Albannach
FACTS
Show vs Pet Dog
We often get requests of the likes of "I just want a pet, not a show dog".
As a breeder of purebred dogs, our aim is to remain as close as possible to the standard of the breed, which is also what is sought after for shows and further breeding. If we don’t do that, Scotties would soon be as long as Skye terriers, as high as Irish terriers and with the nature of a poodle. We care deeply about selecting compatible male and female for a mating, and we spend a huge amount of money into importing from overseas.
We do not do "pet dogs only", we leave this to less scrupulous breeders.
So how does it work then? We select male and female to complement each other, with the hope that their offspring will carry on the genes and typical characteristics of the breed. No litter is a 100% perfect or a 100% bad, some puppies will be closer to the standard whilst others will have some minor deficiencies, like a crooked tooth or ears a bit too long. Some will be more laid back whilst others will be full out there. The breeder usually keeps a puppy from the litter who has the attributes wanted and will show them and use for carrying on the characteristics, whilst the other puppies will go to new homes as pets.
On Pricing
We also get comments about pricing being too high.
In early 2022, a pet Scottie was generally sold around $3500. One and a half year later, costs of semen or stud fees, cost of insemination, tests, c-section have all gone up between 30 and 50 %. We now also have the requirement to microchip puppies.
New Zealand is a small country. We have a handful of breeders and the ONE who provided scotties to so many people, Judy Sargent, has passed. We are perhaps at the lowest ever. Judy imported regularly; this will become an even higher requirement now.
So let's look into the cost of importing.
Semen alone, there is the stud fee (the better the stud, the higher the fee, it can range from $4000 to $8000. To that, you add transportation in cryogenic containers, at at cost of $4000 to $5000. The total is estimated to be around $10,000.
Importing a young bitch is even more expensive. The cost of the bitch also varies between $4000 and $8000. In the month prior to shipping, you have to do a battery of tests, add crate, shipping fees and quarantine and you are looking upwards to $10,000. The total is close to $20,000
This is the cost to keep the breed going with healthy dogs and varied bloodlines. We are currently in the process of importing a bitch from Europe. Once all figures will be known, I will update this page.