@Vintinck:
I am looking forward to getting my first Basenji in 2-3 months. Don't take this as an attack but I don't understand why some people are so put off by the cost of these dogs. They are on the expensive side but if your expecting to pay $600 for a dog, what does an extra $400 amount to over the course of that dogs life? All other costs being equal (food, toys, vet bills) its a $2.50/mo increase in cost. There are so many other costs to consider in taking care of a dog, If you spend $1000 a year just on food, toys, a crate, training classes etc you would probably be doing pretty well. Just my $.02.
That being said, I wish you the best of luck and hope you find a great dog or puppy for your family!
I completely agree with the above statement, and also am not posting this in the spirit of attack.
I have found that the cheaper dogs are typically cheaper for several reasons:
- the person is looking to make a profit. They spend virtually nothing on the puppies to begin with, and then sell them for way less than breeders sell them at in order to sell quickly with a maximum profit. If they raise the cost, they end up with puppies that don't sell, because for the same price, people could get a health tested puppy from a good breeder. So its economic.
- They don't health test, show, course, guarantee to take the dog back at any point in their life for any reason, feed a very high quality food, etc etc etc, so there costs are lower and they can offer a cheaper product.
- The best way to get rid of product that isn't moving is to lower the price. Again, if they raise their prices to the levels of reputable breeders' prices, they are stuck with puppies that are not only harder to sell as they age into adults, but also eat into profits with every passing day that they aren't sold.
Also, compared to almost any other breeds, basenjis are dirt cheap. A quick search online pulled up these prices for other breeds:
$1500 for golden retrievers
$1900 for portuguese water dogs
up to $2500 for Yorkshire terriers
$1400 for labrador retreivers
$2000-$3500 for bulldogs
$2000 for standard poodles
The list goes on, but I got that all from a website of "breeder" classifieds. All ads offer to ship to your doorstep, anywhere in the US. I highly doubt any of these dogs are health tested, shown, etc.
I agree. $800-$1000, to me personally, seems like a more than reasonable amount to pay for a dog that comes with a lifetime support, health testing, good temperament, etc etc.