest things. When I bred my first litter I was left with one little girl and was forced to advertise her (this was a few years ago now) And in the advert I put yellow lab bitch puppy and I had some women phone up and asked if I had any black dogs

Another time I had this women phone up and when I said hello, she shouted, "Yes you have puppies for sale" I don't know where she got that idea or my number but I didn't even have a litter that year! But after they way she spoke to me I could have had a 100 puppies and she would not of got one.

Some people think that people just churn puppies out for their demand (and sadly some do :( ) Its amazing what you can tell about a person just by the way they talk to you on the phone.

Kerry

Kerry, your's is nothing, a friend of ours advertised red and white setters puppies and got a phone call asking if they had any white setters to go with their red setter!

LOLOLOL Rox :D :D :D

I've often wished I'd saved all silly enquiries I get for both puppies and kittens, as it would make an amusing article or even book. :D Examples: "I want a Blue Persian kitten for collection on Thursday next week." (Yep there it is again, that shop with shelves in!) "How much are the Persian kittens?" (It clearly states on my website that I will have NONE available until *next year*!) "I want a Persian kitten but I can only afford £10."  "I want an Exotic kitten but it mustn't be older than 6 weeks." (Kittens must never be sold before 13 weeks, and that is cat fancy rules.)

And here's a classic (ACTUAL copy and paste from the mail!) : "I want a kitten to grow up trained by me as its master and to
grow up with litters and have her baby's to have babys too."

I won't share the silly puppy enquiries I've had as some of them have come from ChampDogs and people might be reading, LOL! ;P

Marianne

Well I think you're all being a little bit patronising here.  Not everyone has the confidence or the ability to approach people they don't know and it could be that their first enquiry just doesn't come across very well.
And personally I don't see anything wrong in wanting a puppy at a certain time of year. We all know that toilet training is a whole lot easier in the spring and summer months than it is in the depths of winter.

Breeders need potential owners as much as would-be owners need breeders. 
Reason enough for a little bit of mutual respect, methinks :)

I was asked just yesterday how many labrador puppies I had in stock.......(and this was from someone who got my name from KC!!!!)

Margot

LOL :D 

And didn't you know? ;) :D :D

Think you're taking it a bit too seriously tyby ;)

Sorry, my mistake - just didn't really sound all that funny to me, so thought it must be a serious thread.

Tyby, these enquiries arnt so much funny as unbelievable, they just leave me speachless sometimes!!

Hi tyby,

One of my first ever phone calls that I made when searching for a "different" pedigree dog was extremely embarassing but I can laugh about it now :P

As a family we decided we wanted something a little more unusual as our faithful friend and I phoned an advert for Japanese Koi and advised the "breeder" I was looking for a bitch  :rolleyes: :D :D :D

I sometimes wonder why anyone ever agreed to sell us a puppy!   Regards, Teri :P 

LOL :)

Oh that has got to be the absolute funniest one I've ever read!  Thanks for the laugh and being able to share it!

Wendy

Oh my goodness Teri... I'm still laughing as I write this. Too funny! I had a puppy buyer ask me to ensure his puppy was completely housetrained by the time he came to pick it up because he wanted it to sleep in his bed right away. I had to explain (again) that the puppy would be too young to go all night without a trip outside and it wasn't a matter of training. Poor fellow was so disappointed but happily it all worked out for him in the end and the dog does sleep in his bed now. :)

Believe me, If anyone were to see the list of questions I had and the order they were in they'd say I wasn't fit to be roaming loose never mind permitted the responsibility of a puppy :P  I'm sure that story will be related in it's entirety on a "fishy" forum or web site somewhere (it's on my own too as a stark reminder!!! :D )  To be fair the bloke was really polite and tried ever so hard not to let me hear the laughter in his voice  - bless ;)

Teri :)

The thing is as well though, and this IS serious -in 99.9 % times of when you get enquiries like these, the people THEMSELVES are serious. They want a puppy NOW, and don't even want to wait anoteher week! And when you tell them you haven't got any, they keep trying elsewhere until eventually they end up buying something from a puppy farmer or whatever....... :( I often try to educate people and explain where they can look, why they may have to wait,  what they must ask about (health testing etc) but hardly anybody ever replies. It's an "I want it NOW" society, it all must be *instant*.  I always find that the best buyers I get are those prepared to WAIT. (And those whose first question is "How much?" have never thought through it properly.)

Marianne

You are right Goldmali, it is very difficult to make people understand that waiting is the right thing to do.

I don't breed a lot but am always happy to pass on enquiries to our club secretary, to give 5-10 mins of buying advice.  Most enquirers are very greatful.

