Cost of Maintenance

Hey guys!

Sorry for the giaaaaaaaant gap between now and when I last posted! Here's a quick post on the costs of purebreds versus mixed breeds!

First, let's disregard the costs that will pretty much remain constant for similar sized dogs despite lineage. These costs include routine vet visits, obedience training, vaccines and other preventative medicines, costs of food, treats, toys, and other accessories.

You are left with the initial costs and possible medical costs. If you are dead-set on buying a purebred dog, and you commit yourself to buying one from a REPUTABLE breeder, you are looking at anywhere from $500 to $2,000, depending on the breed.

As an example, I did some research on purebred, AKC registered German Shepherds. Their prices range from $750 to $2,500. At a specific kennel, the Keystone German Shepherd Kennel, the cost for buying a pedigree G.S. is $1,500.

Should you wish to adopt (and save a life!♥) a mixed breed, you are looking at between $50-$200 dollars, more or less depending on the breed. Of course, if you wish to adopt a purebred, there are many, many breed-specific rescues where you may find your future canine soul-mate.

After further research, I found that if you rescue a German Shepherd (or G.S. mix) from the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue, the adoption fee would be $250.

Some of you may realize that you can buy a pedigree puppy for cheap at some other (sketchy) breeder's, or a pet store, but keep in mind that if the breeder is a backyard breeder, or worse, puppy mill, your puppy will very likely have health issues later on in life that will cost a lot to fix...IF they are fixable. Also, I personally do not believe seeing the dog that you love suffer through all these diseases is worth the few hundred dollars you saved. As a reminder, I did a blog post on how to spot a reputable breeder a while back...HERE.

~S

P.s. A *lot* of pet stores get their (potentially verrrry unhealthy) puppies from sketchy breeders. :( Save a life and adopt a puppy instead~ ♥