Cairns and $$

[Sam I Am]

So I am not sure if I am allowed to ask this, so please delete Brad if this isn't appropriate. I will keep it as generic as possible .

I am curious as to the average price of a Cairn puppy in the US? I don't want to know any particular breeder or kennel or a top notch show Cairn, but what do reputable Cairn breeders charge for registered pet Cairns puppies?

[Hillscreek]

Google and find a range from $600  to $1500. Reputable breeder more important than price imo. I didn't want to buy from a show kennel for many reasons and it took a long time to sort out sellers looking to make a buck versus sellers wanting raise healthy pups because they loved the breed. Actually same applies to show breeders -some in it for fame and $$. Some in it for love of the breed.

[bradl]

I'm not sure average price is likely to be useful as I suspect the cost distribution is bi-modal. 

I believe there is also a strong geographic component.

I haven't asked around locally what folks are charging and it's been over a decade since we bred anybody. At that time we were on the low side of typical in our area at $1100 (in other parts of the country $1500-$2000 was more typical) and the few local "income oriented" breeders were charging around $400 and probably still are.  Those are the folks who keep breeding the same dogs and never take their dogs back later in life.  

I honestly don't know what's typical for the sort of breeders who actively follow best practice, understand genetics, do testing, prove their dogs, and so on. 

At the time I told people who thought a thousand dollars was too much for a Cairn they should get a Norwich or Norfolk instead. (They were about 3X the cost of a Cairn at the time when I looked around). 

To keep to the guidelines, I don't mind if people say what they paid. But if there is enough description that I can figure out where the dog came from I'll consider that too specific to a breeder and nuke the reply. 

[Idaho Cairns]

In that regard then, I think I paid $150.00 for Sammi back in 2004 from a garage breeder who obviously bred rather large, elongated, gangly, Cairns and it was probably the best money I ever spent on anything--certainly has brought me a thousand times, or more, pleasure over those years.
Bonnie was $450 (2009) from what looked like a fine small breeder, I offered $400.00 plus shipping, the offer was accepted and that has turned out to be a fine investment in fun and love as well.  Matter of fact, after Bonnie was a year and a half, I was so pleased with her I sent the breeder a $50.00 check and an apology for quibbling over the original price.
I agree with Hills, money isn't as important as getting a good healthy, conforming dog from a reputable breeder who "hand raises" (gives lots of human interaction) with the puppy.  A $1000 more or less over the lifetime of solid Cairn Terrier pup is not worth worrying about--find a good breeder with excellent buyer feedback and you won't regret the extra dollars.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Idaho Cairns

[Idaho Cairns]

In that regard then, I think I paid $150.00 for Sammi back in 2004 from a garage breeder who obviously bred rather large, elongated, gangly, Cairns and it was probably the best money I ever spent on anything--certainly has brought me a thousand times, or more, pleasure over those years.
Bonnie was $450 (2009) from what looked like a fine small breeder, I offered $400.00 plus shipping, the offer was accepted and that has turned out to be a fine investment in fun and love as well.  Matter of fact, after Bonnie was a year and a half, I was so pleased with her I sent the breeder a $50.00 check and an apology for quibbling over the original price.

[_whits_]

For what it's worth, Addie's rescue cost was $350 (they request a larger donation for puppies to off-set the higher costs of the older dogs who have trouble finding homes). Older dogs' adoption price decreases proportionate to age (they typically don't charge for senior Cairns). 

When I was considering going through a breeder, the local Cairn club in CO told me to expect prices between $1400 and $1800 USD for a reputable breeder. I was also approached through the club with an offer from a breeder to purchase a 1 year-old who was returned by her first owners and she would have cost $1000. This was in 2011.

[remltr]

Back in 2009 when I got Sassy, who was 4 years old at the time, I was told by the breeder that a puppy would be $1.000.00. I paid $500 for Sassy. The best money I ever spent as Idaho also expressed. I live in Washington state. BTW Sassy was a show dog and champion.

This breeder is very concerned about breed health. My contract states that if I were to surrender Sassy that I have to surrender to the breeder.

[Sam I Am]

I would gladly take a rescue but for some reason in our area,there are no rescue Cairns . Hundreds of husky lab shepards crosses,'pit bulls,etc. There are a few litters expected from some Breeders in our area in the spring, but I must admit paying $1500 and up  is a bit steep for a retired me. I was hoping that given that there are so many more available Cairns In the US , even with the exchange and airfare, that I could purchase a pup for less than our area. It's tough to take the wait and be patient mindset when I want one! 

