The 10 Most Expensive Dog Breeds?

Over at "Petside" there's a ridiculous slide show detailing what the author claims is the "price tag" for ten breeds. 

What makes the slide show ridiculous?

Simple:  Newspapers and breed publications show very different prices than those quoted here, for which no source or methodology is actually provided.

Does anyone in the world of dogs want to salute any of these prices for pet dogs?  Not me!

• English Bulldog: Claimed price tag: $2,500-$9,000
  Actual Price in The Washington Post:  $650.00
  .
• Chow Chow: Claimed price tag: $3,000 – $8,500
  Actual Price in The Washington Post: $300.00
  .
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: Claimed price tag: $1,000-$1,400
  Actual Price in The Washington Post:  $400
  .
• Akita: Claimed price tag: $1,500-$4,500
  Actual Price in The Washington Post: $650.00
  .
• Rottweiler: Claimed price tag: $2,000-$8,000
  Actual Price in The Washington Post: $650.00

Note that no mention at all is mentioned of the long term health costs or average longevity of these breeds.  For example Embrace Pet Insurance notes of the first dog listed, the English Bulldog:

As a pure breed, English Bulldogs are more susceptible to genetic health issues than mixed breed dogs.

Right.

In fact, as the Embrace Pet Insurance web site notes, bulldogs are likely to come down with multiple health problems (which is why they have such short average lifespans), including pulmonic stenosis ($1,000 - $7,000), gastric dilatation or bloat ($1,500 - $7,500, elbow dysplasia ($1,500 - $4,000), colitis ($500 - $3,000), entropion ($300 - $1,500), and fold dermatitis ($300 - $2,500) among others.

Most pure breed dogs are, in fact, less healthy than their mixed-breed counterparts. 

So what's going on here? 

Simple:  This "Petside" post is selling pet dogs as conspicuous consumption and leaving off the fact that when people are buying pedigree dogs they are not actually buying better health, better temperament, or real utility in the field. 

So what are they buying? 

Most of the time nothing more than bragging rights that they spent a ridiculously large amount of money for a dog that is less healthy than a pound puppy, and no more useful to boot.
.