How do you answer when....

....someone blatantly asks you how much your Cav cost, or another comparably annoying question?

I took Fiona to this great festival out on the coast this weekend, where, of course she made 25 new friends, and one woman who had been petting her and asking questions suddenly goes "How much was she?". Now, isnt that a personal question? Grrr I just hate it when people ask that, or say "wow, sounds like an expensive breed" and gives you some hoity toity look. Usually people either assume she's a Cocker, or the other day someone actually thought she was a Papillon (!?!), and when I say "oh, she's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel" they look at me either and have this look automatically stereotyping me and saying "wow, must be expensive", or they go "oh, you mean like a Cocker". grrr.

Not saying there arent those amazing people that go "awww a Cavalier! They're great dogs!"

It is rude to ask but many people do -- they could at least say, 'what would be a typical price for that breed' or similar. I always answer that the minimum price from a reputable breeder who does proper health testing etc is (fill in the blank with your region's price). That avoids a direct answer but hopefully gives an answer that, if they are thinking of a dog, gives them a guideline for good breeders.

People here are always amazed that Lily came from the pound and was 'free' (of course she wasn't, I had to pay her costs while she was in the pound, pay a release fee, and pay for a dog license). They have no idea how may purebred dogs end up in the pound every week, as well as lots of lovely mixed breeds needing homes.

Get asked that all the time. 'how much did she cost' and "what a cute cocker spaniel". Grrr..... must educate more people---Natalie

I was asked b4 I brought my puppy home by the gal at the photo store! I was shocked. now I think I will say she cost 12 thousand usd. expensive enough to be outrageous, but not so expensive that if you had that kind of money, you would spend it. think that will keep them guessing. hehehe

I just usually smile and say "enough"

I usually laugh and say I promised my husband I'll never tell anyone!

My mother has been considering getting a cavie, since she has fallen in love with her furry "grandkids". She met a woman at a retreat who had her cavalier with her and they talked about various things about the breed. When it got to cost my mom mentioned how much I paid for Zoey and the woman said "Well...your daughter got ripped off. I only paid $400."

My mom later told me when she described the lady's dog..."you get what you pay for". I love my mom!!

I find that a very rude question too, and as Karlin says if it was worded differently it wouldn't be offensive. I tend to be rather blunt when my feather's are ruffled, so if I think someone is just wondering what I shelled out for "an item" I say something like "more than a pair of joggers but less than a car" followed by an icy stare & they never persue the subject - yeah I am a bitch. If I think it is someone who is considering buying a CKCS or someone who is genuinely interested in dogs (as opposed to what I spend on things) then I say "well they are usually in the range of $--- and $---).

Any Moniechris.... go your mum!

I get asked this a lot, and I usually just say the average price range for one in our area. We ended up finding Bailey for $500 USD, which is less than many other people have paid for theres. There were few breeders that had any available, and this breeder had 3, so we drove 3 hours to visit and meet with the breeder, and just FELL IN COMPLETE LOVE with Bailey. He was less expensive because he is considered "pet quality" i.e. he has white markings, cannot be shown, and was required to be neutered and not bred (which were our plans), but had his papers. I guess we ended up lucky, because he was VERY healthy, and is an amazing little dog, even though he did not cost as much as some of the others. I don't think I necessarily agree with the "you get what you pay for" regarding the post above, but it certainly can apply at times. I had quite a bit saved up for him, so he could have been 3x that cost, and I would have taken him home He was meant for us.

I do get asked CONSTANTLY if he is a cocker, which irritates me, but I am not even getting into that haha.

This question makes me feel so uncomfortable and completely catches me off guard. I would never ask a stranger how much they paid for something! Plus, I feel like talking about how much Kingston cost makes it more likely for him to be stolen.

I hate this too! I get more of the 'Oh those are expencive dogs!' and a funny look like their trying to say what a snob!

If anyone asks you again just try and divert them,

"Priice doesn't matter to me, if she was free or 10 thousand dollars I would love her all the same"

I have been guilty of that, asking someone I didn't mean to be rude, I was just confused over what the prices should be. Saw loads at anything between £250 and £700, but asking did help me in getting Barney.

If I was asked I would probably say oh this one. Oh he's got loads of problems so he was free ( true or not) but they are normally X

Only because I worry that anyone who asks me the price is planning on stealing them later

How do you answer when

This is really a subject I feel so strongly about

I know the asking price for many Cavaliers here in Britain ,and I think that those Cavalier Breeders ,should be obliged to be doing Health Checks on their Cavalier Breeding Stock in order to at least to show they are trying to give the Cavalier Puppies the chance of a healthier ,longer life

Until Prospective Cavalier Puppy Buyers only buy their Cavalier Puppies from those Cavalier Breeders who do health check their Breeding Stock ,then I dont think the Heath Problems in the Breed will improve much

SO ,Cavalier Puppy Buyers ,the solution is in your hands.

