Thanks for writing Lynn and others. I am so sorry that I have offended
you or anyone else on this List as that was not my intentions at all.
God knows I love this breed and my puppies sooooo much. My daughter and
I have been spending this afternoon playing with them. I made a poor
choice of words in trying to say one thing it came off like this and
goodness knows I don't mean to sound like a snob... If you have ever
met me or talked with me you would know this. Emails are not always a
good place to communicate because you can't see the person's heart you
are talking with. I certainly try to be polite and courteous to
everyone who calls me.
If anyone tries to buy a puppy from me I have a questionnaire I send out
and I talk with them by telephone before I let a puppy go. I have never
sold a puppy unrestricted and require that they get the puppy fixed
before giving them the papers to register the dog on a restricted basis.
I also have a Sales Agreement that clearly states that the puppy must
not be used for breeding purposes. I haven't even sold that many puppies
to begin with since I only breed 2 litters per year. If you have ever
tried to buy a puppy from me, you would find out quickly that I do this
out of love for the breed and try to place them in loving homes.
The thing that I am trying to avoid doing is that I don't want to sell
my puppies to someone who calls me who may only want to purchase a puppy
strictly for breeding purposes because they see $$$ signs in their eyes.
I have kept in contact with every person who has ever purchased a puppy
from me as best as possible. I send out a questionnaire yearly to keep
up with addresses and like to know how the puppy is doing and if they
are having any problems, I want to know about them. Also want updated
pictures. I am here for the life of the dog should they ever need me.
I am not raising these puppies just for the money, but what I meant was
that I put so much into it that I don't have any problems getting paid
for it. I put every penny I make back into my dogs and save to buy
better quality dogs. I myself am not a wealthy person who has had to
rake and scrape to save up to buy my first Cavalier. I waited several
long years before I could afford one so I know what that is like. It
just so happens that most of my clientele have been doctors and highly
paid professionals who can afford my puppies and they have made
wonderful pet owners. If I dropped my prices to everyone who wrote to
me and couldn't afford one I would have to take out a second mortgage on
my house to sell my puppies because I would go in the hole so much and
then I couldn't afford to pay for their vet bills or show or anything. I
am also a hobby breeder or I could easily get a secular job making more
than what I make off of my puppies. I am not a large commercial breeder
with hundreds of puppies however I try to assure that the few I do sell
get wonderful homes where they can be provided for. I am sorry if this
offends you because that wasn't my intention. I know however that some
people on this List enjoy beating up on others because they haven't ever
made a mistake or said something the wrong way and would much rather
believe the worst about someone than the truth.
Sincerely,
Cheryl
Gosh, Cheryl -- Not sure if you really meant what you wrote, but you
sure
have offended some people -- including me. The statement about who you
sell
your dogs to came across as outright snobbery....really got my hackles
up.
If I were breeding Cavaliers today, I would use the same
principles I
used when I bred cockers and goldens: the puppies were sold for what I
felt
was a fair asking price (based on the going rate of the breed, the
costs I
incurred to test and produce healthy puppies, and the quality of the
individual puppies) and sold to people who would make the best owners of
my
puppies that I could find. Selling puppies -- any breed puppy -- to
high-paid professionals does not guarantee a good home for the puppy.
I'd
personally rather sell a puppy to someone who had saved and sacrificed
to
purchase the breed of dog they wanted: I'd bet they'd have a better
chance
of really appreciating the dog once it becomes theirs and less likely to
"throw it away" when it became a nuisance.
You wrote: <...If they can't afford to buy a Cavalier then
they
can always drop down and get another breed....>
That statement, IMHO, smacks of the old snobby "If you have to
ask
what the gas consumption is for this Rolls Royce you obviously can't
afford
it...and should consider a lessor model vehicle." If someone WANTS a
Cavalier and would be a good Cavalier owner, even if they can't afford a
top-dollar show prospect puppy, they should still be treated with
respect and
courtesy...you NEVER know.
When my husband and I were affluent fine art dealers, selling to
some
of the top American art collectors (and a few museums) in the country,
we had
a rule: we'd be polite and courteous to EVERYONE who came into our
gallery.
This philosophy sure paid off. We were nice to a major collector/museum
benefactor when he came in on his way back from the garden center (saw a
painting in our window and loved it): he bought thousands of dollars of
art.
We were nice to the local garbage hauler: he bought thousands of dollars
of
art - and paid cash. We were nice to a local teacher: he bought one
painting
a year, took all year to pay it off, then promptly bought another (and
usually slightly more expensive painting), again taking a year to pay it
off.
He bought paintings this way for over 12 years. Who loved their
paintings
more: the teacher! And I'm not talking inexpensive paintings: we had
a
few in the gallery that had stickers of $5,000 - $8,000 on them. Most
were
$15,000 and up...way up to mid-six figures.
You wrote: <....I personally have no problem asking top dollar
for my
puppies as I know how much work I put into raising a litter, not to
mention
covering all the expenses of advertising, vet, food and phone bills.
...>
And I personally have no problem with breeders who ask top dollar
(even if I am unable or unwilling to pay that for a pet puppy). I know
that
breeders have lots of expenses and that Cavaliers usually have small
litters
so that it becomes difficult to recoup the costs associated with a
litter.
I also think you have every right to price your puppies at whatever
level you
want (just as we priced our painting inventory based on not just what we
may
have paid for them at auction but what we thought they were worth to
us).
I'm just grateful that there are some breeders out there who
have --
or hopefully will -- sell me a pet puppy bitch for less than top-dollar
because they know she will go to a great loving home and they're not out
to
make a fortune selling puppies. Of, if that doesn't happen, that I'm
fortunate enough to be able to save money to purchase another puppy when
the
time is right for us.
So, Cheryl, I know your dogs are beautiful, and I'm sure you do
love
and care about them and where your puppies go....I just think you
perhaps
unintentionally offended a LOT of people on this list and on the Hoflin
List
with your statements about who you sell your puppies to and why you
price
them the way you do.
Lynn Beman
Amherst NY
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