We live in a society were people want things now so I sometimes wonder if we will ever see an end to puppyfarming. :-(

i was like that goldmali befor i came onto cd,if i wanted a pup i like many other people would keep trying until i got my puppy.i didnt know dogs had to be health checked or min & max age to be bred from and stuff like that.
people need educating ,i certanly have and if i ever got a puppy ide wait till the right 1 came along and health checks past! :)
untill people are educated puppy farms will continue! :(

I agree with you tyby, I think some people do the "short and sweet" email thing because they think if they do this it will be more likely to get them a speedy reply. I also think its important to remember that some people may not have every peice of knowledge about their chosen breed and being rude or patronising towards them isnt going to educate them. When people ring me about puppies I try to be polite, friendly and helpful, and If I dont feel I have what they are looking for I will direct them elsewhere. If they explain their circumstances or home situation to me and I feel its unsuitable for them to have a puppy, I tell them so and try to put them off having a puppy until such times as its practical to do so, ie if there in the middle of a house move, about to go on holiday, or working all day and under the impression the puppy will train itself. Breeders whould be willing to be patient with people, we all had to start learning somewhere!

I myself made a serious boob when phoning the breeder of my older girl (first purchase of a pedigree dog). We chatted on the phone for a while then she asked if I would like to come see the puppies, this immediately put me in a flap and I said yes thanks bye for now and put the phone down. The breeder phoned me back and asked if I wanted to know where she stayed :D :D :D  Yes I had forgotten to ask her address !  Luckily she agreed to sell me my girl and we have become really good friends since then.

Yes, I did something like that!! Mind you if I'd arrived 5 minutes later I wouldn't have got my boy because she was dithering about whether to keep him herself. But he just kept crawling onto my lap and falling asleep and wouldn't let me look at any of the others!!

One that comes quite regularly,  Caller: I am looking for a newfoundland puppy. Me: Sorry we have none.   Caller: If you did have some how much would they be.

This is when I say bye bye

Lynn

A friend of mine had a litter of Lurcher pups a young lady phoned her up the one afternoon and asked "Are those the dogs with like errrrr Dreadlocks"...........:D :D :D

We were in stitches for the rest of the afternoon :D

Yes those people who tell you that they want a certain colour from my next litter and i have said before now that I can't just get them off a shelf.

The woman who had lots of money was very posh, but didn't want to walk her dog, it had better not poop in the house and that the Au Pair (no I can't spell today) would deal with it, I did advise her to go to her local toy store and buy a stuffed dog.  Which isn't usually like me but I just can't believe what she said.

i dont think asking the price of a puppie is a bad thing coz some breeders charge more for a pup than others wich may not be within there budget.it would save them waisting the breeders time as the may not be able to afford a pup off that breeder!
why are breeders so offended wen a potential puppie owner asks for a price first?

The only thing that I dont understand is why  some breeders getthe hump when you ask how much the puppies are.
Surely if your going to buy a pup you need to know how much its costs ??? Thats always stumped me!

>The only thing that I dont understand is why  some breeders getthe hump when you ask how much the puppies >are.
>Surely if your going to buy a pup you need to know how much its costs ??? Thats always stumped me!

A lot of people ask that as their FIRST question..... which certainly gives a bad impression.

Marianne

I actually don't mind if somebody asks me the price as I feel that it is an important question.  You don't go for a car or a house or anything else that you are going to own for a long time without knowing the price. 

One of my new puppy owners to be asked me the price of his pup, I know his friend quite well who has had a pup off me and I told him that seeing it was him that it would be £2,000 he went silent for a few seconds and said that he's sure tht he'd find the money from somewhere, I laughed and told him the real price.  He was still willing to find some way to find the extortionate "joke" amount that I said though :d  Bless.

Yes but one of my motto`s is *If you got to ask, you can`t afford" :D

I think it is ok to ask, but not the second they answer the phone. Also, it is how they ask. When I got my pup I asked, 'what are you asking for them?' which I felt was a nicer way than just saying, 'how much are they then?' It was also the last question I asked on about the second phone call.

if i was to phone up to enquire about a pup.first ide ask if they have any availible & if there health checked .then ide ask the price and if there kc registerd! :) would i be wrong in doing that??? because wat are you ment to say wen you phone up a breeder?

I certainly expect the question of price to come up at some stage in the conversation. But when it's the first question asked, then I'm sorry, that person has their priorities wrong IMO. They might want a bitch, and I've only got dog puppies left! I'd expect to be asked about health checks, about colour, about registration, about age and gender, age of sire and dam, about how much exercise they need when they're adult; the question of price only arises if everything else is satisfactory.
:)

I had somebody phone me (they got my number from the Kennel Club Puppy List) and asked when I would be having a litter. I explained that I had a litter at the moment (3 bitches, 5 dogs - all at new homes now). She replied that she didn't want a pup at the moment, but around about November, and thought I had 3 adult bitches and 5 adult dogs! What did she think a Puppy List was?

If you have to ask you can't afford, what a ridiculous answer!

We're not all rolling in it you know!!! I saved up for months to pay for my Staffies which were £500 and £600, surely that shows dedication when you put money away every month.

Its the people who have the money and go out and buy a dog on a whim because its a fashion accessory that you have to watch out for.
Some breeders are far too snooty!

The buyers have to sound you out as well! If I asked how much a dog was and I wasnt told I would think there is something dodgy going on and if people laughed at me for asking then I would think they have some sort of personality disorder.

