Samoyed puppies are cute, cuddly and tons of fun. They are also teething and so may chew leather shoes left on the floor or sunglasses left on the coffee table. Gidget did all that and more and literally ate GidgMom’s wallet (never set your purse on the floor and then run out for dinner, leaving your dog at home to punish you). At 3:00 a.m., they’ll need to pee. Without leash and obedience training, they will be difficult to handle in a few months when they are 90% full-size and strength (adult Samoyeds have pulled carts weighing two thousand pounds).
We’re often asked how much Samoyeds cost. As with any dog, the initial purchase price ($1000-2000 or more for a respected Samoyed pedigree) is just a down payment -- a mere fraction of the cost of a lifetime of responsible care. GidgMom recently did some rough math and figured Gidget has cost about $20,000 so far and she’s just now entering her senior years.
For starters, any dog -- purebred or mixed -- is going to require regular veterinary exams, vaccines and treatments (such as a monthly heartworm preventative pill and monthly anti-flea & tick topical). Injury or illness requiring surgical intervention or other intensive care and expensive pharmaceuticals could cost thousands of dollars.
Nutrition is vital to a dog’s health. High-quality dog food and nutritional supplements could easily cost $40 or more monthly for a single Samoyed. Health problems due to poor-quality food could cost a lot more.
Exercise -- ample and often -- is essential to a Samoyed’s health and happiness. They cannot just be let loose in a yard with no fence or inadequate fencing. These are sled dogs, not retrievers. They like to run -- far and fast -- away from the starting line. And like other dogs, many Samoyeds enjoy the sport of chasing deer, rabbits, squirrels and the neighbor cat.
Grooming is a big deal with long-hair, double-coated breeds like Samoyeds. The gorgeous Samoyeds on this website required hours of combing, shampooing, conditioning and blowdrying to look their best. Without regular grooming, Samoyeds become matted, dirty messes. You can spend $100 or more every few weeks for professional grooming to keep them looking good. You could join a local Samoyed club, such as the Potomac Valley Samoyed Club, and learn from experienced Samoyed owners what techniques (line-combing) and equipment (heavy-duty dog blow dryer) enable you to avoid the cost of professional grooming and keep your Samoyed looking and feeling great in your spare time. You will also need to regularly trim their toenails and pay attention to their teeth, gums and ears.
With those fundamentals squared away, and assuming you are up to the task and otherwise worthy of a Samoyed, you are ready to search for a responsible breeder. The puppy search is another good reason to join a local Samoyed club, such as the Potomac Valley Samoyed Club (which draws members from Washington, D.C., northern Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia).
Prospective Samoyed owners are well-advised to start their puppy search at least several months in advance of wanting to bring one home. You should become acquainted with the puppy’s sire and mother as health, structure and behavior are influenced by genetics. The breeder (and the puppy’s mother and litter mates) will be responsible for the puppy’s earliest socialization so you should be comfortable with their practices, perspectives and premises.
Be advised that a responsible breeder will not sell a puppy to just anyone with cash. Before agreeing to sell you one of their puppies, a responsible breeder will have many questions for you to answer, such as: 1) your dog-owning experience; 2) your home (yard size and fencing); 3) makeup of your household (children, other pets); 4) daily routine (such as work hours and time to walk the pup); 5) crate-training; 6) whether you want a “show dog” or simply a pet.
A responsible breeder will require that you sign a contract. That contract should stipulate, among other things, that: 1) the dog is to be returned to the breeder if at any time, for any reason, you are no longer able or willing to care for the dog. This contract helps protect the dog from being re-sold, abandoned or otherwise ending up in an unsuitable home or dog pound. This contract should also protect you in the event the puppy becomes ill soon after arriving at your home.
The sad truth is that some dogs are imperiled when the original owners die, divorce, experience serious illness or injury, job loss, foreclosure or some other misfortune. These are the sad stories of many dogs in pounds and in rescue, including Samoyed rescue. There is no good excuse for a dog suffering. Responsible breeders are cognizant that circumstances change and tragedies happen. They are first-and-foremost concerned for the lifetime welfare of the puppies they were responsible for bringing into the world. Prospective owners should be cognizant of this, too. There are also legal mechanisms to explore for setting up a financial trust to provide for the care of pets upon the death or incapacitation of the owners.
