$1000 for the "rare" white boxer puppy?!?

[LPratt]

I just got back from Petsmart and met a couple who had a 3 month old white boxer, and they proudly told me that white boxers are very rare and they paid $1000 for this puppy! :eek:

I was shocked, and didn't know what to say, then they told me in the Yahoo classifieds they had "rare" white puppies,(ready for X-mas, no less :mad: ). Go to the North Carolina Yahoo classifieds and someone is selling a white male with 63 champions in his pedigree for $400....for what, breeding?!?! I cannot believe the unscrupulous people out there that are deceiving unknowing buyers by telling these lies....if someone wants a white boxer that is wonderful, but you shouldn't think its rare and pay out the a** for the dog!

There was another ad that was asking $300 for the fawn puppies and $350 for the white puppy! I sent them both semi-nasty emails and I know I am going to hell, but I think that is terrible!!!

I didn't have the heart to tell these poor people that white boxers aren't rare, and that they got taken for a ride....

I just needed to vent, that is simply awful!

[This message has been edited by LPratt (edited 12-11-2000).]

[This message has been edited by LPratt (edited 12-11-2000).]

 

[Krikkit]

I sometimes think people put more thought and more research into buying a toaster than they do a dog :( :(

 

[Nestle]

That is absolutely ridiculous! If these people had bothered to pick up even one book on boxers they would have realized that white boxers are actually pretty common and they shouldn't have to pay more especially since they shouldn't be bred. However, white boxers make wonderful pets!

 

[LPratt]

Just as a postscript, this is an email one of those "Rare" white boxer breeders sent me:

Hello ,
The reason the white cost more is because they are
harder to come by.It's really just supply and
demand.If you were going to buy a car and there was
only 2 of a certain kind and 50 of another ,you will
pay more for the "rarer" kind.

:eek: :eek:

 

[Jan]

I guess it just goes to show that the "breeders" don't know what they are talking about.

I'm sorry the white puppy owners got taken, but in some ways it serves them right as they obviously didn't do very much research on the breed or they would have found out that white is not rare.

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Jan
Markus, dark brindle
neutered male, 6 yrs old

 

[beandawgs]

According to the AKC guidelines, isn't it against AKC policy to even SELL a white boxer? I thought you were supposed to give the whites away (although I dont like that idea either). Is this true?

 

[Jan]

I believe it is the ABC (American Boxer Club) that says you can't sell whites, not the AKC.

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Jan
Markus, dark brindle
neutered male, 6 yrs old

 

[Linda]

As a white boxer owner, here are my opinions.

I think most people here will agree (1)white boxers make excellent pets, (2) that they should be spayed or neutered and not be bred, and (3) they should be sold for considerably less than their colored littermates.

It is a shame that those people paid $1,000 for a pup. But, what's the saying, "there's a sucker born every minute." If someone is willing to pay it, why not charge that??

As for the supply and demand comment--I think by advertising them as "rare," these people are creating a false "demand" for white boxers. Technically I guess they are "rare," in that there are less whites born than fawn or brindle. Here it becomes semantics. People interpret "rare" as being more desirable and worth more money. If there's less of a chance that your neighbor will have one, people will pay more.

In response to Nestle's comment on looking in any boxer book.
I will tell you from my experience that not many boxer books show white boxers.
Before we got Remy 8 years ago, we ran across an ad in the paper for white boxer puppies. I didn't know there was such a thing and thought the person must be mistaken.
I had looked through the small breed books you find at all pet stores and no white boxers.
After we got Remy (from a colored litter), I wanted to find photos of white boxers and could not find any. Thankfully that is changing. I did see a book the other day with white boxers.

I think the best defense to this is education.

------------------
Linda
Remy -DOB 6/2/92; white male w/brindle patches;
Bailey - DOB 10/16/99; flashy brindle female
Shannon - 1992?-12/7/99 Flashy fawn; We miss her!

 

[Alisha Mobley]

Most may not agree with me but I feel a white should be sold for the same as it's colored littermates if all health testing checks out. If a white should ever be born to either of my females I will have more time and money in this pup than the others. It will be my responsability to spay/neuter a white, have hearing checked, eye sight check, and all the normals that will be done to the colored ones. If it is a healthy Boxer it should be sold for the same amount as any other pet quality Boxer pup. I will inform potential buyers of any health risks that come with owning a white along with an informational packet about the care of whites. The pup will be much older before going to a new home and if it is healthy when it leaves my home it should remain healthy if the new owners take proper care of it and follow the recommendations for caring for a white. Keeping all this in mind I feel a white is worth as much as it's colored litter mates and can live happy, healthy, long lives the same as a fawn/brindle.

Just my thoughts.

Alisha - Indiana

 

[Copper Hill Boxers]

Here's my thoughts. Anyone who advertises or sells a white as "rare" is committing fraud, and while yes we can say that these buyers should have known better, that does not excuse the "breeder" from a lack of ethics. Rare, to me at least, would be 1 in 1000...not 25 %, as happens in flashy to flashy litters. If I had been in your shoes, I would have suggested that these people talk to a lawyer.

Tha ABC does not allow its members to register whites, and the norm for ABC members is to charge no more than the vet bills for the white puppy. Some ask that you make a donation to a charity, in lieu of any actual payment for the whites. The goal of reputable breeders is not to make money off our pups, but to breed *good* ones. By the time you pay for health testing, showing the dogs to their championships, stud fees, etc etc etc there is small hope that you will ever break even. That is still no excuse for selling a white puppy at a profit. JMHO

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Cindy B/Copper Hill Boxers
http://www.geocities.com/copperhillboxers