• The problem with that is that if you buy him then they will just bring in more, they got their money. They don't care the reason you bought him just that you did.


  • I agree… but on the other side of the coin... if they have started to discount him... and you can really get him at a bargin price.. then they most likely would have lost money and even if you paid for him... if at a low enough price make them lose money... However.. again all that said the longer he stays there, the more problems you will have with socialization, housetraining, and what his temperament might be like... living all that time in a cage.... in a pet store...
    So unless you can get him at a bargin price.. (and I would say under 300.00 at the highest).... they still will make money... and you need to think is this is really the right move for you... and your other B....
    How old is this pup?


  • @tanza:

    I agree… but on the other side of the coin... if they have started to discount him... and you can really get him at a bargin price.. then they most likely would have lost money and even if you paid for him... if at a low enough price make them lose money... However.. again all that said the longer he stays there, the more problems you will have with socialization, housetraining, and what his temperament might be like... living all that time in a cage.... in a pet store...
    So unless you can get him at a bargin price.. (and I would say under 300.00 at the highest).... they still will make money... and you need to think is this is really the right move for you... and your other B....
    How old is this pup?

    He is a Christmas Eve puppy. I've played with him and each time he is a true basenji, he's very playful and very curious but surprisingly, he's quite calm. Shango met him, too and they seemed fine. Ahhh! Let's hope he goes to a good home!


  • So he is going on 4 months…. certainly passed the "cute" puppy stage... again... if you are considering... maybe you might put an "offer" in for him....

    What are they asking? Have they dropped the price?

    Oh and just remember, while Shango might have thought he was OK at the pet store... bring him home is an totally different story...gggg


  • @tanza:

    So he is going on 4 months…. certainly passed the "cute" puppy stage... again... if you are considering... maybe you might put an "offer" in for him....

    What are they asking? Have they dropped the price?

    Oh and just remember, while Shango might have thought he was OK at the pet store... bring him home is an totally different story...gggg

    Yes, I know. Thankfully Shango really is a great dog and never has really had issues with other dogs before, even when they've come over, so I'm not too worried about that. He def. is passed the "cute" puppy stage which makes me worry even further. He is still ADORABLE because he's a basenji pup, but he doesn't have the same "appeal" as the little fluffy lapdogs.

    Right now he's 900. That's dropped from 1399. They say they are firm about the price because he's a "rare breed." 😞

    The whole things makes me very, very sad.


  • @AndrewnShango:

    Yes, I know. Thankfully Shango really is a great dog and never has really had issues with other dogs before, even when they've come over, so I'm not too worried about that. He def. is passed the "cute" puppy stage which makes me worry even further. He is still ADORABLE because he's a basenji pup, but he doesn't have the same "appeal" as the little fluffy lapdogs.

    Right now he's 900. That's dropped from 1399. They say they are firm about the price because he's a "rare breed." 😞

    The whole things makes me very, very sad.

    This is exactly how we ended up with Zahra, I am too much of a bleeding heart and couldn't take seeing her in that pet store a month later. She started out at $1395 and we got her for $900. 😞


  • What an awful story…

    Your heart says "Get him"

    But it's a fact, the petstore owners... will keep up the buying of those pups....

    I'll know for sure, if we see a B pup in a petstore... we walk out very angry (maybe with a little talk to the petstore owners)
    But a few days later... we will pick him up...
    In your heart you feel, you can rescure THIS one..


  • OMG… $1300?!?!?!?! WHAT!!!
    That's insane!! I doubt they'd go for under $300 then.
    I hope something good happens to him. It's so unfair.


  • Did you tell them at the pet store that you also had a basenji and that they are not listed in the 'rare breed' section? I would push it for all I could.


  • Maybe along with pushing that they are not a rare breed, perhaps they will knock the price down if you argue that since the puppy IS from a puppy mill and that those types of "breeders" do not breed for good health, that for the health of the dog you're going to have to do fanconi testing, etc.

    I heard from a friend the other day that she say a basenji puppy not too long ago in Ann Arbor at a Petland store and they were asking $1,400 but that they would let it go to her for $1,200!