Who buys anything in the world without checking the price?

yep totally agree blondeflops,i rearly dont see the harm in asking the price! :)

I agree, asking the price is what I'd regard as a fairly normal question.
In the past when I've been enquiring about pups I don't think I've once asked about registration, age of dam or sire or amount of exercise but I have wanted to know how much I'd have to pay.  I've yet to have a breeder turn me away....

When I bought my first dog I dint have a clue what to ask, I didnt know about Health Tests, who the Sire and Dam where didnt matter because I wouldn't have had a clue about them anyway.

All I knew at the time was I wanted a Staffie dog, that was KC registered and was from a reputable breeder and how much it would cost.

Honestly people have to make allowances for the novice dog owners.

And before you say you should know all about dogs before you buy one as with everything in life you dont learn until you experience... :)
Personally I know 1000 times more than I did before I actually owned a dog.

Give people a break!

>Give people a break!

Give breeders a break! ;) You don't seriously expect them to cheerfully hand over their loved babies to someone who gives the impression they're only interested in the cost? You're describing puppy farmers there.

When we were looking, I contacted every breeder by email first, I explained a little about who was in our family and what we wanted from our dog, and that because of work we were having done in our house, we wouldn't be ready for a dog until July time, and rather than actually asking out right what the price was, I said I had x amount and would this be close to what they were asking. I did think about ringing them, but then you have the scenario of maybe ringing at a bad time for the breeder, and I know I would have forgotten to ask/tell them something that would be important, so I emailed, then as the replies came back most said they didn't have any pups, or weren't planning a litter until next year, some said they have pups but they had all been taken, and then there was the couple that would have pups at the time when we would be ready, it eventually got wittled down to our breeder now, mainly on the basis that she invited us to a show with her, and we liked her, so that was the choice made!!! I think we must have made a good impression as she has hardly asked us any questions, probably because I covered most things in the first email!!

I expect price to be one of the first questions, especially as in my breed it can be quite varied and especially as I ask the lower price range, and no that doesn't mean that my dogs are inferior than the ones charging more.

I've known many people before now who have saved blooming hard to afford a dog and have actually been the ones that care more.  I quite often find that the people who don't need to ask because they can afford it are usually the ones who are in it more for the monetary side than the dog itself.

Sorry but this is what I've seen over the years.

I have only ever bought two dogs, the first I paid for in installments and the second I saved hard for, but the price was not my first question, whatever it may have been I would have found the money or agreed an installment plan of some sort.

I had a lovely mail like this giving an introduction to the family and giving previous expereince this is the info I want to have before they ask about price.

I have no problem about prive and I ahve found if advertising that stating prive got rid of a lot of time wasters.

The kind of email breeders don't like is just a bald. 
"Have you any puppies and how much are they?"

A breeder wants to feel that some thought has gone into the enquiry not just see it as a purchase like a tin of beans.

Most enquirerrs in my breed are likely to know the price as we tend to all charge the same and enquiries for a breed like ours tend to come tyhrough the breed club.

Surely you have to meet people and have a conversationw ith them before you decide to let them home a pup.

You can't judge someone on whether they ask a price thats ludicrous! All the good homes you've probably missed just because they ask the price???

Is anyone seriously saying that if someone asks them the prices of a dog then they dismiss them on them grounds alone?

The price of the the dog says as much about the quality of the dog so why would we not ask....pay peanuts and you get monkeys!

Blondiflops, I think what I took out of what others have said about the price, is that if someone rings and says "how much are they" first before anything else, then they see this as the 'potential' owner being more bothered about how much the pup will cost, than parents health certificates, pedigrees, or even if there are any puppies available!

However to make a statement like some did above (sorry can't remember who said it now) something like if they have to ask how much a puppy will cost, then they can't afford it, does sound a bit off to me. We will next month have to start putting some money away each month so we can get our pup, but just because we wouldn't want to pay out hundreds of pounds out of one months salery, on something that we don't have to (if we save towards it for a couple of months), that doesn't mean that we can't afford it in the first place. Not that it matters but if it was just about how much we could afford out of one months wages, then we could go and and buy two or three puppies a month, but that doesn't mean we do or will.

I'd be interested in how much a breeder was charging for a pup IF I was looking to purchase from a breeder, BUT that doesn't mean it's the most important thing to me - but what would be the point in asking further questions if the price was out of my reach - it would be heartbreaking :(

Equally, what would be the point in finding out the price was a good one, but you had your heart set on a bitch and they were all spoken for? Or if you wanted a liver and only blacks were available? Surely it's more important to find out if they've got what you want in the first place?

Of course, but I think there is a bit of decorum to be used, the breeder will out of curiosities sake want to know at least the very basics about you, your family, what you are looking for from a dog (and therefore if the breed is even right for you - no matter what the price!) Then the breeder would have a chance to answer your questions, I am not talking hundreds, but basic ones. Have the parents had all of the health checks? What dogs are available/when are they due? Then when you know as much as you need to know (that the breeder seems like a good one, and seems to be knowledgable, doesn't seem funny when you ask about the dam, etc.) then the question of price should probably come into the equation.