# Too much?



## SophiesMom (Oct 14, 2005)

I need a little help on this one...

Here is a Chi that I am thinking of getting as Sophie's sister. I have been talking to this breeder extensively for several months and have decided that I want to purchase my next dog from her. She is very knowledgeable and very nice, plus she has a good reputation with other breeders and show people. Anyway, this little girl is a young adult (2, I think), and she is a pet. The breeder acquired her from another breeder friend when she was just a puppy, and she had serious problems then. Apparently the mother was unable to care for her, so she almost died. She was hyperglycemic because she was so tiny, and this breeder had to spend like $5,000 just to keep her alive. Luckily she is just fine now, and will come with a health certificate and vet check and all that stuff you normally get with a puppy. The woman has been raising her as a pet since the beginning (she is way too small to breed, only 3 lbs full grown). She will only sell her to a good pet home. Since we have been talking so long, she said she would be interested in selling her to me, but we will have to meet first, and Sophie needs to come and meet them too. I told her I would love for this dog and Sophie to both be certified therapy dogs, and she thought this dog would be a great candidate for that. She is well socialized with people and animals, and has a very good temperment. She is not very dominant, either, which will be good for Sophie (since she is the queen!). She is housebroken and lives as a pet would with the breeder and her family. She is only selling her because her breeding business has really taken off, and she has made an excellent reputation for herself. Because of that, she is very busy with puppies and breedings and meeting new buyers all the time, and she feels she is not giving sufficient attention to this baby, so she wants her to live with someone who can. I am very interested in this dog, and I am going to meet them on the 17th, to put a deposit on a puppy or on her. The thing I am concerned about is the price of this baby. She is $1000, and the breeder says that is to assure she will be placed with someone that is serious about loving and taking care of her, which is understandable. I wouldn't sell my Sophie for a million! And the breeder really cares about this dog. She has all her shots up to date, and will have a vet check before coming to me. She is already housebroken and socialized. Is this a justified price? I know that if I buy this dog, within a month I will be so in love with her that none of this will matter! Please tell me what you think (sorry so long! I got carried away!)


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## Sandra1961 (Oct 14, 2005)

Awww congratulations! shes so gorgeous! and so teeny  

If your instincts are saying that shes Sophies sister, then go for it!!!

Are the puppies the same price as her? and would you prefer an older dog?


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

I'd go and check her out first. If everything seems on the up and up, then go ahead and get her if she is the one you want and you can afford it.

I paid that for each of my girls. I don't regret it even with the health problems Koke has had.


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## stefanie_farrell (Jan 11, 2005)

she looks lovely- i say go with your instict. If you have the money and it wont leave you in debt and you are comfortable paying this price and you are not having second thoughts... and theres no other chi out there hat you would prefer than go for it. The only thing i worry about is she has a grey mussle already???


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## SophiesMom (Oct 14, 2005)

She has show dogs, so her puppies go from $1,000-$2,000. (Males are always cheaper). I kinda would prefer an older dog, because then I don't have to housetrain it, lol!!! Sophie was so hard! I love the puppy breath and the little puppy noises, and I will miss out on that, but in the long run, an older dog is probably worth the trade offs. Besides, she's only about 2, still a puppy, really, lol!!! The breeder says she's very playful.


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## Sandra1961 (Oct 14, 2005)

Well....go meet her, and if you feel you cant live without bringing her home, then do exactly that, and let her be loved forever by you & Sophie :wave: 

Good luck


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## angela_markovic (Jun 4, 2005)

the prices here are much higher than the states. i think she sounds likee she is trying to make money off the dog which isnt nice but id say go for it if you have the money. we've always bought our dogs when theyre about a year (at full price) some breeders hold on to them to see if theyre show quality or will grow big enough to breed etc. shes still young and its easier having a trained dog. good luck. maybe say you can only afford $750 and see what she says? if she really cares about the dog she'd give her to you for that - and its still a lot of money and shows youre serious?


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## stefanie_farrell (Jan 11, 2005)

is her mussle grey? or just that pic?


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## Sandra1961 (Oct 14, 2005)

stefanie_farrell said:


> is her mussle grey? or just that pic?


Yeah i noticed that too :?


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## angela_markovic (Jun 4, 2005)

stefanie_farrell said:


> is her mussle grey? or just that pic?


where are you seein a grey muscle? what does that mean??


