How do you handle selling puppies to family members? Do you discount the price of your pups, and if so how much?

I GIVE family members pups, I also donate a pup from EVERY litter to in service. I don't have pups for money, I have them to produce pups for me. Greed is a terrible thing!

Depends.....Those members of my family that I know will give a pup a wonderful home do get a discount. I worry more about the quality of home than the money....guess that's why I'm always in the red in my program. LOL On the other hand, there are some members of my family that I wouldn't sell a pup to if they paid me 10 times what I was asking. Follow your gut. Do what's right for the pups, and don't let anybody make you feel you HAVE to cut your price if you don't want to.

For family I would never charge a cent, a pup is a gift from me. If they want they can make a donation to a local labrador rescue.

Our son and his girlfriend took a pick puppy allowing us to keep two from the litter. If she works out great news for us and our limited space breeding program; if not, she has a great home

Jamie K, I have family members like yours.

I have very few family members I would sell, let alone give a pup to, and one of them is a vet.

Friends on the other hand...

Of course you must screen family and friends as you would any other home. I too have friends and family I would never place a pup with, I tell those the pups are all spoken for before they're born.

Immediate family, brother, sister, mom and dad - definately a gift - cousins, aunts, etc. maybe a bit of a discount. Ones I know would not be a good home . . . sorry, all pups are already sold and have a waiting list for the rest of my life.

There's no one in my immediate family (except for 1 sister) that I would place any animal with under any circumstances however, I have 2 uncles that have had goldens for years and are wonderful homes. I would not hesitate to give them and their families a puppy if they ever wanted one. I would not take any money from them but would ask that they pay for any shipping costs or things of that nature. If they insisted on giving me money I too would ask that they make a donation to a lab rescue group.

I have a couple of friends and 1 client in particular that I would not take money from for puppies either. It brings me such joy to have my puppies in wonderful homes and having those puppies exhibited in any venue is just gravy.

Aloha,
Kim

My favorite aunt wanted an older bitch. I paid her $250 spay bill , she did recovery time here. She had been xrayed , hip/elbow/shoulder/hock/CERF/Thyroid tested, cardio clear , not yet 5 years old, and I presented her as a gift. She was housebroke, crate trained, and obedience trained before she left here. I Dremel her nails for her monthly and do a complete grooming ! What a great home this now retired girl has .

How do you equate selling puppies with greed?? By your account, people that give away or donate puppies are not greedy, but people who sell puppies are. Outrageous.

No, people who have the need to sell pups to family members, thats plain and simple greed.

I have a brother who has been pestering me for a puppy and a family discount and I have refused... I just tell him it costs me so much to produce a litter I can't afford it. But in reality, I'd never sell him a puppy. Even discounting his current situation (a messy divorce and house in foreclosure), he had a Lab previously, who was poorly cared for. They would bring her along to family functions and she was walking on painfully long nails and had smelly, very painful ear infections. The excuses were "she won't let us cut her nails" and "we tried treating the ears but the infection kept coming back". Translation "it's too inconvenient to care properly for this dog."

So, everyone should be able to go up to any family member at any time and say "Give me $1000, and do not expect anything in return"?

Forgot to mention (so I don't get flamed) that I did what I could to get the nails trimmed and the ears cleaned with the limited supplies available... Poor girl.

I won't sell or give my puppies to family members. Just as I won't sell or give a vehicle or anything else to family members.

Well, I might in certain circumstances with certain family members, and most definitely wouldn't in others.

But - it never ceases to amaze me how certain members of my family save their precious dollars for vacation homes, boats, cruises, etc. etc. and would never spend one red cent on or for the family dog.

Why put all that money into them? (I guess they figure) Val can board them, give them their shots, and doctor their "owies."

Luckily for me, no family member has ever asked for a puppy or discount - but I have several co-workers who keep hinting.

Here's how they hint... "Oh, we would just LOVE to have one of your puppies someday, we don't want a show dog, and really CAN'T AFFORD one, but if you ever have one that you can't sell, we would love to have it."

