Pets the expense

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Do you know what you spend on your pets? I added my last year of dog ownership and it's $XXXX. Yes four figures in the last year. I won't write the number here and be ridiculed. Read my blog for exact number. But I will say my last dog was $XXXXX in his last year for sure. I spent $xxxx on one week hospital stay alone and though i never added it up i"m sure it was five figures.

I write this as I watch about three friends getting new puppies. I wonder if they realize the cost and commitment to getting a dog.

[sv2007]

Not just pets.
Many people's hobbies also are pretty expensive.

But, it is what we choose to do; freedom and working within the system. Sure some think outside the normal box and go rob a bank, but I think most of us work inside the system. So, it is one's life style, what's to ridicule?

But there are complainers who don't understand that different persons may actually want to live differently. I think sometimes people think they must match the Jones or that if they can save 50% of income, then others surely can too (i.e. if they like to eat anchovies on pizza, then there's nothing wrong with having anchovies on every pizza for everybody).

Maybe pets cost a lot less than therapy? well, at least that that's the excuse I keep hearing from people with expensive hobbies.

[disneysteve]

I write this as I watch about three friends getting new puppies. I wonder if they realize the cost and commitment to getting a dog.

Not just pets.
Many people's hobbies also are pretty expensive.

But, it is what we choose to do

As we've said many times, there is nothing at all wrong with having luxuries if you can afford them. Over and over, I've seen plenty of examples of people going out and getting pets when they were already struggling to make ends meet. That's where it poses a problem. Pets are luxury items. If you want one and have the money to provide for it, go for it. If you don't have the money, it isn't fair to you and your family or to the animal to take on that burden.

[feh]

Do you know what you spend on your pets? I added my last year of dog ownership and it's $XXXX. Yes four figures in the last year. I won't write the number here and be ridiculed. Read my blog for exact number. But I will say my last dog was $XXXXX in his last year for sure. I spent $xxxx on one week hospital stay alone and though i never added it up i"m sure it was five figures.

I write this as I watch about three friends getting new puppies. I wonder if they realize the cost and commitment to getting a dog.

I could go to mint and have an exact number, but I'll ballpark it and say several hundred dollars:

• trips to vet (exam, shots)
• food
• license(s)
• boarding while we are on vacation

[DaveInPgh]

[*]boarding while we are on vacation[/LIST]

This is one that adds up for us. In addition to family vacations, we have to board our dog 2-3 times a year to travel to out of state tournaments.

As for our annual expense, I honestly don't want to know. It really isn't an expense I budget for. We adopted our dog from a shelter and he was most definitely abused.

[HundredK]

we spent in the low five digits on our dogs last year. We travel a lot, so they're boarded about as much as they are home, and boarding is ridiculous. This year, we're re-organizing our travel so we are home a bit more, but the dogs are getting older and now the vet bills are filling in the savings we have from boarding less. It is what it is, we don't have kids and we love our dogs.

[Singuy]

we spent in the low five digits on our dogs last year. We travel a lot, so they're boarded about as much as they are home, and boarding is ridiculous. This year, we're re-organizing our travel so we are home a bit more, but the dogs are getting older and now the vet bills are filling in the savings we have from boarding less. It is what it is, we don't have kids and we love our dogs.

Not mean to pick on you but I thought I read that you were having trouble saving money

"Well, I earn plenty of money and i can't save $2k for month because all available dollars go toward paying down debt created by past mistakes. I think the point here is that it's more helpful to people when savings advice is tailored to their particular situation. Everyone is different with their own challenges. And anyone brave enough to ask for help here is probably looking for a tailored piece of advice, and not just a blanket "save $2k a month" bit of input. "

Hopefully this year you can turn things around because boarding your pet in the 5 digits(10k or more?) just so you can travel is a LOT of money (can't imagine what you spend on travel if this is the case last year).

[disneysteve]

boarding your pet in the 5 digits(10k or more?) just so you can travel is a LOT of money (can't imagine what you spend on travel if this is the case last year).

HundredK shared previously that they do a tremendous amount of travel for their business but I think that was one thing they were working on cutting back on due to the expense of all of the travel.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

With two dogs it's easy to get to low five digits in boarding dogs. I mean I've had two dogs and running $60-100/day for one dog you do the math.

Plus all medical for two dogs. I say it's very easy.

[DaveInPgh]

With two dogs it's easy to get to low five digits in boarding dogs. I mean I've had two dogs and running $60-100/day for one dog you do the math.

Plus all medical for two dogs. I say it's very easy.

That is one benefit of having a small dog, my boarding cost is much cheaper. I pay $18/day.

[Singuy]

Yeah I had no idea big dogs cost that much because we also have a small dog. So basically with two big dogs, your vacation cost pretty much doubles.

[HundredK]

Yeah I had no idea big dogs cost that much because we also have a small dog. So basically with two big dogs, your vacation cost pretty much doubles.

And, dog boarding costs for business trips are not deductible. So that sucks too.

[Jluke]

I have a great dane - on the small side; 85-90 lbs. full of energy.

We could never board him b/c as soon as we dropped him off, we'd probably get a call to pick him up.

Plus, based on experience with family members/friends who have boarded their dogs, they always seem to come back from those places and get sick.

Our vacations are limited to usually 4 days with an extended family member taking care of the dog at our house.

yet another way to save - can't go on big vacations b/c of the dog.

[msomnipotent]

I have a dog, 2 cats, and some fancy pants goldfish. If they stay healthy, I can easily spend about $1,200 a year just with routine vaccinations, food, treats, and things like filter media. Add things like Christmas presents and replacement parts, and it can be a few hundred dollars more. Plus, we are in the market for a 100+ gallon aquarium for the Koi that my husband thought was a cute little goldfish and grew into a 14 inch monster. That is probably another $1,000, even if I can get a used one. If I wasn't allergic to fish, I would eat that jerk.

On the plus side, we haven't needed a kennel in a few years. My sister or her friend usually stay at my house when we travel and they like to be paid in booze and pizza. The last time I priced out a pet sitter was several years ago and they wanted $150 per day just for the dog and cats.

[frugal saver]

I can't imagine not having pets--I currently have three dogs and two cats.

I'm very up-front with the vets--I tell them right off the bat that I will be "shopping" any Rx (Walgreens has wonderful prices for Rx's for dogs) and I carefully balance quality of life/comfort of pet/odds of getting better. I refuse to make an animal suffer needlessly to pad someone's new car fund.

I spent an horrendous amount of money when my dog was put on a medication that should have been short-term/monitored and wasn't. By the time she started acting bizarrely (and they were too busy to see her) a different vet was shocked at the Rx and said she was in liver failure. After two weeks of no progress I stopped the treatment. I felt horribly guilty but after researching, it was apparent that she had maybe a 10% chance of surviving the liver failure and would still have had the initial problem.

Otherwise, all vet/pet stuff is budgeted the same as everything else, with a stand-by emergency vet money market account just in case.

I talked to a financial advisor a long time ago who told me: "you'll never save any money until you get rid of your pets." I remember thinking--if I get rid of my pets, what's the point of having money anyway?