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## Sandra1961 (Oct 14, 2005)

Muzzle!


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## stefanie_farrell (Jan 11, 2005)

ok smartie pants!


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## angela_markovic (Jun 4, 2005)

oh ok sorry its late!!! lol whats wrong with a grey muzzle?


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## stefanie_farrell (Jan 11, 2005)

I just wondered that if she was 2 years old- do chis go grey that early on in life?
I know some chis loose there colouring in their MUZZLEs but I wondered maybe she could be older if she was turning grey? Or do chis turn grey young?


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## angela_markovic (Jun 4, 2005)

thats probably just her colour? im sure you can get a grey colout-which they call bule - couldnt that couour be on her muzzle???


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## stefanie_farrell (Jan 11, 2005)

dunno i thought it migh be the lightin in the pic... :? lol


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## Sandra1961 (Oct 14, 2005)

hmmmm, looks grey to me

But ive never known of a 2yr old dog going grey :? 

But then again, Richard Gere's hair went grey prematurely  :lol:


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## SophiesMom (Oct 14, 2005)

No, it is not gray. The breeder said she is a fawn and black (her parents), so it is probably white or fawn on her muzzle, and it looks gray. I thought the same thing!  She actually doesn't have any chocolate in her lines, although she looks like it. Sophie is a blue and cream, if you can believe that!


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## Little G (Oct 16, 2005)

well goliath when I got him at 5 had a grey muzzle, and at 7 is going grey on his back just behind his neck.
I don't think that its necessarily an age thing, dogs coats do tend to naturally change colour as they mature.
shes TOTALLY cute though, but the price makes my wallet hurt.
Mind you if you can afford it, and you meet the woman and all is well then I say go for it!


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## Tucker-N-Jasper (Aug 6, 2005)

I paid that for Tucker and have no regrets.. it broke me but good but once I met him I couldn't walk away.


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## ~Jessie~ (Oct 30, 2005)

To me it seems as if she is trying to make some extra cash for herself off an older dog, because of her teeny size. I would offer less money, like someone already posted.

If you can afford the $1000, and she is what you are looking for, then go for it. I just don't want to see you getting "ripped off."

What happened with the rat terrier/chi mix?

Good luck


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## SophiesMom (Oct 14, 2005)

Thanks, I may try to go lower on the price. We will see how she gets along with Sophie first. The rat terrier/chi didn't work out. So sad, cuz I fell in love with that little dog.  But she was adopted to another home. There was a waiting list, but I didn't know it at the time.


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## ~Jessie~ (Oct 30, 2005)

Aww, that is the sad part about trying to adopt small dogs- they go so fast (good for them, though). 

Good luck with the meeting.


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## Bijou (Aug 6, 2005)

I think the price is quite high for an adult dog. I would offer her $800 and maybe pay $850 for the dog? I really think she is full of you-know-what when she says she is charging that much to be sure the dog goes to a good home :roll: . I think it will get a good home at $800 also!

And on my computer the dog doesn't look like it is greying at all. It looks like the lighting.


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## Jessie (Dec 4, 2005)

I'm not sure, it seems like if she has been talking to you that much, she would already know the puppy was going to a good home. Although, if she did already invest 5,000 into a dog she knew she probably wasn't going to breed, can you blame her for wanting only a fifth of that back (not to mention what she may have paid the other breeder). 

I guess I say (like everyone else) go with your gut and try to haggle a little bit reminding her that she knows that you are a good home already. That way she will either be reassured or if it is a bunch of bs, she will see you see right through it and try to save her rep by giving you the lower price.


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## Angelab (Nov 26, 2005)

It is a lot of money, but we all know that money isn't everything when it comes to our babies and if this lady was willing to invest $5,000.00 in seeing that this little one got healthy and well, then she might be wanting to make sure her next home is equally dedicated.

If you don't choke on the price and you and your other little dog think she's a match then go for it.


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## LadyBelle1 (Sep 10, 2005)

About the grey muzzle or black or whatever color it is lol, don't worry about it because Fudge was 2 of September 7th and I have noticed him getting a lot of little white hairs around his muzzle so I think it is normal. I always joke around and tell Fudge he is getting white hairs from all of his puppies.


