Mi-Kis are expensive. Some believe we are raking in the money. Truth be told we do a lot more than have cute puppies who need only shots and worming with a vet visit or two. A GOOD breeder does not breed for the money but for the development and betterment of their breed. That takes a LOT of hard work, time and money invested.
Raising Mi-Ki litters is a FULL TIME job 24/7 . These are some of the things we do to offer healthy, quality, well bred puppies...
DNA
Genetic Testing
Patellar
Cardiac
CERF
Registration
Showing Expenses
Puppy Pads
Quality Food
Grooming
Whelping litters often bottle/tube feeding
Sleepless nights and 24hr puppy care for sick or failure to thrive puppies
Dental Care
Sonograms/X-rays
Emergency C-sections
Travel expenses for stud service, puppy transport, or adding new Mi-Kis to our program.
Breeding Expenses/Descriptions of Expenses.
This can be much higher depending on region. I happen to live in south eastern Ohio my expenses are less than breeders in bigger cities.
Example Of Raising The Puppy Expenses...
Purchase Of Breed/Show Puppy $4,500+ or pet price with a puppy back.
Pet Puppy $3,000 -$3,500
Food $1,200+ year
Crate $100+
Regular Vet Bills $200+ per litter
Micro Chip $50
Puppy Shots $150+ Pet litter
Registration Fees $25 per litter
Puppy Pads $1,118+ year
Pre-Breeding Health Screens
CERF Eyes $150 per dog
OFA $100 - $150
Patellar $150 - $250
Heart Exam $150-$250
Brucellosis Test $100+
Genetic/Color/ Furnishings Testing $230+
Breeding Related Expenses
Stud Fee $1,500 or pick puppy stud service
Shipping/ travel expenses to use stud $550-$650
Other testing as required by stud dog owner $100+ litter
Whelping Supplies $100/litter
Vet Bills for Dam $200+litter
Vet Bills For Pups $500/litter
Food For Pups $300+/litter
Registration Fees $25 litter
Advertising $500+
TAXES (yes we pay taxes)
Breeding Expenses if problems occur
Emergency C-Section $3,000 to $4,000
(We just had this happen. On a weekend. My bill was $3,000 for the csection) I will LOSE money on this litter.
Puppy Formula $80
Other Vet bills Variable
As I’ve just shown you, breeding is not a way to rake in the money. We are not offering an over priced product that we paid a tiny fraction for on our end. We lose money often and go into debt to better our breeding programs. We strive to better our breed, weed out health problems, produce proper type and offer healthy puppies for others to love and enjoy. We care about the quality of life for our mommas and our sires. Our Mi-Kis are raised and live as family members. We do not have dog rooms or make them live in kennels. We are not a puppy mill, our dogs are not breeding machines. Our mommas have only 4 no more than 5 litters in their lifetime. They are then spayed and either stay here as one of our forevers or we find them a loving retirement home.
Yes it is true, you can get a rescue or puppy mill puppy for a fraction of the cost of a well bred dog. Those dogs are not of less value than ours. We have rescued. Sadly we also lost those same dogs to cancer and heart disease another to a degenerative bone disease all genetic traits that proper health testing and responsible breeding could have prevented.
Regardless of their end of life suffering they were our family members and I would not take back one day we had the privilege to share with any of them. All dogs deserve a loving home. However I assure you a rescue/puppy mill dog comes with no guarantee of generations of health tested parents, a puppy whom has also received those same specialized tests, breeding for good temperaments, hands on socialization. You are in the dark concerning what they came from, how they were socialized when their brain were developing, what genetic defects or diseases are in his/her bloodlines that quite possibly may rear their ugly head in your beloved family member (dog). While we do not claim your Shekinah Mi-Ki will never get sick or age related illness strike we do guarantee against genetic traits and that you will take home a healthy puppy.
Furthermore we take the responsibility of bringing puppies into this world seriously. Our contract also includes a return clause, if at anytime the buyer cannot keep one of our Mi-Kis we will take them back no matter the age of the dog.
Finally our Mi-Kis receive loads of love and care poured into them before they come to you pre spoiled, well loved and ready to bring joy to your home!