Wow a year ago I was returning home from Bali, preparing for a quick Christmas and jumping back onto the plane to ski  in France. Every second year we like to plan a large holiday and arrange for a vet nurse to take my place and help the other family members with the dogs.

So back to reality and it's Christmas Eve December 2020. How is our Christmas going:

Hard borders are back up, gatherings have been reduced, Covid has been detected in a sewerage plant on the Central Coast and there is an outbreak on the northern beaches. Now they are suspecting a new strain of Covid has hit AUS and Singapore Airlines are closing UK to AUS flights. We now see Aussies stranded and not being able to return home. 

So wow the world has changed! Pandemic is the word and we are not out of the woods yet! Rushed vaccines that normally are tested for 10 years are now rushed through in 1 year. Lots of uncertainty now the virus changes and the question is can the vaccines keep up with the new strains. 

So we are all working from home, staying home, we aren't travelling and now workplaces are offering partial days from home. The truth is Covid has hit and we have adapted and yes pets and Cavoodles are part of the new world. 

Simple equation: Supply and Demand! Puppies are in demand..... prices have increased slightly but not as much as everyone is complaining about. 

So in defence of the new and expensive puppy prices from a breeders perspective....

1. I have been offered a flat price for the entire litter, yes that's right people from AUS and International markets want to on-sell my puppies and mark them up. So if we sell them too cheap at $4000 then people just come along and resell for $7000-10,000 (one client in Victoria said prices were $9995) Overseas much higher. 
2. People are stealing litters to make money - hence why we stopped home visits (apart from Covid and Parvo being a biosecurity risk)
3. Demand has maybe doubled around the world, animal shelters have no stock as people are staying home and it looks to be for a while with all these outbreaks. 
4. Toyota Landcruisers are in huge demand and I read their pricing went up 20%
5. Caravan pricing has increased and there is no stock in the country
6. To run a proper ethical operation costs $$$$$ - Science Diet and Royal Canin - have you checked out their pricing for quality feed. Also the amount of work to ensure that puppy is raised ethically with its mother and not whipped away and put in a pet shop glass window, this requires a primary production property (which costs a fortune and requires 30-40% deposit for a commercial premises)
7. Hours of labour and cleaning, our F10 is $500 for 5 Litres

Scammers do know that buyers are vulnerable during covid. However we now have a law firm that charges us to verify our chosen clients, and in my blog before you can see how to avoid being scammed. 

Like everything we have seen Real Estate prices surge higher than before, rural properties are in demand! The environment has changed world wide and therefore demand of certain products have changed. 

So if you are worried about what you are paying here is my advice: 

1. you get what you pay for
2. prices are high because demand is there (it has always been there for us)

As breeders we must ensure we are attracting clients who aren't cheap, as these dogs aren't cheap to care for. People spend large amounts of money on smart phones and objects that don't give them unconditional love. If you work out the cost per year of your dog, it is cheaper than a phone and more rewarding. 

If you read the moneysmart website about the cost of a pet... it is significant. So if you can't afford the outlay of $5000-$8000 then you won't like the costs of the upkeep. 

https://moneysmart.gov.au/getting-a-pet#:~:text=on%20a%20budget.-,Cost%20of%20owning%20a%20pet,each%20year%20for%20a%20dog