Pet Sheltie Cost

[Bailey's Mom]

The standard price for companion Shelties, puppies or adults, in the Northeast is $1,500.

That seems high for an adult dog that is categorized as companion or pet and not suitable for show. We went through the ASSA to find an adult dog last Spring/Summer and the high end was about $1,000. The prices ranged primarily on age. The other factor was spay and neutering. Some dogs were spayed/neutered prior to purchase others not, but all had contracts requiring it to be done if the breeder didn't do it. After consulting with our vet we realized that also increased the total package for purchase. Our breeder preferred to have her Vet do the procedure so Annie was spayed prior to our getting her.

For those who might read this post and be thinking about getting a dog other than a puppy, the breeder network could not have been kinder or more thoughtful. I started by contacting breeders who had email information through the ASSA and they led me to other breeders who I had seen on the list, but didn't have their info listed who often led me to others. It was an incredibly positive experience. What struck me was how much people were focused on making sure these dogs found quality homes.

To the OP listen to the voices of instinct and trust them. If something doesn't feel right, there will be another dog. I only made one bad mistake in my years of rescue and that was taking home a dog everything told me was wrong, but I felt bad for him, he seemed to need us, and sadly it was our only rescue fail. We found out after the fact he was known to have problems with other dogs and his best fit was an only home, which ours surly wasn't. This lesson helped me when we started looking for a breeder.

We had an offer for a younger dog than Annie and I was so afraid to turn it down for fear there might not be another dog. Prior to that we had been getting only offers for retired dogs despite our requests for younger dogs. However, something just felt off about the situation and everything was telling me not to go forward. I contacted the breeder and thanked her for the offer, but said we'd be looking at some other offers instead. We heard about Annie not to long after that and I had butterflies hoping she's be the right fit, but no serious concerns. Butterflies are natural, but if you find yourself with serious gut instincts telling you to walk away don't feel guilted into staying. The right dog is out there for you. The 72 hour coverage just seems fishy to me. Depending on when you pick the dog up, that's barely enough time to get your Vet to check it and have any labs returned.

 

[ghggp]

Bailey's mom,
Thanks for your insightful post! Great information and things to consider! You are spot on in your advice!
I agree, 72 hours seems way too short a time to guarantee a pup!

 

[Calliesmom]

my contracts had a 72 hour clause for me to take them to the vet to be checked out- not the actual health guarantee which is usually 2-3 yrs.
Price of puppies really depends on where you are- seems that the Northeast and California are the most expensive- the rest of the country depends on how close breeders are and if there are multiple breeders in an area..... in my area, the price has been under $1000.00

 

[Pam]

Hi All!
I was looking into buying a pet quality sheltie from a reputable breeder. I contacted a breeder and was told that their pet quality shelties are sold for $1500 with limited AKC. I was wondering if that seemed a bit high or is that the average? I don't mind paying that price if that's the norm but people are giving a bunch of different cost estimates it seems.
Thank you!

I brought home my Beau 1 year ago. He was $1200 from an extremely reputable breeder in PA. I had two other available puppies at the same time I was looking at and both were also $1200. So that is the going price around NJ/PA for a pet sheltie. I also had an earlier puppy offered for sale that was older (about 17 weeks) and had been being held for show but grew outsize. He was leash trained, microchipped, all shots, etc and was $1300 if I remember correctly. Health guarantee on all was much longer than 72 hours. Most were 2 years. The puppy I brought home actually only had a 7 day guarantee which really threw me when we picked him up; but his owner had health checks on both parents so I was more comfortable and he is healthy.

 

[Gypsy0211]

When I got my first Sheltie back in 2002, I paid $550. If I remember correctly, it was the couple's first litter. I was able to register her, but I'm not sure where the paperwork is now. She passed a few months ago. I got a new puppy recently and he was $1,200, with genetic testing done on both parents. I found another breeder more local to me asking a little over $500, but the lineage had Collie Eye in the family and she didn't do any genetic testing. I didn't feel comfortable with it, even with the cheaper price, so I opted out.