Frustrated....

[Field-of-Dreams]

Well, if all breeders were like you there wouldn't BE a need for a Humane shelter. You rock, girl!!

And for the woman who keeps calling you, TELL her that you can't afford to have her calling since she didn't buy a puppy from you. You need to keep the line open for your clients. Then hang up.

Lucy

 

[ForMyACDs]

I also have someone slamming me (elsewhere) for being a "greedy breeder".

Let's see:

* Purchase Price of Sire $800 (from a reputable breeder who health tests)

* Purchase Price of Dam $800 (again, from a reputable breeder who health tests)

* Health testing on sire and dam: $over 1100 for the two of them (Hips, Elbows, Hearing, PRCD blood testing & Eye Cerf)

* Hearing testing on the 7 week old puppies $245

* Temperment testing on 8 week old puppies $150

* All puppies microchipped: $140

* Puppy vaccs/worming totals for the puppies that left at 8-10 weeks old $46 (and I WORK for a vet.....no, I don't get free services....just reduced prices)

* Puppy vaccs/worming/spay/neuter/hw prevention/flea & tick prevention for the puppies still here: $472

Total: $3753......and that doesn't even include food, supplimental feeding etc. for the pups OR my time.

____________________________________________________________

Puppies are $800 for show/breeding quality & regular pricing on pet quality is $600 tho', I had reduced the pet prices of my pet puppies to $450 (for a short time) to appease those that have complained about my prices and to see if it's truly "about the money".

One puppy tested as deaf and was placed for free in an appropriate home with someone familiar with raising deaf puppies. A full hearing litter in this breed is pretty uncommon.....most breeders just quietly put down their deaf puppies and tell no one but I don't believe in being dishonest like that. I guess I'm a terrible salesperson......I'm too honest. One show puppy placed with the breeder I purchased my animals from at a reduced price (she has after all spent LOTS of time mentoring and I felt her time was worth something) so $400 received for that puppy and one other puppy was sold at pet pricing of $600. I COULD have sold these four remaining puppies several times but to homes that were not appropriate for them. If I were in it for the money then that would not have been an issue.

Heck, at this point my pet puppies alone I have about $275 invested in EACH of these pups JUST in vet services.....remember this is at my DISCOUNTED employee prices. EVERYTHING is already done one these pet puppies so only a vet check is needed by the new owner. If these people were to get a free puppy from someone they'd put out $300-500 to have these same things done (spay/neuter/hw prevention/flea & tick prevention/microchip etc.) and yet they wouldn't have a pup that has been temperment tested, and is out of health tested parents.

Now.......I STILL have lots of people coming to me to say the puppies are "too expensive" and it's obvious to me that if this person can't pay this price for my puppy then they really can't afford to have one a puppy at all! Since everything is already done on these pups they're basically getting a healthy puppy from health tested parents from me for free (if their vet charges for vaccs/spay/neuter/hw prevention/microchip etc would come to close to $500) or $175 if they're in a part of the country where those services would be close to $300 for those services. Sorry, but if you can't afford to do these things for your puppy from me then you wouldn't have a home I want to place one of my pups in anyway.

So, so far I've "made" $1000 back of my $3753 "investment". Am I in this for the money......obviously not. I ALSO even offer incentives to pet buyers and will refund $25 for each proof of health testing completed on my puppies (OFA, CERF, PennHip etc) and will refund $50 for each title earned. Gee......boy am I a greedy SOB!

If all the pups sell as pets (yes, I will spay/neuter a show quality pup and sell it at pet price if I find the right home for it) then I'm looking at "making" another $1800. If the pups are sold as pet/show quality (we have two pet quality and two show quality left) then I could "make" as much as $2500 more. Guess what......I'm also cheaper than the pet store who has a blue "purebred" ACD in their store for $800 (looks like a mix and is sick as all getout). And yet people still complain. Ah well.

My husband's heeler, Coke, looks alot like an ACD and he is pretty stocky. He does still have his tail and he definitely uses it like a rudder. [i was under the impression that the ACDs had docked tails, thank you for clearing that up.]

I only have one picture of Coke on the computer (pictured with a teeny calf that was only like 30 pounds at birth, usually they are 75-90). Here's a link to it in my Yahoo Album:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hcquilter/de...848.jpg&.src=ph You can't really see his build, but you can see his coloring fairly well.

Coke is a nice looking dog for a "Heeler". REally.......many heelers don't look this good.

When we speak of stocky it isn't just about body.......it's about the size of bone. A dog with more bone is going to hold up to a kick (remember these were dogs bred to herd rank cattle) than a dog that is more slight of bone. Of course you can get too much bone and wind up with a dog that is too heavy to work a full day.

 

[chandab]

My husband's heeler, Coke, looks alot like an ACD and he is pretty stocky. He does still have his tail and he definitely uses it like a rudder. [i was under the impression that the ACDs had docked tails, thank you for clearing that up.]