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## lecohen (Feb 13, 2005)

Ditto to what others said...but personally I would try to haggle for a lower price...you will still offer her a fab home for $700 (which i think would be more of a fair price in the states.

Keep us posted xxx


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

Sandra1961 said:


> hmmmm, looks grey to me
> 
> But ive never known of a 2yr old dog going grey :?
> 
> But then again, Richard Gere's hair went grey prematurely  :lol:


Just wanted to let you guys know that yes some chis do get grey around the muzzle earlier.

Koke Was 1 year old in June and she has grey there already. I don't know if it has anything to do with the blue color or not, some of you may remember Koke was suppose to be blue, her face has some blue on it, but they grey around her muzzle is more like silver, so it may just be light blue. Blue is actually dark grey after all.


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## SophiesMom (Oct 14, 2005)

Okay, I talked with her again, and now things are getting a bit odd. I originally was under the impression that this chi was akc, but now the breeder isnt sure if she ever filed the paperwork, since she was never going to be good for breeding. She told me that if she is not registered, then I can't register her, because she doesnt have the pedigree, I guess. She also was like, "what difference does it make if she is registered?" I guess it really doesnt matter, when it comes down to it, but if I am going to spend $1000, I want to feel like I am getting a decent dog. That's alot of money for an unregistered adult, right??? Well then she was telling me that she will only go to an approved home. I already knew that, but she kept stressing it, like telling me not to get my hopes up or something. Then she tells me that someone else she sold a puppy to a few years ago is also interested in the dog. So if I am not "approved" she will sell it to the other person. Why do I get the strange feeling that she will sell it to the other person anyway? I am so frusterated. I just want to find a good sister for my Sophie, and it is becoming impossible. I decided to contact the breeder that Sophie came from. She has ckc dogs, but if this is what I have to go through to get an akc reg puppy, it is not worth it. These breeders are sometimes up to 6 hours away, and I just cant keep driving all over to meet people that I end up not liking, or not liking the dogs, or whatever. Plus, I trust Sophie's breeder, and I keep in contact with her. Maybe I will jsut buy my new baby from her.


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## Tammie_B (Nov 19, 2005)

Stay FAR away from this one! She is shady!! And to pay $1000.00 for a 2 year old non-registered dog - you just have no idea what the blood line is...not to mention what the health issues were caused from. 

There are many pups out there. I paid $609.00 for my Jake who is AKC registered and that included his flight from Oklahoma to Boston. He is a sweety. 

puppyfind.com - go look and find the baby or adult that would be perfect for Sophie.

Tammie


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## Bijou (Aug 6, 2005)

Ok. This breeder is not one you want a dog from!! She is pulling the oldest trick in the book. The old "someone else is interested" crap. And all that "approved home" crap is just to make her look reputable. Go to Sophie's breeder. And AKC dog is nothing unless you plan to show or breed.


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## Tammie_B (Nov 19, 2005)

I'm not so sure that I would say that AKC isn't important unless you show or breed. CKC I would say that to, but not AKC. AKC is very strict with their policies on registration and you can pretty much be sure you are getting a purebred with AKC papers. CKC pretty much lets anyone register their dog with a promise and three witnesses to the fact. That is just crap. A pedigree from AKC is just a little more reliable if you want a history of the bloodlines in the family.

Tammie


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## TareG (Aug 13, 2005)

There is nothing wrong with having a non-AKC chi.

But there IS something wrong with having a nonAKC chi when it is an adult that costs 1000 dollars!
Stay away! Even if the chi was registered, I disagree with the 1000 dollars for an adult with previous health issues. But seeing as she is not, I am seeing this now as a total scam, and I wouldn't buy into it.
Sorry you had to go through all this. Some breeders just know how to make money and can be very decietful and misleading.


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## Fibi's Mommy (Nov 28, 2005)

This is what went through my head...the price of this pup is not only the pup but also paying for it's care for the past two years (so, in my mind I would include that in the price you are paying...like, if she paid $200 in routine care over the past 2 years, that means you're really paying $800...I hope that's not confusing!  ). Not only that, but you're also paying for a well-trained pup that is housebroken and socialized. With that said, it sounds like a good price to me.

If you have reserves about her price, offer the lady a little lower and see what she says...the worst she can say is "no", but at least you asked!


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