“Awe, look at that puppy, its so cute, I want one. ” I’m sure most people have heard a similar phrase in the past.
Puppies are cute and cuddly, but they are an expense when you put all the cuteness aside and look at reality.
Depending upon the type of dog you decide to adopt or purchase, you must do your homework.
What to consider when looking for the perfect pup?
Size
- consider the size of the animal in connection with your living quarters
- Does your lease, rent, landlord allow pets of a certain size.
- Do you want to pick up small poop or large amounts of poop?
- Will you need to travel with this pup?
Boarding
- Cost of boarding (per day/week)
- How often will you need to board him/her
Sitters/dog walkers
- Cost (if you can’t walk your dog, how much do others charge in your area?)
- Frequency (how often your particular breed requires exercise?)
- Are there any dog walkers or sitters in your area?
- Do you know any young responsible children that could walk your dog if you are unavailable?
Health
- immunizations (how much do they cost and how often needed)
- dental
- Spay or neuter (cost of processes)
Daily Needs
- Bath – (how often they need a bath and cost involved)
- Trim/Cut – each type of dog needs different manicuring. Be sure to study your dogs needs.
- Food
- exercise – your animal needs daily exercise so make time to give them what they need to stay healthy
- Snacks
- Extra’s (clothing, leash, tags, etc)
- Love, patience, and attention (every animals needs love and attention – it’s free so make sure you have the time to provide it)
Extra Fees
- Is there a pet deposit at your complex/rental property for boarding a pet?
- Monthly cost or increase of rent for having a pet.
- Is there an extra Cleaning fee?
The above listing is just a few things that come to mind when deciding whether or not you want to enlist a dog as part of your family. There are a lot of things to consider. It’s nice to see a puppy and think it’s cute; however, the reality is that your new pet will need a lot of things. Can you provide them with everything they need? If you can’t provide it right now then you need to put off getting a puppy until you come up with a budget where you will be able to afford everything involved.
We recently went out of town for 1 week and we paid $353 when we picked up our puppy from the doggy hotel. I was totally shocked at the cost of a weeks stay along with a grooming appointment. This is the reason I decided to write this post. Be prepared for the expense you may have to incur by adding a new little member to your family.
Ha Ha. Very true. Sometimes even the nicest of options are the most expensive.
Absolutely Jainey. I was shocked to almost pay $400 to get our dog from the boarder. That’s crazy. We never took the time to calculate all of this before getting a dog. We’ve boarded her for days, but never a week. OMG ! ! Still thinking about how much I could have done with $400/ Love our pup, but WOW. Thank you for commenting.