I only have one picture of Coke on the computer (pictured with a teeny calf that was only like 30 pounds at birth, usually they are 75-90). Here's a link to it in my Yahoo Album:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hcquilter/de...848.jpg&.src=ph You can't really see his build, but you can see his coloring fairly well.

Coke is a nice looking dog for a "Heeler". REally.......many heelers don't look this good.

When we speak of stocky it isn't just about body.......it's about the size of bone. A dog with more bone is going to hold up to a kick (remember these were dogs bred to herd rank cattle) than a dog that is more slight of bone. Of course you can get too much bone and wind up with a dog that is too heavy to work a full day.

Trust me, Coke holds his own with the cattle; we have about 200 head including 10-12 bulls and he's chased them all (on command). He's been rolled a few times and it just makes him mad and want to get back to work.

Coke has a really good disposition for a heeler; honestly, I still don't trust him, but he has about the best disposition I've seen on a heeler. [i've been around some really nasty ones]. My husband had him for 2-3 years before we got together, I think he's about 7-8 years old now, but I'm not sure.

 

[ForMyACDs]

Trust me, Coke holds his own with the cattle; we have about 200 head including 10-12 bulls and he's chased them all (on command). He's been rolled a few times and it just makes him mad and want to get back to work.

Coke has a really good disposition for a heeler; honestly, I still don't trust him, but he has about the best disposition I've seen on a heeler. [i've been around some really nasty ones]. My husband had him for 2-3 years before we got together, I think he's about 7-8 years old now, but I'm not sure.

I bet he does. He looks like he's an excellent dog.

Yes, there are a LOT of "heelers" out there with horrible temperments. The worst dogs in the vet office where I work are the Chihuahuas (most all of them) and all but a few of the "heelers". Temperment is VERY important to me.......hence the reason I have the dogs I do. An ACD with a good temperment is a GREAT dog!

Okay guys.......I'm done griping......you can go back to your regularly scheduled forum.......

 

[runamuk]

Trust me, Coke holds his own with the cattle; we have about 200 head including 10-12 bulls and he's chased them all (on command). He's been rolled a few times and it just makes him mad and want to get back to work.

Coke has a really good disposition for a heeler; honestly, I still don't trust him, but he has about the best disposition I've seen on a heeler. [i've been around some really nasty ones]. My husband had him for 2-3 years before we got together, I think he's about 7-8 years old now, but I'm not sure.

I bet he does. He looks like he's an excellent dog.

Yes, there are a LOT of "heelers" out there with horrible temperments. The worst dogs in the vet office where I work are the Chihuahuas (most all of them) and all but a few of the "heelers". Temperment is VERY important to me.......hence the reason I have the dogs I do. An ACD with a good temperment is a GREAT dog!

Okay guys.......I'm done griping......you can go back to your regularly scheduled forum.......

I don't see it as griping.........and it is a topic that belongs on this regularly scheduled forum :bgrin :bgrin

I don't breed dogs and I feel your pain......it drives me nuts when I have been asked to help someone find an animal and I do a bunch of legwork and find them breeders like you to have the previously mentioned person...then just go buy the first cheap animal they find..................then when the crapola hits the fan they call me to rescue the dog.......................here is where I scream yell and bang my head on the wall..............it doesn't matter the species dog's, cats, horses, yadayada..................

Although I am looking at showing dog's I still do not see myself breeding dog's anytime soon if ever...........of course I may be eating my words down the road BUT where I am right now in my life I see no reason to breed when there are already good breeders out there that I can get show pups from if I feel I need more

: .....that is the same reason I have no plans to breed my mare even if she produced fabulous ...why? there are too many out there already...............................

geesh sorry to steal your rant

: again if I hear of anyone actually looking for an ACD I will send them your way but please don't hold me responsible if they turn into another flake

: I cannot predict that outcome

:

 

[ForMyACDs]

geesh sorry to steal your rant

: again if I hear of anyone actually looking for an ACD I will send them your way but please don't hold me responsible if they turn into another flake

: I cannot predict that outcome

:

That's okay.....I'm getting used to dealing with flakes. Another one emailed me late this afternoon and his basic email went something like "We are looking for a female cattle dog. Are any of your puppies still available?". I emailed him back pointing to the website and telling him about the individual puppies. I then asked him what he was looking for exactly and if he would like me to forward him a questionnaire. His response was "please call me instead".

I called and was on the phone for about a half hour. I HATE talking on the phone! I NEVER talk on the phone unless I HAVE to!! His first words were "how much" and I told him. We then talked about testing and what he was looking for etc. Then at the end he said "you are too far away". Huh? I gave him that information in the original email so it wasn't like I'd just given him that information. We're only about 1 1/2 hours away so I said I didn't have a problem meeting him with any of the pups he might be interested in. Then he said they wanted a blue. I don't have a blue........that is very clear on the website.......why did he even bother talking to me if that's what he wanted? I then tried to give him some information about a few reputable breeders that were expecting (or already had) litters on the ground but he didn't want that information. Yep, another long call COMPLETELY wasted. (and of course I have ALLLLLLL the time in the world to waste.......)