How Much Did You Pay for Your Cairn

[Kate]

Not to be nosey, but I am wondering what the "going rate" for a pet Cairn is. I'm not talking about show dogs or anything competitive or to breed, just for an ordinary pet.

Oh, I know these little guys aren't "ordinary" and it is hard to put a price on something you love, but is around $500 about the norm?

Oh, one other question - at what age to you feel is best to take home, is it 8 weeks or more?

Thanks!

[bubba]

One year ago this past August, we got Cooper. He was $450 and we bought him down in Oregon when he was 11 weeks old.

pat.

[Eliz222]

I think there are so many factors that go into a price of a puppy. But here is my story. We had been looking for a Cairn puppy for over a year. We live in St. Louis and there are not many Cairns (except at the pet stores..sigh!). We had been looking in the paper and found an ad for a Cairn puppy, age 10.5 weeks. It turns out that the woman adopted her puppy from a family friend, whose mother breeds Cairns. Her husband just lost his job and they had to move into her MIL's home. Her inlaws were in their 80's and they said NO PUPPY unless they would keep her outside. Well, she knew that was not right for the puppy, so she put an ad in the paper. We met her at a store parking lot and she handed over Scout. She gave us her papers, a crate, some food, and lots of toys. She cried and cried when she had to hand over Scout. We felt so bad, but we knew (in our hearts) that this woman truly loved this puppy! We paid $250 dollars for Scout.

We started searching for another puppy when Scout was about 2. I belonged to another Cairn site and I mentioned that we were looking. Someone emailed me and said that they knew a breeder close to us! We contacted the breeder and communicated for several weeks. She sent me lots of pictures of Finch. She also gave me references, and I had to give her several of my own. I put a deposit on Finch and we paid the rest when we picked her up. I met Finch's mother and father. We paid $650 for Finch. I still communicate with her breeder and I send her updated pics of Finch. I wish I had kept in contact with Scout's first owner, but we lost contact.

So many factors go into a price of a dog, so this is a really hard question to answer. I can tell you that I could not afford to pay over 1k for a puppy, but to me they are worth millions and millions of dollars!

[Eliz222]

I forgot to add that we adopted Finch when she turned 8 weeks. I've heard of others waiting until they are 10 or 12 weeks old. I don't think I would adopt one younger than 8 weeks.

[kayharley]

I've heard between 8 and 10 weeks. Some breeders opt for 12 weeks.

[hallswel]

We waited until Rebel was 11 weeks had to wait on the liver test. IThe price depends on if you want pet or show quality and what you are looking for in a Cairn.

I met the breeder before Rebel was born and met the mother to be and she also had the stud. They were beautiful and had such a good temperment. The stud was on the large side and that was something I wanted. He was 21 lbs and Rebel is 20.5 very sturdy

There were several ads in our newspaper and when I called them and asked questions I knew that I did not want to by from them. Some let the puppies go at 7-8 weeks, no liver test, didn't want me to come to there homes, and wanted cash only. Those prices were anywhere from $400-$650.

I know I paid alot for my Cairn and my Pug but with that price I can call the breeders anytime. To a new puppy owner that is a great service. They also asked me to fill out a questionaire before they would sell a puppy to me. They cared about the homes they placed puppies in.

There is probably a regional difference in the cost of Cairns. When I got Rebel there were only two breeders close and they both recommended each other.

It was about a 2 hour drive for me. At that time the next closest was 6 hours away and that would make visiting to see the parents of the pups difficult.

Good luck, do your research on the breed and ask questions! This site is wonderful. I got my breeders name from it. Call some of the breeders near you and see what they charge.

[bradl]

I know I paid alot for my Cairn and my Pug but with that price I can call the breeders anytime.  To a new puppy owner that is a great service.

How I wish more folks appreciated this.

[Scully'sMom]

We got Scully a year ago August from a breeder and we paid $700.00. Some of the breeders that I could find in the PA area wanted $1,000. The breeder let us know when she had a litter due and she knew that we wanted a female. We were first on the list. She sent us pictures of the pups and we fell in love with Scully right away from the pictures. Even though she turned out to be the only female in the litter her looks were such that even if there had been 10 we still would have chosen her. We kept in touch via e-mail and phone calls throughout the process and she would tell me stories of what the then unnamed puppy was doing and what her personality was like. We got Scully at 10 weeks of age.

[MikeC]

We got Duffy this past Februrary and he was 10 weeks old when he came to live with us. We paid $500.00 for him and that included his travel to CA.

MikeC

[Guest Petey's mom]

We paid $300 for Petey at 8 weeks old. We live in suburban Kansas City.

[derecskey]

We paid $575 for our Portabella "Bella" (there's another younger Bella on the board here) around Cleveland, OH.

[wheezie23]

Out here in LA, the average price for a cairn puppy is $500. I've talked to some breeders who wanted $750 and some that wanted $350. Although I know that price doesn't always ensure quality, I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for. This is just my opinion, but I feel that most millers/back yard breeders are looking to make a quick profit but they need to get rid of their pups as soon as possible and will let their pups go at a very early age. I saw an ad in the classified section of the newspaper yesterday for cairn puppies 4 wks. old! I got both Zoe and Tucker at 8 weeks but wish I would've waited until they were 10 - 12 weeks.

Thela

[Guest CuttsMom]

We got our Cairn Cutter in April of 1995. He was 14 weeks old when we got him and we paid $400 for him. He was worth every bit of the $400 we love him dearly. He will be ten years old in January and he hasn't calmed down one bit. He's still as lively as ever and never misses an opportunity to explore his world.