  • Dash started out at $1700 for the same reason. We got him for $700. You could always tell them that when they are willing to come down to a reasonable price you will take him. At that time he had had all his shots as well.

    We still visit the petstore that we got Dash from and we asked the last time if they have had any B's. They replied they can "order" them but they are not brought in unless there is interest. So the fact that he has been there as long as he has may be incentive enough not to get more.


  • Maybe if you talk to the store manager and ask about health issues - is he tested for fanconi's, have his eyes been tested, his patela, his thyroid, etc etc etc - maybe the manager will get the hint and really drop the price.
    But others are right - no matter what price you pay the store will continue to get more.


  • And you can tell them that you can get a well bred, well socialized, health tested Basenji from a responsible breeder for that, why you pay that for a pup from a puppy mill that is untested, unsocialized, and not well bred?

    It really floors me the prices that they try and get for puppies (and usually do) when for much less you can get a pup from a responsible breeder. I agree that you should tell them they are not a "rare" breed…..

    Since he has been there this long and has already had price reduced, I would not think they will get that breed again anytime soon... thank goodness....


  • @ChaseandZahrasmom:

    This is exactly how we ended up with Zahra, I am too much of a bleeding heart and couldn't take seeing her in that pet store a month later. She started out at $1395 and we got her for $900. 😞

    Right now, I'm a college student (Don't worry- totally able to care for Shango, he's quite a happy B!) so 900 is still ASTRONOMICAL for me to afford.

    But the poor guy's been there for quite some time. And my love for the breed and the way my heart breaks has me visiting him all the time now to make sure he knows he's loved. Those stupid petstores and those stupid cages…I just wish I could rescue him. I know I'd give him a great, loving home with a great, loving big brother. 😞

    Donations anyone? ;-P


  • Pet stores typically charge 5 times the price they paid for the pup in order to make a profit. With an original price of $1,399, this means they paid about $280 for him from the broker. They also had to pay for shipping and vet care so they may have $350-400 invested in him. If you really want the pup, wait until his price drops below the store's invested price so they lose money. Be warned though that while puppies raised in pet stores may be well socialized with people, they lack other critical socialization skills. Most puppies have never seen sunshine or rain. Most have never felt grass or carpet under their feet. Most have never gone up and down stairs. Most have never worn a collar or leash. Puppies over 16 weeks usually have a harder time adjusting to things they have never been exposed to and this presents complications. Then there is the housetraining issue. Puppies grow up learning to soil their cage so getting them to be clean in a crate is a challenge. The pups are not used to the outdoors so getting them to relieve themselves in a potentially scary place is difficult. I'm talking about older pups, not 8 week olds.

    Forget about asking about health testing. The broker made a profit selling the pup to the pet store at $280. The "breeder" made a profit selling the pup to the broker for $200 or less. Think about it.


  • On the other hand, its not his fault he is a pet store dog, and he needs a home too


  • Though it is not his fault that he is in the situation, if the pet store turns a profit on him meaning selling him for anything more than $350-400 then they will just continue to bring in more and so the puppy mill cycle continues. Puppy mills and pet stores continue to do business because people are buying their dogs even knowing they are from a mill but justifying the purchase by saying, "I was saving the dog", "It's not his fault, if I didn't buy him think what could have happened". It doesn't matter to them why you buy the bottom line is if they made a profit they will continue to do it. The dam and sire of that puppy that was purchased will continue to live in mill conditions with limited human contact, and limited physical and mental stimulation.


  • But what happens to the pup if it is never sold? Quite the dilemma.


  • I agree it is definatley a dilemma only the purchaser can decide, but it is nice to have so many opinions to help make the decision.


  • I'm sorry but I just can't agree with these "responsible breeders" who think its better to leave a puppy in the store so he can be put to sleep in a month.

    If you get a puppy from a pet store you are rescuing him. Not getting him isn't going to stop irresponsible breeders from doing what they've done for decades. If you really think that a dog with champion bloodlines will suit you better go for it, but that dog doesn't have a choice and neither do the other millions in pet stores right now. Saying you won't get him because he's from a mill won't change anything.

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