[Hillscreek]

There is no way I could or actually would pay $1,000.00 for any dog. Would take a dog from the local rescue or other rescue first. Wasn't sure I could mention the amount I paid for Angus in 2011. It was $600.00, more than I had planned. I really had to search for his breeder. Maybe Terrier lover you could get on the phone or email or whatever and chat with people who have pups for sale. Plenty on Internet. I had a list of questions I asked and a list of questions I expected the breeder to ask me. It's like any other purchase - horses for example - buyer beware.

After many other contacts I got a feeling very quickly about Angus's breeder. Though quite few hours drive from here I was able to visit and see the happy healthy pups and their parents and grandmothers. The oldest was a fine old lady of fifteen. Talked back and forth with breeder for a long time. We bonded and she let me have a pup. She did not always sell to the people who came calling. In fact she kept a brother of Angus for several months till she found the right home for him. "back yard" breeders have such a bad name especially here in PA - prime puppy mill land. Some just want to sell pups but some just love their breed and want to enjoy them outside the show world. We keep in touch and although Angus has a home to go to if I should become too frail to care for him he also can go back to his breeder.

Never regretted this purchase. What a fine, healthy, fun companion he has proved to be.

 

[Sam I Am]

It is frustrating as I don't want or need a show quality Cairn. I just want one that is hopefully healthy. Our Scottie Rosie is from a non showing family that has one male and one female that they breed  occasionally. We paid $700 for her and she is the light of our lives. Healthy, happy and a temperament any dog owner would love in their house. When I was phoning around Alberta looking for a Scottie, prior to finding out about Rosie's breeder in another Province, , I was being quoted prices of $3500. Yikes. I understand if showing and selling show dogs is your main thrust in selling your puppies and they need to look a perfect standard that the rule books and judges want. Are they heathier....perhaps not necessarily so, as a lot of line breeding and worse is happening due to appearance sake.  Yes they can try to breed out genetic issues, like liver shunts etc, but for example our previous Scottie was from the top breeder in Canada. She was perfect in appearance. People would stop and stand in amazement. We loved her to death, but she was plagued with IBD and other health issues. We did manage to keep her going till she was almost 12yrs old. The average Scottie only lives to 10.2 yrs!  The reason? A very small gene pool.

I want a healthy happy Cairn puppy, that doesn't cost a fortune, that doesn't come from a puppy mill, but comes from a caring family that breeds the occasional litter. I know, and I am not bragging, but any animal that comes into our household is one that will be with us till the end of their lives, loved and cared for, the best care and food that money can buy. They are all in our will! Many of my friends joke about wanting to come back in their next life as one of our critters. Hopefully I can find a breeder that has a pup that isn't what the judges want, with the realization that when they sell the puppy to me, that they will be loved and cared for like our own children. (If we had any. )

[Idaho Cairns]

Since this video doesn't mention the breeder (who does not now breed litters--not sure why) I offer this up as an example of what I had to go on in choosing Bonnie--she is "...and here's little Tia."   As I recall she was one of the few pups not sold at the time I found this breeder.  I paid particular attention to how comfortable the puppies were with being handled by breeder, how they interacted with each other and the environment--not really much to go on but the breeder did have some prior customer ratings available and individual pictures of the puppies as well as pictures of the Sire and Dame.  Still it was a crap shoot since the puppy had to be shipped fifteen hundred miles.
Mostly my decision was based on price and on a gut feeling that these little guys looked and acted pretty healthy and showed, even at eight weeks, the kind of "Cairn attitude" I was looking for.  I feel like we were fortunate being able to locate and obtain a nice pup over the internet but I also believe, with some of the above statements that price ought not be a deciding factor--if you can get a puppy from a quality breeder, a high price shouldn't be a stopper--over the life time of a healthy happy pup, a few hundred dollars doesn't really add up to much.

 

 

[_whits_]

Perhaps if you found a rescue outside of Canada (or even Washington/Oregon/Montana .... I checked a couple for you and came up with nothing) you would still save on money even if you had to fly further to get one?

I know your frustration. I was desperate for a Cairn in 2011 and preferred a rescue but couldn't find any nearby and the breeder prices were beyond my budget and I did not want to encourage puppy mills. I was searching every shelter in CO and every rescue site every day. Finally I submitted a generic application to a rescue for a possible future dog even though they had no available dogs anywhere near me and by luck and chance they'd just been flooded with 15 dogs from a puppy mill in Missouri that were mostly being relocated to foster homes throughout Nebraska, where I could actually feasibly drive. 

