I do agree that the time, effort and maintenance expense does way on the sellers mind but........on the buyers end.....not so much. Reason being I have yet to see a tax break for owning a recreational dog.
Unless you make a profit by the game the dog produces. I dont see a viable way for the buyer to justify the atrocious expense that a grown dog that had been taxed down to the kernel of dogfood it ate last night including the sellers gas money and twinkes the seller bought during the hunting trips to train it.
Would be great in theory on sellers behalf.....but impractical on buyers side.
When it comes to a 'finished' ready to go hog dog......
ya also gotta think....when folks ask what some consider higher prices....what all has been invested in said dog. Aside from normal maintaining (feed, vaccines, wormer).....the time put into training, and the gas spent on taking said dog out to hunt time and time again....that all adds up.....so really, is that 'higher' price truely that unreasonable? Probably not.
both of you make excellent points...common sense will have to prevail...
the seller has to consider time and money spend on the dog to a point...the deduction comes from the pleasure of training and owning a good hunting dog...and that includes that dog showing you a good time in the woods...
However, I have seen som folks try to recuperate their money from a worthless dog which aught to be against the law...
on the buyers side...1000 to 2000 dollars is really not a bad deal if it is a good hunting dog...when you consider the cost of a well bred pup which can free to 5 or 6 hundred bucks...let's say that pup costs 300 hundred dollars and then at 1.5 years of age it has to be culled...then the process is repeated and the dog is an ok dog but lacks in size or color etc...etc...not to mention the feeding and vet care costs...
either way my first choice is to breed my own...but the right breeding, breed, color, size, slick coat, temperament.and hunting style...I would gladly pay 1500-2000 because I would see it more as an investment than just buying a hunting dog...
