Consider a Cash Crop
(Page 6 of 7)
May/June 1972
By Dorothy Lockard
There are many ways to go about selling pups . . . and they'll sell themselves if they're seen. One breeder I know owns a drive-in sandwich stand and puts her dogs in a playpen out front where they sell fast. If your bitch and the stud she's bred to both came from good breeders, word of mouth alone will move the pups for you. Still, I prefer to advertise a little.
RELATED CONTENT
Newspaper ads are good, especially if you place them the night before payday . . . and don't forget weekly papers and shoppers: they reach a lot of people and their space is usually pretty reasonable. Radio stations often have "swapshops" which will mention your dogs free and bulletin boards in laundromats, grocery stores, magazine stands and schools are great places to hang posters or placards. Do such displays up fancy and bright and they'll attract attention.
Use your imagination when advertising puppies. A barmaid in a motel put a notice for her animals in the men's room . . . at eye level over the urinal. She told me, "Those truck drivers have more money than they know what to do with, so I made sure they saw my ad."
The best pup promotion, though, isn't worth much if you don't sit home by the phone until the whole litter is sold. It may mean missing some fun, but you'll have to do it . . . otherwise, folks who call and get no answer might very well take their dog business elsewhere.
Observe the prevailing prices in your area. Other breeders won't take kindly to being drastically undersold and might retaliate by saying some pretty nasty things about your dogs and you. I always charge just about the average for most of mine and price one a little less, one a little more and a good bit more for the best female in the brood (if I can't sell them all, I'd like the one I'm stuck with to be the best).
If you're raising an expensive breed and decide to lower your prices some to get rid of the last pup or two, don't let your final customer know you've come down . . . trade him out of something for the difference. If the dog normally sells for $125, give it to him for $100 and an old spittoon. The buyer may think you're crazy, but he'll be happy with the bargain . . . and think he paid what you (in your demented condition) consider full price for the pup. That'll help you sell the next litter without being bombarded with demands for discount house markdowns.
Yep. Dog raising can be the source of many a smile . . . and a pretty good income too. Farmers used to say, "Hogs pay the taxes. Good times or bad, hogs pay the taxes." Now dogs are paying some of those taxes, too . . . and—for some of us—they're a lot more fun than hogs.
ILLNESSES
Illness is no great problem for a well-cared-for dog . . . but, just like people, even the healthiest canines sometimes do become sick. Prevention is usually the best medicine. A wise owner or dog breeder remains alert for signs of the four most common canine ailments.
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