The breeders I spoke to made a good point about their prices (not that it made the price any easier for me!). Even if the dog isn't going to make it in the show ring, it's still getting the same medical and nutritional treatment as the ones that are going to be showed. They test the parents and the puppies for genetic abnormalities, feed them more expensive food, give the best prenatal care they can ... So I can see from their perspective that a failed show dog costs the breeders as much as a successful one. 

[Sam I Am]

I so agree with all the comments. No doubt if all fails I will land up paying a premium  for a Cairn pup as I really want a Cairn brother for Rosie . But we found Rosie, and I do have the winter ahead for a search but if anyone on this site has wind of a rescue pup, please privately email me. They are as rare as hens teeth up here. 

[Malcolm's Dad]

Wow after seeing some of these prices I see what a deal Malcolm was. I adopted him from a shelter for $50 and that included the microchip. Best of luck to you Terrier lover. Hope a Cairn playmate shows up sometime for Rosie.

[Lupinegirl]

Nikki was $450, and we drove to another state the day after a blizzard to pick him up.  The cairns at the pet shop and the one I looked at that was advertised in the national newspaper were all $800 to $1200 when I was pal-shopping (looking for a furry pal) back in early 2004.   I couldn't find his supposedly "AKC registered" parents when I looked them up online, and I suspect the family we got him from was tooting their own horn about him being show quality, but Nikki was a healthy, fuzzy brown blur racing around the house, with bright, calculating eyes.  He did not grow up to look the way we were told he would look (super long back, big muscles, short legs and short tail, long hair, short thick neck, little feet, and three times the weight we expected) but he's been a relatively healthy, energetic, and interactive buddy all eleven years that we've had him. 

Edited September 25, 2016 by Lupinegirl

[Lynn in TN]

We had a difficult time finding a Cairn in TN. The first breeder was a show dog breeder. That one fell through, she decided to keep the girl in the litter and I am glad she did. That was the best thing that happened to me although I didn't realize it at the time. 

Then I found Kelly's breeder. She use to do show dogs. I liked her a lot better than the other breeder. I would call this one a backyard breeder, that loved the breed and even though her dogs were kept in a kennel, you could tell they loved her, and were cared for. With this breeder I was welcomed into her home, more than once (unlike the other fancier breeder). I got to play with all of her dogs. She let me meet all of the puppies and all of the adult dogs.They were all great dogs. She told me a lot about herself and her pups. I remember the visits as happy times. 

We payed $800 for her in 2011 and it was the best money ever spent. Anyone that remembers my Kelly puppy video knows that she picked us. If you don't remember the video you can still see it in the test video area of the forum. 

[utgaard]

I got really lucky with Loki.  The local Cairn Terrier Club had a rescue program.  I called them to put my name on the list for the next time they had a dog returned and they said they had one and if I could come down that weekend I had a good chance at getting him.  Two days later I came home with Loki for a $100 donation.  I don't have papers for him, but was told that the Club knew who the breeder was and I could get the papers if I wanted.

I hope you find a dog to be a companion for you and Rosie. 

[remltr]

8 hours ago, Lynn in TN said:

Anyone that remembers my Kelly puppy video knows that she picked us. If you don't remember the video you can still see it in the test video area of the forum. 

Lynn do you have a link to the video? I can't find it. I think the test area is not viewable by other members.

[Hillscreek]

These are all such heartwarming stories. Our pups were there waiting for us till we found them. Yours will be too Terrier lover. Pup can come anytime, from anywhere, breeder, show or backyard, rescue, local pound, advertisement in magazine, newspaper, internet, word of mouth.  Be open to what comes your way. Do like we all did - go with your gut. You will know - boy or girl or whatever color it won't matter. Waiting is the hard part - relax, enjoy the peace till puppy tears everything apart in his/her joyful cairnish way.

[Rylee's mama]

Around 1400 for a registered cairn is what I have found for the most part

Edited September 25, 2016 by Rylee's mama

[Lynn in TN]

If you notice in the video Remltr, one just sat there the whole time we were there. The other is Kelly, she still has some of the same mannerisms as when she was that little wagging tail pup, and that tail still flies. She stayed right with us the whole 2 hours that we were there, and that tail was wagging the whole time. She played with all of us, including My Mother (She is the one laying in the floor. The boys in the video are mine. Kelly was interested in us the other was not. It hardly moved and didn't seem interested at all.

If I had it to do over again I would still definitely took Kelly, but I would have tried harder to talk the woman out of a red wheaten adult female she had as well. Actually I fell in love with all of her Cairns but Kelly and the red wheaten adult female, there was something about them. I have always felt she should have been a part of our family as well. If I had it to do over again I would have done everything I could to bring her home as well. 

[Idaho Cairns]

How fun Lynn!  I agree, that tail and intent to interact would have sold me as well!