Ebony's Pearls

Rafferty Sprawled in His Bed
Originally uploaded by nodigio

He has gotten to be a big puppy. He outweighs Itzl by nearly 8 ounces now, and soon he'll be larger by pounds. The way he likes to sprawl, he takes up almost his whole bed now compared to only a quarter of it when I first made it for him.

Tomorrow, he's supposed to be going to his new people, along with his bed, left over foods, his favorite toys, his first collar, a CD of photos, a booklet of notes, his vet records, a halter Itzl didn't care for, and a new blue collar that fits him now.

I think, if I do decide to do this as a side business, it may be too pricey for people. Rafferty's vet bills so far have equaled nearly $300 between his first exam for nutritional care, his deworming, his first 2 sets of puppy shots, and his de-fleaing. Add in the photos, the collars, the bed, the toys, the food, the booklet, the weeks of training, the potty pads, and all, and even a run-of-the-mill mutt like Rafferty costs around $500. Who in their right mind would buy a mutt puppy for $500?

The puppies I'd probably foster and train up like this would most likely all be mutts like Rafferty.

I don't mind fostering puppies like Rafferty. I think I do a pretty decent job of it. But I can't afford to pay out nearly $500 per puppy to just give away and I can't imagine anyone paying that much for a mutt, even if it does get a "designer" designation like Rafferty's Jahua Hund (Jack Russell, Chihuahua, Dachshund).

So, no puppy fostering for me, I guess.