In a message dated 1/3/2005 3:43:58 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, edwinx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: I was blessed several years ago wh en I found a breeder on Vancouver Island who sold two litter mates to me for $1500.00 total FOR BOTH PUPPIES with NO co-ownership...the male went on to become a CAN and AM Champion...the bitch produced GV CH BONO...some say I was lucky...I say I had to search for something I could afford...perhaps we could get more new folks involved if the initial investment was not as high... Love 'ya Ed, but that's below the cost of pet puppies <G>. As far as the initial investment, I came from show/ race horses, so to me, in comparison, dogs are extremely reasonable. I don't know how some can say the "economy" is bad; unemployment is low, interest rates are low, the stock market is looking good, waiting lists for luxury cars for up to a year (gasp!) and they can't build McMansions quickly enough in many areas of the country. Having moved about five miles away from a car racing track, I am AMAZED at the rigs I see pulling in on the mornings I leave early for shows ~ now THERE are some big bucks being spent ~ color coordinated too! My point is, there are a lot of hobbies more expensive than ours. As for handlers' fees, you get what you pay for IMO. I don't begrudge the $$$$; that would be like me complaining about other professional fees; contractors, accountants, lawyers, the lawn service....nobody is forcing me to write the checks. And, as far as a dogs's price is concerned, if you want to take a chance on a promising puppy, that's all it is, IMO, a chance. If you want someone to grow the puppy out, maybe prelim, see what it looks like in a few months, you can't IMO expect them to take all the risk. How many promising prospects turn out? One out of three? One out of five? So expect to pay three to five times as much for a nice "dog" as you would a promising puppy. In closing, I think it's too simplistic to say our entries are down primarily due to $$$ (either handlers or the price point of a competitive dog) when if you look around, an awful lot of $$$ is spent on other hobbies, travel and entertainment. There are shenanigans in BOTH rings. Until a person learns how to avoid them more often than not, it can get expensive. We (generic "we") do have a somewhat closed society. It helps to be more welcoming. JMHO Kathy visit _Pine Hill German Shepherd Dogs_ (http://www.geocities.com/pinehillgsds/) ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2004. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org ============================================================================