"How much is your dog?"

I get this alot from people as the Chinese Cresteds are not well known outside the show group.  Well, some wonder if they are the same dog as the dog that always wins the ugliest dog contest, lol.  I am honest with them and tell them what I paid and what they should expect to pay when purchasing one.  I also try to tell them about their up keep.  I show, so I usually keep mine shaved pretty close most of the time.  Though a "hairless" dog, they do have some body hair.  Forget a trip to Petsmart or any other place such as that on the weekend, I walk 5ft and people want to stop and talk, lol.   

I was asked once how much the breeder charged for his puppies. I was honest for it was a patient in the office and she has been thinking of getting a GSD. She has since changed her mind and had a 3rd child instead...

In all honesty I paid nothing for Kord, he was a gift. My family got together and "bought" him for us.

I would have no problem answering the question, I have no fear of anyone walking in and stealing him, it is just not something that is going to happen. What I do not like is that when we do encounter people they ask me if I am going to breed him. It is a very common thing here. I was never asked that question until we moved here with Babe. Must be the southern air.

Wow... I'm honestly surprised at how well most of you take this type of question, I feel like it's way too personal of a question to ask someone else.  Anyway, maybe I am overreacting.  At any rate, I think I'm gonna start giving a range of prices for a reputable breeder and hopefully that satisfies them as well as continuing to point out their faults and continuing expenses.

As far as educating everyone... I'm with FireDogK9, going anywhere with him would require my entire day if I were to try to educate everyone. I do my best to protect the breed and refer people to rescue.  But, it's not as simple as educating everyone who asks about my dog... it's exhausting as it is.  You can't go 10 ft without someone asking you something or wanting to talk.  And as OK as I am with it... it's still a lot of work.

Casey was from a shelter. He cost me $25 out the door, plus food, vet, etc.

People don't ask how much I paid for him, as much as they ask WHAT he is. I say, mutt. That's what he is, people think he's purebred, or a designer breed because he is so different looking.  But he's a mutt, nothing more, and that's what I tell people. Most of the people I run into have their own shelter resuces, that's just how people are over here, not too much of the going to the breeder, as far as I can see.

Sera_J

Wow... I'm honestly surprised at how well most of you take this type of question, I feel like it's way too personal of a question to ask someone else.  Anyway, maybe I am overreacting.  At any rate, I think I'm gonna start giving a range of prices for a reputable breeder and hopefully that satisfies them as well as continuing to point out their faults and continuing expenses.

As far as educating everyone... I'm with FireDogK9, going anywhere with him would require my entire day if I were to try to educate everyone. I do my best to protect the breed and refer people to rescue.  But, it's not as simple as educating everyone who asks about my dog... it's exhausting as it is.  You can't go 10 ft without someone asking you something or wanting to talk.  And as OK as I am with it... it's still a lot of work.

So lani, how much was logan? :) J/K.......I agree, it's really a rude question like how much money do you make or how much did your house cost IMO.

I don't get many 'How much did he cost?' questions, but people have suggested that I could get at least a few hundred for Beau's pups.  I just bite my lip.  If they do ask, I usually just say that show bred toy dogs are pretty expensive and leave it at that. 

I actually had someone ask me today when I brought Coco in for shots. It was a little old lady, so I told her LOL At first I was a little put off, but oh well

Xerxes

I get asked that alot.  My favorite response is :"Do you mean how much he cost me as a puppy or how much it costs to keep him?"  And from there I start talking about food costs and all that....

 As far as leaving him unattended...NEVER.  He's only alone inside the house and the house is secured. 
 

 

This is pretty much how I handle that as well.  If someone, a student, for example, is genuinely interested in my breed (Aussie), I tell them a range, and suggest several reputable breeders.  Otherwise, "priceless" about covers it, and good luck to the thieves - Sequoyah won't let them in to the secured house anyway:-)) 

I ask if they ant to know how much I paid for her or how much she's cost me in the year I've had her.  I don't worry about someone taking her she's big and she looks really scary when she barks at you. Strangers don't like comming to my house unless the KNOW I'm home.  They think they'll be dinner

if they want to know how much they would need to pay for me to give them ares, i tell them the same thing i tell them if all they want to do is pet him: "you pet him, you keep him." any of the others, i tell them the dog is not for sale. if they ask how much does a dog like that go for, meaning the breed in general, i tell them they can get one for anywhere from free to a few thousand, but it's the cost of keeping the dog that adds up.

I dont get asked how much to often but I do get "What breed is your dog?" alot. I usualy just say husky/Golden Retriver. I had a friend tell me that becuase of that mix then my dog must have cost alot of money. Heh Charlie was given to me by my Aunt who didint have time to exercise him or deal with his energy. If I ever was asked how much my dog cost I guess I might take it as a comliment.

This question's never really bothered me.  I don't know...maybe it's because I worked the Meet the Breed booth at the AKC/Eukanuba Invitational for so many years that I'm sort of stuck in educator mode...or maybe because I'm a teacher and my kids would ask me this all time when they found out I had dogs?  My stock answer is to give a price range, then throw in a statement about pet store prices, and end up with a reference to some good local breed rescues.  When we were in the breed booth we always passed out information on rescues and pushed those the most.  I figure people are curious and want to know and hey, we aren't born knowing everything about everything!  I've also had my fair share of "you should breed him/her"...."I have one of those (usually a "rare" color that they paid for that is totally against the standard)" and it is really tricky to educate and not alienate.  I always try to remember that to these people, their dog is most beloved and beautiful.  I end up doing quite the verbal tap dance from time to time!  It's fun, though...and I really like to talk to people about my dogs and the breed so any excuse is good.

I've had more people ask me if I got my dogs from a rescue group than those that have asked me how much they cost. A lot of people think that because "greyhound" is part of their breed name that they are the same as the big racing greys. I get asked quite a bit if they ever ran at the track. I really don't know how to answer people as they really don't seem to get it when I try and explain that Italian Greyhounds are a toy breed and were never used for racing. I could keep saying this over and over again and they still can't seem to grasp that the wispy little IGs standing at my feet are not the same breed as the dog on the side of the Greyhound bus. But a few times people have asked and most of the time I am truthful. Salado cost a lot of money from one of those internet puppymills but she was GIVEN to me by a couple who was very inexperienced with dogs and couldn't handle her fear issues and Amalfi came from a BYB and he was fairly inexpensive compared to the cost of most IGs because he is significantly larger than the breed standard, and from there I go into why someone should go through a rescue group or a reputable breeder for an IG. Salado is a great example of getting my point across on poorly bred dogs. She has health issues up the wazoo and she isn't even 1 year old yet. And she is extremely fearful and flops like a fish at the end of her leash if a stranger tries to approach her. I think she is an excellent deterrent for impulse dog buyers.