Bet

It is very hard for a breeder do be doing appropriate health testing and then charge very low prices for dogs unless the breeder is selling puppies at a loss, so Bet, I agree that making sure (and SEEING the certificates ) for things like cardiologist clearances, eyes, hips and knees, and ideally, the MRI results for the parents should be the first priority, never the price, when buying from a breeder. In this way, cost is going to be DIRECTLY related to the quality of the breeder and the care s/he puts into her dogs and her lines. But at the same time, if breeders are charging around the going price for the breed, then definitely they should be able to show they HAVE DONE all these tests (though MRI-scanned parents may push prices up slightly -- but this should NOT be significant, especially not in the UK where there are very low cost scanning facilities).

When I am asked a price it is usually done in innocence by people who simply want to know what they cost and perhaps are thinking of getting a cavalier. It is rude, but in my experience never done with deliberate rudeness -- people are just ignorant and don't think how personal a question that is. That's why rather than be annoyed, let's turn the question on its head and instead give the general local price for the breed, stressing clearly that this needs to include evidence (certs) that the breeder health tests and breeds with regard to health. Most buyers will not know this and this is a great opportunity to let them know what they should be looking for. As Bet says WE have the power to help the breed by only ever buying puppies from breeders who fully health test and are health-committed and can show you the OFA certs etc.

It may be a little off topic, but what really bugs Kris and I (and other breeders we know) is when we get a phone call or e-mail and the first question out of their mouth is "How much are your puppies?", like they're looking at this like buying a car. We will never answer that question right off the bat. We will try to spend some time educating them about Cavaliers, health, puppy mills, etc., etc. If the person on the other end will sit still long enough for that and show that they are really interested in more than just price, then we tell them what our puppies cost. However, if they really are only interested in price, we tell them we are not the breeder for them and they would do better looking elsewhere; they will never know what our puppies cost.

And I agree with what others have said, the question usually comes from people who just plain don't understand. In most cases I don't think they mean to be rude.

I agree with Bruce and Karlin.

I don't think people mean to be rude.

It's up to us members of forums like this to try and educate people. Whenever anyone asks me about the breed, I always mention MVD and SM and also try to encourage them to do their homework and try to source a reputable breeder.

If I was looking to buy a Cavalier puppy, I know how much I would expect to pay and what tests I would expect to have been done on the parents and pup. It is highly unlikely that I would ever buy a Cavalier puppy from a breeder over here though (no offence, Bruce), but one day I may cave for a black & tan or ruby

What we all need to do is to discourage people from buying from 'dealers' who get their "stock" from the puppy farms. This is hard to do, as they are getting more and more credible.

There's usually no pain, no gain and a 'cheap' dog may not be ideal.

Loved hearing Bruce's response.

It depends on how the question is asked. If someone flat out asks "how much did he/she cost?" My response is "they don't come cheap". If someone asks in the course of a conversation about Cavaliers I will go into serious detail and give specifics.

I completely agree with everyone that the majority of the time people dont mean to be rude at all, they're just curious. I think it's all in the wording. When someone comes up and goes "How much was your dog" it's much more abrubt and insulting than "wow, I love this breed, how much do they usually go for?" or somethingl ike that. I've gotten into conversations with people about cost where they truly are interested in getting a puppy and they value and listen to your answer, but when i give my answer that is "well they range from ____ to _____ but I recommend buying from a reputable breeder that does XY health checks" and then I get the "well she must be a snob to have paid that much for a dog look" it just drives me nuts! I want to look at them and go ACTUALLY, I'm a recent college graduate, have loved the breed for years, and did my research, and I made an intelligent choice for a dog I love. So THERE! lol. I guess I dont mind when people ask price, as long as they show some tact. I've seriously had people who I've met for less than a minute ask the rude way, and I just want to be like, "what gives you the right to ask me that right now!".

When I began contacting breeders over the phone, I never brought up the issue of price. After a lengthy conversation I allowed the breeder to bring up the topic. I've also been asked how much I paid for Tucker and I answer similarly to many of you. I talk about the importance of getting a dog from a good breeder and supply the price range that I'm aware of. Another rather odd reaction I get is when I'm asked what breed Tucker is and I respond "cavalier" they seem to expect more than that, but yet when I respond "cavalier king charles spaniel" some act as if I'm creating an extra long name trying to make him sound like a "Fancy and/or Expensive" breed.

One thing I've learned since owning Tucker is that if I do not know the breed of a dog and wish to speak with the dog owner the best way to inquire is to first say, "what a beautiful dog you have, may ask what breed it is" As there are MANY breeds that I cannot readily identify myself.