If you will be a first time owner, here are a few things to keep in mind before you take the leap into a relationship between you and man’s best friend. Heck some of this information may pertain to a significant other. I’m kidding!
I’ve owned 3 dogs and a few cats that have filled my life with lots of joy and headache. In the back of my head, I’m like no more… but then the family finagles their way into having me agree that we need them. I just wished they’d take them for walks and feed them and pick up their poop like they promised.
So here we go… Some things to consider…
Time
You need to know that this is a commitment. Like getting married. An average dogs lifespan is 10 years. So for at least 10 years of your life, you will have to devote time, money and love to this dog. Hey don’t rule it out but some dogs live for 20 years.
Adoption
So many choices: gigantic, large, small, pocket-sized, furry, hairless, energetic, intimidating, purebred, mixed, brindle, white, black, red, multi-colored. Maybe you find one on the side of the road, maybe you adopt it from a friend. Shelters have dogs ready for adoption and so do breeders.
Adoption fees can include, wellness exam, spaying and neutering, vaccinations (distemper, rabies), heart worm test, deworming, flea/tick treatment, microchip, id tags. This could easily be a $300-$1000 price tag and that’s not even the cost of the dog if its a purebred or designer dog. Some or most of this will be left for you to take care of so you’ll be needing a Vetenarian.
Vetenarian
The pet doctor. Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Dogs require annual visits, annual vaccinations, monthly preventive medicines and unplanned checkups if something happens with your dogs. A test, exam or checkup could cost $50 to a $100 each. The common vaccinations can cost you up to $100 per year. Flea/tick and heart worm preventive medicines can cost $400 annually. Emergency visits… “whistles!”…
Allergies
You might have a clue of whether or not you have allergies to dogs. But what about family members or friends that may be allergic to dogs. That may limit the people that could come over to your place. Maybe that is a good thing.
Food
Do you want to feed your dog the big box store brand dry food or get them the “healthy” brand. For a 50lb dog, you could be spending $40 a month or $60 a month if you opt in for the good stuff. Wet food is a premium as well.
Treats / Toys / Clothing / Etc
This isn’t necessary but inevitable. Just as you treat yourself or children to these, you could treat your dog too. The options are limitless so this can be a bucket where if you are feeling froggy, buy something you think your dog will enjoy: dog bones, chew toys, ducks, dog beds. Dogs love peanut butter and that could substitute as a treat. I once bought a bunch of squeakers and took an old doll, did some surgery and VOILA!, a dog toy.
Boarding / Travel
When we travel, someone has to tend to our pets. For those that do not have the option of family watching over their dog, you can take them in for boarding. One night for a 50lb dog could be $30. Over a week, it becomes $210. You have two dogs, that becomes $420. Some boarding facilities have kennel only, while others have open space, and some even have outdoor access for dogs to go as they need.
If you opt in to travel with your dog, more and more places are becoming pet friendly but be sure to check first that your accommodations allow the type of dog you have. This could possibly add another $20 per day or $100 per stay charge.
Some people do not like to leave their dog unattended while they are work, so they send them to day care. This can cost just as much as boarding them the whole night, however, most places charge half that amount.
Another alternative to leaving your dog at home is to have a pet sitter which could cost $30 a visit or up to $100 a night.
Training
Dogs require a little bit training. Don’t have the time to train your dog. You can drop them off at an obedience trainer. Average is $50 a day but it could cost up to $1500 for a boot camp. In the end, you’ll have a potty trained dog who doesn’t bark at everything. Sometimes it takes one or multiple attempts to train your dog.
Grooming
You could groom a dog yourself, but there is one grooming task I leave to the pros: External Anal Gland Expression. Grooming could be just a bath, but there are other services you can tack onto that like haircut, dematting, carding, ear cleaning, teeth brushing, etc.
The bigger the dog, the more you pay. If you do ala carte, you may be nickel and diming yourself. Get the the full service and you may save a few bucks. For a 50lb dog, it could cost anywhere from $75 – $100. Beyond this, be mindful that if your dog sheds a lot, you might have extra cleaning duties around the house with a vacuum or garage, cleaning the interior of your car.
I had this awesome groomer that would always send our dog home in a handkerchief. So adorbs!
Insurance
Accidents happen or sometimes genetics happen. Some dogs are more prone to a certain type of injury.
One of our dogs got a torn ACL. Took him to a specialist and it would be $2000 but we’d have less of a guarantee as that particular procedure was great on small dogs but not on ones as heavy as mine. We’d have to spend $5000 for the titanium screws and was the recommended procedure. Not even 6 months after he healed, he tore his other ACL. This is before I knew that there was even such a thing as pet insurance. SMH!
Premiums can be anywhere from $20 to $60 or more per month.
Temperament
Some dogs chew on furniture or are very territorial. This could lead to damaged furniture or even possibly a civil court case if your dog decides to nip at someone. Training can help with this, however, you might want to think about getting some kind of pet liability through your homeowners or renters insurance insurance. That’s an added cost there. If you think only big dogs bite, think again, ever heard of the term “ankle-biter?”
Death
One day you will have to say goodbye to your dog. I cried for days. You could just dig a hole, but for some, they opt in for a cremation and urn. That can cost an average of $300.
Summary
Do you see all of those numbers we went through. It all adds up. If you have the time, money and love to give to a dog, then I say go for it. Hate to see people making the commitment and then have to go back on it, but sometimes life happens. Just know very well that your dog is grateful of you adopting him/her. You’ve given them something a lot of others would not, a chance.
Dog ownership is an adventure… some of the questions you’ll be asking yourself…
- Why does my dog eat poop?
- Why is my dog licking its butt?
- Why can’t dogs each chocolate?
- Are dog crates cruel?
- Are shock collars legal?
- How do dog years work?
- How to stop my dog from digging holes?
What was that? What about a cat? (Coming Soon)
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