how much did you pay for your best dog?

just curious... I got my girl (3rd one in this life) about 7 months ago, and she amazes me everyday... I think its a combination of where I am in life, and her smarts, and a little about her bloodline.... but the thing is I didnt pay a dime for her!!!

She was a gift from my mother for xmas in 2008... my uncle who is a "part time breeder" planned on a litter and it didnt take... so the next year I ended up with the best dog that I have ever owned... the littermates all went for 400 bucks each so I guess if I had to put a $ ammount on her that is what it would have cost me...

another point is that her bloodline is nothing really... no master hunters, or even junior hunters.... she is just a great dog... little thick headed for 10 months but it is to be expected, have yet to put a shock collar on her, but she knows all obid. ff, hand signals, and anything you could expect out of a great dog.

So how much did you pay for your best dog?

I have extremely lucky in this area, but not as lucky as you. My first pointer pup was by a hall of famer, and she was given to me. My wife brought her home in a shoe box. She was the most exciting bird dog most people had ever seen. I got one free that I named Sis, that was the best hot weather anyone had ever seen. I paid $500 for Cookie, at 6 months old. Cookie is the best bred bird dog in the nation, based on field trial performances by both parents. She's never been consistently beaten on wild birds. She's on the left in my avatar. I paid $300 for Cracker. She has a gimp ear. The jury is still out on her, but her mother is number two in the nation on the current NSTRA standings.

I'm down to Cracker for hunting except for Cookie for around 30 minutes or so each hunt.

My best mantrailer (I have bloodhounds, not hunting dogs) was adopted from Hot Springs Animal Shelter for $50. First time on a trail with zero training and no coaching, he found the "victim".

awsome!!!

There is a saying I picked up from a old dogman and IMO it is very true. It is "Good ones are where you find them."

$0.00

My best one so far (J.R.) was free because he was out of a Male & Female Brittany that my dad owned. the dog was free but I spent around $600 I think on two months of training at James Colliers. He lived to be almost twelve. His last year was the season of 05-06, we killed a lot of birds over that dog, I sure miss him.

Brittany - gift from best hunting buddy.
Pointer - $125 from breeder as a favor. thank you.

The best dogs I've ever owned personally were either free,,, or at a bargin basement price....

Breeders like to get their pups into good homes that will test/trial those pups...

I love taking what no one else wants.... The pick of the litter is totally overrated....

Angie

My best dog was given to me by a buddy who had the second pick of the litter. And my second dog was given to me by a friend who had a litter, and we have an arrangement that if he's hunting on a weekend that I'm not he can take him. Also a buddy gave me a very nice 2 dog, dog box. And a lady down the street gave me a 4 dog, dog trailor that I've torn down to the frame and I'm rebuilding. Needless to say I've been very blessed.

well I never thought we could agree on anything

I bred him and raised him after twenty years. I have had some good ones along the way but nothing like this 12 month old pup.
Adios,
Gary

$100 for an Elhew English Pointer

1. $800- she was the last dog left in a litter so there was no picking involved.

2. $800- she was actually returned to the breeder by a family that decided they couldn't handle her so there was no picking involved.

In both cases the litters were from great blood lines of proven genetically sounds dogs.

I have payed more for other dogs but these two girls were the best I have had so far.

$450 for my Chocolate lab and she has been worth every penny. Smart, house broken, snake broken, E-collar trained, upland and waterfowl retrieving trained and live bird trained. I actually lock her in the house, then go and throw her scented dove in the woods at night and tell her to go get it, and no matter were I throw it, she zing zangs her way and catches the scent everytime. Shes 6 months old now and all I can saw is wow when I let her loose.

"Free", paid a friend $50 to go get her. I don't know that I could have spent $1k and got a better dog. Last of a litter and she was 6 months old and the breeder just wanted her off the feed bill....no training at all but she learns really fast...

I actually traded one of my GSP pups for an English Setter. This dog was amazing and the easiest dog I have ever trained. He had an innate ability to find birds and his style was unreal. I still compare my English Pointers to him and no dog has reached the bar that he set.

$7.00 to cover the cost of the first round of puppy shot, his name was "COMET" THE $7 WONDER MUTT he was the smartest, sweetest dog I have ever owned. He passed away 4 years ago and there is not a day that goes by that I don't miss him

Well boys you all seem to have great dogs and great stories of how you came to get them so heres mine my dog sallie is a GSP akc registered master hunters in her blood Granddad is Impressive tobias and rawhides clown i got her cause she was the last pup left and my girl said she had a funny shaped head but i loved her the head problem was she needed to be fed and with a little growth she formed to the best looking dog out of the group of seven and the only one to have the most energy drive and passion for the hunt the breeder said make me a deal cause she is 10 weeks and between the momma and dad her and one male they were keeping the food bill was outrages he wanted her gone the original bill was $1000 after some talking I took her home for $250 after everything invested now after 11 months of owning her is $1500 or so in training I would gave $700 but after all I got a good deal.

i love labs....I am definately a "lab man" and i love your white lab! that is a good lookin sucker! congrats!!! My best dog ever(BLUE) the black lab was traded for. i traded lochsley on here a .38special and I love him. a duck has never fell that he didnt find. I did have a crippled run him all over the lake on day....poor dog...
you can see him on my web site

I would rather not say, but more $ than anything posted so far and she had to be shuttled half way across the country. I was very lucky to have got my foot in the door to get a pup from the particular breeding she was from. Therefore I was glad to pay it. Worth every penny.