I simply reply, "Oh, mine are all show dogs and very expensive."

I hope I don't go to hell for that lie! LOL

Valerie - Bibsmom

I'm with Laura on this one. I won't sell my family a puppy. My siblings aren't responsible enough with the animals they have/had and I have cousins that feel breeding multiple breeds for profit is okay.

I can choose my puppy buyers, I can't choose my family.

I guess I shouldn't be too hard on some of my family members, here's why....my kids never did drugs!

Too many walking, talking "Here's Your Brain on Drugs Posters" at my husband's family reunions!
Scared them straight!

(Okay that was just a joke! Smile people!)

Bibsmom - Valerie

You don't get it! Pups do not cost alot when they are on the ground, you have a litter of say 7 and will it really break you to give one to a relative? If it will sorry to hear that, like I said earlier I would and donate reguardless of litter size. Just seems right to give back.

I like that one.. have to remember it...

"i can choose my puppy buyers but I can't choose my family"

EXCELLENT


lol

My brother has been asking for a puppy and would be happy to pay for one. But since he lives near me and is GREAT with dogs I am waiting to have a NICE (show potential) to place with him (free, of course). That way I can still show and maybe breed the dog and HE can have a pet. Sort of like havinga great foster family for me. I don't want to have a ton of dogs and growing them up is such a crap shoot - so this way if it turns out great and if not then he still has his sweet pet. Now, if I could just find that right puppy.

I was told a long time ago to never give a pup away. It has no worth that way. Would charge for shots, worming and all that and add a little even for a close relative but sister's kids, now I would have to make sure they were a great home and still charge $300 or so just so they would know the pup is worth something. Family does not just make a good home. I am almost like the person about the cars. But yes, give a discount.

I have given my mother a puppy, free of charge.
I have also given $200-$400 discounts on several puppies to "repeat buyers". Not breeders, pet people.
I am not in it for the money.
Tomorrow I am sending a puppy home with my fathers boss, at a reduced cost as well.
It's the right thing to do.

Oh I get it. If your relative owned a restaurant, would you expect free meals? Or a car repair shop, would you expect free car repairs?If not, how is it different? If your relative did not give you free food or service, would you call them greedy?

WOW just let it go, you are who you are! I do what works for me and this is a hobby not my financial way of life! You need to grow up and yes GET A LIFE!

I have a HUGE FAMILY MY HUSBAND HAS 10 BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND I HAVE 5.EVERYONE IS MARRIED AND I HAVE 36 NEICES AND NEPHEWS. MOST ARE DOG PEOPLE. I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO BREED IF I GAVE AWAY MY PUPPIES. I DO GIVE A FAMILY DISCOUNT. $800 FOR PUPS THAT I SELL FOR $1,200. I THINK THAT IS FAIR

You just need to realize that the way you do things is not the end all. It is not fair to anyone for you to say they are greedy if they charge a relative for a pup. Greed has nothing to do with it. Also, donating a pup for service is noble for you, so you can toot your horn. But, it is not the best life for a dog. If you really want to do what is best for the pup, and not for your ego, you would find them a nice pet home. Service dogs do not always have a great quality of life.

I guess I've been lucky in that I've never had a family member ask me for a puppy, free or otherwise. My parents rescued their black lab. I did, however, give a retired girl to my sister a couple of years ago. She grew up in the same family as me and we always had dogs growing up, so I figured she would be the perfect home for Daisy. While I know that Daisy is spoiled and loved and gets to live out the rest of her days being a lazy couch potato (her favorite thing in the world), I wouldn't ever give or sell another dog to my sister. She believes that giving table scraps to the point the dog is 20 pounds overweight is OK. I've tried to tell her that the extra weight is very hard on the dog and she needs to stop doing that, but she just gets defensive. And her husband always talks about how he doesn't want another lab. I can't imagine! So no more dogs for her.