Responsible breeders do not CUT COSTS, it is expensive to plan, breed, whelp, rear, socialise, FIND the RIGHT OWNER for each puppy - much of this cost is VET, FOOD and most costly of all is TIME.  Nobody these days expects to work for nothing or peanuts.  WOULD YOU? 

Pricing is all about Supply and Demand in any business and this business is dictated by UNLICENSED BREEDERS.  

The current oversupply of Cheap Farm reared pups who will likely not have prepared the pup, to become first and foremost a valued member of someone's family?   Even working homes are few and far between these days with greatly reduced sheep farms and shepherds (in 2000 there were 54 million sheep in the UK there are now less than 20 million with associated job losses including for working sheepdogs)

Sadly, a great many of these farm reared pups will end up in rescue, direct from the breeders themselves when they are unable to place them into homes. 

Any type of breeding, even a one off litter is fraught with 1000's of variables, however, the more you breed the more you will find out you know NOTHING and that you will come across things you have never seen or heard of.  

Good breeders are in it for the LOVE and for the LONG HAUL. 

It is about Experience and Quality and above all LEARNING and changing.

It is well documented that  

• An overwhelming 83 percent of puppy purchasers weren’t asked any questions by the breeder about their suitability as owners

CHEAP PUPPIES put ALL PUPPIES at risk of welfare and behavioural issues. 

Unfortunately, to be a professional breeder, licensed by the Local Council requires commitment and funding, when at the end of COVID lockdowns "Joe Soap" decides to CASH IN and breed a "hobby litter" thereby flooding the market with puppies from parents who are not health tested, or even raised under modern socialisation guidelines. 

Sadly, this has now happened and the Rescue centres are swamped. 

What goes into these monthly and annual expenses? 

While some costs like food and basic veterinary care are a must, there are options at many price points to accommodate all kinds of budgets. 

Rover.com dug into the data to uncover what pet parents are buying, what’s essential, and what’s just the dog treat on top of the sundae, so to speak. 

FIND OUT THE AVERAGE DOG OWNERSHIP COSTS 

So why would you think that purchasing a puppy at cost or even less than cost price, would be protecting that puppy and the rest of that breeders puppies, and even improve overall welfare and breeding standards countrywide? 

Why is it presumed that dog breeders should not be allowed or encouraged to make a profit on the sale of their pups? 

Dog Breeding and ownership is full of high risk of the unknowns for everyone. 

You want as much protection and advice and hand holding as possible? 

It takes 24/7 - 365 days a year and a lifetime of experience and dedication to provide top quality puppies.   

Would you work for less than the minimum wage?

Why should your dog's breeder produce your puppy without adequate compensation for their time and effort and expertise? 

Nobody should work for less than the minimum wage and this includes rearing a litter of puppies and should not matter if you are employed in another job (if things go wrong you most likely should be taking time off work to look after the puppies etc.) 

or unemployed - though any income you make from the sale of those pups, should be declared to Universal Credit and on your self assessment to HMRC, 

or operating a business in order to attempt to make a profit.

Why should your breeder work for nothing and you still expect them to offer a puppy to a high standard? 

It costs TIME and MONEY to breed and rear puppies to a high standard and even more to offer back up care and attention for the dogs lifetime. 

Most breeders, let alone people, don't even factor in the finances required when things go wrong, pre-covid this meant that breeders often had to make difficult decisions. 

During covid, it was really comfortable to know that I could afford to allow the vet to carry out tests etc which I could never have afforded to do prior to covid.  

I will not go there again, well bred socialised puppies must be considered worth spending a realistic price on for no other reason than CHEAP becomes throw away and lack of responsibility, and we all know that this is happening with all types of goods. 

My dogs come first.

For 30 years I scrimped, everything I made went into making the dogs life better. and because of this I will never be able to afford to purchase my own farm let alone a smallholding.  

It is not always possible to prevent problems but experience helps to overcome when Nature tries to throw those curveballs. 

Sadly only 1% of all puppies produced are produced by licensed breeders and have the protection afforded by the sale of goods act. 

YES, JUST 1% of all puppies produced in the UK are from LICENSED BREEDERS - that is mind blowing, more than 1 000 000  (one MILLION) unprotected puppies and owners, not having to provide the same minimum welfare requirements and protection for you, the new owner.   

 
IGNORANCE is no excuse when owning another living being. 

Will you continue to support the following type of breeder?

1. Does not value their own time, and feeds cheap unsuitable food, no health tests, no back up, no guarantees, no license.  
2. I have unneutered male and females on the farm and they breed whenever they like, 
3. I did not see her in season, but I consider the small income from the resulting pups a bonus to my way of life.
4. They are good workers but not going to keep a puppy and I consider the small (even large) income a bonus. 
5. Oh, just wanted her to have a litter (maybe to keep a puppy ourselves) - what happens to the other 9 (usually) MALE puppies nobody really wants? 
6. Thought she would not be caught so young, (if you don't know about females and pregnancy - why have a dog in the first place?) 
7. She has such a lovely nature we want her to have puppies, (no health tests). 
8. I work all day and can't take time off work to help those pups I bring into the world, but everything will go ok, it won't happen to me or my lady dog, even if I have no ideas about biology, whelping, rearing. Loads of female dogs are put at risk through this naïve thought. 
9. Wanted to make a bit of pocket money (bet not many would own up to this).

If you earn more than £1000.00 TURNOVER (not Profit) from the sale of "anything" you own (including the sale of puppies) it must be declared on your Self assessment tax return, if you are making any profit whatsoever, then you are most definitely, in the business of breeding dogs for sale and MUST be council licensed.  

If you advertise (on Facebook, or anywhere, even just a post "looking for new postcode") you are contravening the law as this is one of the business tests for the HMRC. 

If the breeder you buy from is rearing their pups in a shed, on crappy food, and asking more than £400.00 each for those puppies he is still most likely making a small PROFIT on those pups, since he does not put a value on his time.    

1. Take it from me, a professional breeder of over 30 years.  My pups cost twice that in labour expenses alone and around £200.00 in vet and food per puppy.
2. a puppy reared in a shed is not prepared for busy modern day life, especially in an urban environment. 
3. EVERY BREEDER should be licensed to be allowed to advertise and sell even ONE puppy from ONE litter, this allows you the purchaser some protection under the SALE OF GOODS ACT.
4. Unlicensed Breeders, answer to no-one, not even your the purchaser. 
5. If a breeder is not council licensed, you and the puppy have NO PROTECTION 

OUR ASTRA PUPPIES WILL NEVER END UP IN RESCUE as our owners have the guarantee that we will take back our pups or at the least help rehome/rehabilitate, if your requirements/lifestyle etc requires. 

Please do your homework and support only licensed breeders.