My best lab was $75. When he was stolen my next lab was 4x as much and only had half the drive he did.
My Vs were $800 a piece. Don't have a favorite. It will be a couple of hunting seasons before we know which one is better in the field. They are both great around the house.

those are some great stories

x2

Same here - but worth every penny and I wouldn't sell him for 10x what I paid.

Had many of dogs growing up. So, I will stick with the Labs.

I paid a cool $20 for my first lab "Lady" as an eight grader.

Paid way more than I ever thought I would pay for a dog when I got Paxton.

After taking poker winnings into account $22

LOL I would be afraid to admit the total dollar amount for my guys. The upfront price wasnt too bad but since then it just keeps growing.

No doubt. I paid a handsome sum for my mutt and that has turned out to be a drop in the bucket compared to the ongoing expenses.

You said it TDH09. The initial cost of the dog isn't anything when you add up all the vet bills, food, training, collars, hunts, etc. Whether you get your dog for free or pay 2k for them, it's a very small percent of the over all expense.

I'll tell you in about 10 yrs..if he lasts that long. Couple g's invested in him already....still a long road ahead. He may cost me more that my kids college tuition!

My family just bought an AKC registered Bloodhound that we soon realized we do not have the time for. If anyone is interested please feel free to contact me at 8326204686 with any questions. $400

random..

Sadie at the Flying P Outdoors was given to me. Still probably the best dog ive ever seen. Was offered a blank check a couple times lol. One lodge bought all but one of her pups one year. Best dog ive ever had. 30 pound English Setter

must not be the best dog you've ever had....

My current dog was the best and most expensive. 1.5 years finding what I wanted then the bill, which we were felt was a great deal at $600. I had to fly to Denver to pick her up which added a bit to the cost.

We decided to have her fixed as my wife and I were starting a family and finishing up grad school but we have had 4 or 5 offers of 4 digits for pups from her. Next time we will wait and see what kind of dog we have before getting her fixed.

$140.00 - Rescued her from a dope head. I gave him $100.00 for the Black Lab, Female, and told him if he got me her papers, I would give him another $40.00

This dog was fantastic. Toook all of 5 minutes to train her to do most anything. She would do whatever I asked of her. Devoted 100%. She swam about 1/4 mile once in a lake to retrieve a downed bird. She took off after some wood ducks in a river bottom after I had made a bad shot. She came back 30 minutes later with the bird.

She slept at the foot of my bed every night. She died of lymphatic cancer 2 years ago.

Mine was Free to take home, but the dollar amount grows weekly. I would'nt trade him for anything.

my best to date (season has not started yet) was a cross doberman and lab that I got for free many years ago. She was one retrieving fool, and would let out a little whimper to let me know birds were coming.

free, the best I ever have had and trained, runt of the litter, sold him in 1969 for $2500.

I have two I can't choose between...

One I didn't pay a dime for - he was a gift from my family for Christmas. The other cost me $1,200 amazing little booger, but she died this past spring.

my lab for $200 and then my other lab for $150 they are great dogs just having some issues with the chocolate lab not wanting to retrieve.

$800 each for my last two.

lol! Well, most of mine and my husband's were FOC - cause we are a hunting/competitive home and we're blessed with some truly fine friends and gifts. I do confess paying $5,000 for a finished dog (which was a bargain for the level the dog was trained to) and recently $2,000 for pup. Thank goodness you didn't ask what I'd paid for training. =:o

I bought my first chocolate Lab, Sugar, for $250 in December of 1995 when my sons were 1 and 3, and she will be 15 on October 9, 2010. Today, she is stone deaf but in overall good shape for her age. It is going to be a REAL bad day when I lose her.

In June of 2008, my youngest son talked me into buying another Lab pup. We went to a highly respected breeder looking for a chocolate pup, but the one I wanted wasn't for sale (they had already been offered $10,000 for it and turned it down). The breeder also had a litter of yellows, and there was a little female that absolutely demanded my attention, and I fell in love with her immediately. I paid $800 to take her home. Annie has a field trial pedigree, but I got interested in tracking and blood trailing and have trained her for accordingly. She has become my constant companion and is sitting beside me on the couch while I type this.

Free. But.....I have probably spent $10k on dog related stuff since I got her. Great dog though, wouldnt trade her for a new pick-up.

So far, $250 for Zeke and he is awesome. But, I have a female I am working on that was $150. I don't think her OB will be as good as Zeke's, but she may have a tad more drive to get to the bird. She still has a long way to go in her training though.