Shocking, but most of us knew this was coming??? - Page 1

Very sobering article.. Not about dogs, directly, but sure to affect our dogs. Dogs are iconic of the middle class lifestyle, are they not? America is in for harder times...

Everyone should read this, and weep.
I predict that pets / puppies will also be imported increasingly from overseas, where costs of labor and foodstuffs may be lower, and regulations non-existent. Whatever industries we have not priced ourselves out of, we have legislated ourselves out of. US breeders sometimes struggle to place an entire litter or older dogs, but in certain other countries, they can eat their mistakes and surplus. So, let's keep making more regulations and make it easier on the competition. Why not? We've done it to every other industry!

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/the-u.s.-middle-class-is-being-wiped-out-heres-the-stats-to-prove-it-520657.html?tickers=^DJI,^GSPC,SPY,MCD,WMT,XRT,DIA

I do not know about more Dogs being imported into the USA but where does the cheaper food come in over here you will pay for Royal Canin G.S   kibble  82 USA dollars for a 28lb bag
for Orijen Adult it will cost 97 USA dollars for 32lb bag, and you think that cheaper than the USA
all other kibbles are a comparable price
Steve1

All food.. human food, dog food, is expensive in Europe, at least in Germany and W. Europe. This is true. Some people I'm sure get scraps and offal from the butcher or abbatoir.

I'm expecting that we will be seeing more imported dogs from relatively poor countries and territories such as Puerto Rico and Haiti, Carribean Islands. This traffic is already well established. Anywhere there is ample transport opportunity from the tourist trade, especially. Tourists are often talked into taking "rescues" on as excess baggage. You can take a look at Saveasato.org if you like. They do this.

I'm just wondering how long it will be until the "rescues" start looking more and more like purebreds and ending up in pet stores and distribution chains which originate in China, perhaps. By the time that purebred dog breeders in the US are driven out by draconian regulatory schemes, I think this will become a reality.

Food in Germany is not more expensive than in the U.S.
How do you get that????
Every time I go to my parents' house in Germany and buy groceries, I wish that I had the same bills here in the Washington DC area. Yes, junk food might be cheaper here but not the regular grocery items or even restaurants. When we go to our favorite Italian "Pizzeria" in Germany, we still pay about 6 to 8 Euros for a huge pizza. And tips in Germany just means to round the amount up to the next Euro.
On the other hand, my parents are always shocked when they go grocery shopping overhere on a visit. And my German girlfriends don't come for shopping trips anymore like they used to, once a year. I miss them terribly. Now, I am the one going to them, and they live in Munich, one of the most expensive cities in Germany (I know, I lived there myself for a long time). You just need to know where to shop.

I cannot speak for Germany, but in  Belgium it costs a quarter more to live than it does in the UK
Steve1

I've not found restaurants or grocery stores to be more expensive in Germany. One thing, the tipping is whatever you feel you should tip, not like the mandatory tipping here that servers expect, even if they do a crap job.

As for clothes, we have some outlet malls here, but found deals in Luxembourg on one trip that were better than home. Just depends I guess, where you go. Some places are expensive, like if you were window shopping in Rome.

I've not bought dog food in EU.

I suppose we could see inferior pet shop dogs being imported for sale more and more, but won't the lemon laws, etc still apply to those dogs like they do to ours?

"Food in Germany is not more expensive than in the U.S."

And a lot of it is better quality!  Seriously, where do people get this stuff?

"You just need to know where to shop."

At the Toom Markt? 

Keith, in Germany?
Let's see: Aldi is the all essential place to buy any groceries but fresh produce. Aldi markets are in the U.S. as well but they are not the same over here than in Europe.
Even from over here, I monitor Aldi sales  which happen every Wednesday. I give my mother a call and send her to it when I see something - like children's raingear, boots or other things. Lidl is another good place for super sales and so is Tchibo (which really is a coffee store but sells great household items and clothing).
Fresh produce and meats: The weekly farmer markets!
Clothes: C&A and Adler have great every day sales, from jeans to jackets to underwear to shoes.
My alltime favorite clothing stores are the Buddelei boutiques which are very color coordinated with super quality and decent prices. I still have shirts from there from 5 years ago or older and they look good which I can't say about my Macy's or Kohl's clothing. For shoes, I would recommend Rieker.
Ok, I shut up now. Anybody who needs shopping advise for Germany, please email or pm, lol.
Dog food: A lot of people feed Bosch, Koeber or Bewie - good foods and they are reasonable.
Chris

"Keith, in Germany?"

Yes, Chris, in Germany.  My comment about the Toom Markt was tongue-in-cheek...I went to one in Bad Nauheim once...hated it.  It was like a WalMart before most people (myself included) had ever heard of WalMart in the U.S.

Keith, did you know that Walmart gave up in Germany and left? They could not compete with Aldi and Lidl.
Chris