When we went dog hunting, Kerrie was the only Mongrel. There were no crossbreeds all pedigrees bar her. There was even a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retreiver (think that is spelt right) and a Tibetan Terrier. They are not cheap dogs, and neither and they "high volume" dogs. A friend of mine went to a small rescue and got herself a young Bernese Mountain dog for £85 including lead collar and microchip. Which probably cost the purchaser £1000 or more!
I do agree tho, puppies are very expensive..but probably justifiable in that the person who bred them (most of the time) has given that pup the very best since s/he was born, and hopefully the mum has had the equal consideration.
You only have to look in the classifieds to see the silly prices that people charge for pups, esp cross breeds and mongrels..still its what people will pay tho I guess.
I can remember my parents paying £70 for our first Rough Collie way back in 1989, and the breeder (Jean Ladds ) mentioning the sire, who is a very famous boy and apparently she would have been more like £800 in todays money!

well good luck to you. hope all goes well.  paying mega bucks for a puppy does not guarantee t a  pup a fabulous home sadly.

SINCE POSTING THIS I HAVE BEEN AND BOUGHT AN OLDER DOG FROM A VERY CHAV COUPLE IN A BIG CITY. SHE IS 3 YEARS OLD AND HER FEET ARE AS SOFT AND SUPPLE AS THE DAY SHE WAS BORN, SHE IS RUNNING ROUND OUR COUNTRY GARDEN YIP YIPPING WITH JOY AND HAS SETTLED IN WELL. SHE IS A PEDIGREE AND WAS NOT EXPENSIVE OR FEREE. SHE IS HAPPY A DOG

i STILL BELIEVE THAT IF YOUR GOING TO FORK OUT HUNDREDS OF POUNDS YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO CARE FOR THE DOG AND HAVE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD BEFORE BUYING IT.

I ALSO BELIEVE THAT BREEDERS VET PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUY  THEIR PUPPIES.

I SPENT THREE LONG MONTHS LOOKING FOR TIA AND THE LADY I BOUGHT HER FROM RECOMMENDED THE LADY I GOT MY SECOND CHI, ROSI FROM. BOTH BREEDERS GET REGULAR PHOTOS OF THE GIRLS PROGRESS. TIA WAS 18 MONTHS WHEN I GOT HER AND SHE WAS 500 POUNDS. SHE WAS SOLD BECAUSE SHE WAS TOO SMALL TO BREED AND THOUGH SHE WAS IN THE RING AS A PUPPY SHE NEVER MADE THE STANDARD AS AN ADULT.THE BREEDER FOUND THE RIGHT MUMMY IN ME FOR TIA.
ROSI WAS 8 MONTHS WHEN I GOT HER FOR SIMILAR REASONS AND I FEEL I AM THE LUCKIEST WOMAN ALIVE TO HAVE THEM BOTH. I PAID 700 FOR ROSI.

That very much depends on the person.  Ask anyone in rescue. A large percentage of dogs in rescue these days are pedigree dogs, dogs that were sold for a large amount of money, and usually to the first person to come along with that large amount of money.  

On the other hand the majority of dogs that do agility training with us and compete regularly are rescue dogs that had been given up on by their previous owners, they were all freebies and they are all in permanent, loving homes now.

Having the money to buy a dog does not make you a good owner. I have the money to buy a dog but haven't had the chance to spend it yet. Keep getting these freebies landing on my doorstep that nobody else wants.  

I don't agree either that paying more gets you a better dog.  I also don't agree with the price being charged for Chi's, £1600.00  !!!!  I remember not so long ago when you could get one of the top lines and a show type puppy for £300.00 and seeing as I'm only in my thirties it was not that long ago!

Though on the other hand I don't agree with getting a dog for nothing either.  I think that this is even easier for the person to give up on them.

Money comes too easy for some maybe. Sorry about your experience

Sorry. Got to disagree with that. Sum total paid for all my dogs in this picture - £300 and that was for the hairy one at the back. I have no idea what any of their original owners paid for them but whatever it was it didn't ensure them a good home.

I believe that if people are willing tp pay big bucks for their puppy then they intend to care for it. People dont throw money away for nothing unless they are loaded.

Because of celebs buying certain breeds, it does make some breeds like Chi,s fashionable and a lot of younger people want them not realising they are a lifetime commitment. I guess charging £800 UPWARDS for a pup ensures a goiod home, I hope.

I have two Chi,s because they are small and easy to manage out and about and they have the biggest hearts. Mine are spoiled rotten but are very well behaved wherever we go.

MY WHIPPET BITCH DIED 4 WEEKS AGO. RIP TWINK
I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF LOOKING FOR ANOTHER DOG AND CANNOT BELIEVE THE PRICES. I CAN SEE WHY CHIUAHUA AND BULLDOG SALES ARE UP DUE TO THE OSBORNES, AND WONDER WHAT IS HAPPENING WHEN CROSS BREEDS ARE OFTEN 400 POUNDS.
WHAT ARE THE DESIGNER DOGS OF THE FUTURE, IS IT ALL DOWN TO CELEBRITIES.[/b]