When i tell people about financing their dog they look at me a bit strange as to say, "what on earth is this mad man talking about, how can you finance your dog?" Well, for for most pet owners, especially dog owners, if you are taking care of your dog properly, that means you are financing your dog. Lets break down this dog financing a bit, shall we? There are several key things that should be done to your dog if you want your dog to be fit and healthy, and all these key things cost money.
Dog Food Bill
Don't tell me your dog is mechanical and runs on solar energy. Every living organism needs some sort of nutriments to keep the flesh going. Dog food is what pet owners by as part of the process in keeping the dog healthy. So what's the big deal about a bag of dog food that cost a couple of bucks? Well, it all adds up my friends. The average cost for a 2kg bag of good class dog food. (Food with less grains, natural preservatives and real meat) cost roughly $240-$300 dollars per year. That is if you only have one average sized dog. So if you have three large dogs your dog food bill would be approximately $720-$900. Per year. That's a lot to spend on dog food if your take home pay is nothing to brag about.
Dog Health Bill
Aside from a regularly vet checkup which may cost around. $50 bucks. Some people will have their pets checked like quarterly, bi-annually. So if you are those quarterly persons you can expect a vet checkup bill of say $200-$300 per year. And that is just a checkup. If the vet has to administer vaccines, that can range from $45-$60 per shot. But vet prices are so dynamic when it comes on to locations across the country. A vet in Miami may charge more than a vet in a deep rural area. Lets hope for the best, but if your dog has to do any type of medical operation, you could have to fork out thousands of dollars just in one go.
Grooming
Part of the cost of owning a dog is grooming. Whether you groom the animal yourself, or you pay a dog grooming expert to groom the animal for you. So how much does grooming cost? Well lets break down this piece by piece. There are two scenarios. 1. If you groom the animal yourself, and 2. If you hire some one else to groom your dog for you. But you must remember that hired grooming experts prices will vary depending on your location and type and size of the dog.
1. Self Grooming
Don't tell me your dog is mechanical and runs on solar energy. Every living organism needs some sort of nutriments to keep the flesh going. Dog food is what pet owners by as part of the process in keeping the dog healthy. So what's the big deal about a bag of dog food that cost a couple of bucks? Well, it all adds up my friends. The average cost for a 2kg bag of good class dog food. (Food with less grains, natural preservatives and real meat) cost roughly $240-$300 dollars per year. That is if you only have one average sized dog. So if you have three large dogs your dog food bill would be approximately $720-$900. Per year. That's a lot to spend on dog food if your take home pay is nothing to brag about.
Dog Health Bill
Aside from a regularly vet checkup which may cost around. $50 bucks. Some people will have their pets checked like quarterly, bi-annually. So if you are those quarterly persons you can expect a vet checkup bill of say $200-$300 per year. And that is just a checkup. If the vet has to administer vaccines, that can range from $45-$60 per shot. But vet prices are so dynamic when it comes on to locations across the country. A vet in Miami may charge more than a vet in a deep rural area. Lets hope for the best, but if your dog has to do any type of medical operation, you could have to fork out thousands of dollars just in one go.
Grooming
Part of the cost of owning a dog is grooming. Whether you groom the animal yourself, or you pay a dog grooming expert to groom the animal for you. So how much does grooming cost? Well lets break down this piece by piece. There are two scenarios. 1. If you groom the animal yourself, and 2. If you hire some one else to groom your dog for you. But you must remember that hired grooming experts prices will vary depending on your location and type and size of the dog.
1. Self Grooming
Dog Grooming Supplies |
Cost Per Item |
Dog Flea and Tick Shampoo |
$13 |
Dog Comb |
$12 |
Dog Brush |
$15 |
Scissors |
$15 |
Clippers |
$100 |
Toothpaste for Dogs |
$12 |
Doggy Towel |
$10 |
Claw Clippers |
8 |
TOTAL |
$1 |
2. Hire a Professional Dog Groomer
If you hire a professional groomer, you are hiring a complete service or you are just hiring a clipper and trimmer. Professional dog groomers do not come cheap, and chances are that after the price, you would opt to groom the dog yourself. A professional groomer will cost around $30-$100 depending on the size of your pet and the amount of fur.
If you hire a professional groomer, you are hiring a complete service or you are just hiring a clipper and trimmer. Professional dog groomers do not come cheap, and chances are that after the price, you would opt to groom the dog yourself. A professional groomer will cost around $30-$100 depending on the size of your pet and the amount of fur.
Training
So what kind of tricks do you want your dog to do? Or what commands do you want your dog to react to? Well if you want your dog to understand the basic commands such as "sit, stop, wait, go, run, stay" You will have to pay a professional dog trainer to teach your dogs to obey these commands from you. Dog obedience boarding schools usually cost from $900 to $2,500 or more for two to four weeks of board-and-train, where the dog lives at the trainer's home or at a boarding kennel and the trainer gives the dog hours of one-on-one attention. Group classes at a local community center, dog daycare or pet store usually cost from $40 to $125 or more for four to eight weekly one-hour sessions. But if you have time to throw away, you can get a dog training DVD - clicker training and easily train your dog basic commands and slash that dog training classes.
Dog Accessories
Your cost to own your dog doesn't stop at grooming my friend, you are not out of the furs yet. You must buy your dog certain basic accessories. Some of these accessories are but not limited to:
Dog Food Bowl - $4 - $20
Dog Water Bowl - $5 - $25
Dog Collar - $20
Dog Leash - $25
Dog house - $150-$250
Dog Bed - $50 - $300
Dog Toys - $50
Dog Sitter
Many dog owners seek the assistance of a dog sitter when ever they have to leave the animal for extended period of time. A dog sitter is basically a baby sitter who looks after the dog while the parents are away. Dog sitters will cost at least $50-$70 dollars per day.
Dog Walking
If you have at least $10-30 bucks to spare daily, then you have no problem hiring a dog walker. A dog walker simply walks your dog if you cant. Dog walkers can walk up to at least 7 dogs at any given time.
Dog Neuter
If you don't want your dog to have a flood of puppies running behind him/her, you have the choice of neutering. The cost of spaying, a more complicated surgery, usually ranges from about $50 to $175. Some clinics and animal hospitals can charge up to $200-$300 or more, depending on the weight of the dog. The cost of both neutering and spaying vary greatly by geographic region, and even by veterinarian.
Dog Burial
My good friend, nothing good last forever. This is a sad thing but it is unavoidable. Who will go first, master or dog? I have no idea. But if you outlive your dog you will be faced with either the cost of cremation or burial. Cremation and burial cost will also depend on the size of your dog and and who is doing the cremation or burial. The average cost of pet cremation is about $60-$150. A pet burial plot and a dug grave cost about $400 to $600.
Dog Injury Lawsuits
One of the worst things that could happen is that your dog bites or frightens someone and the person falls and gets injured. If the individual did not provoke the animal. You as the pet owner will be looking at forking out cash to pay for any medical expenses and other suffering to the victim. You could end up paying tens of thousands of dollars.
So what kind of tricks do you want your dog to do? Or what commands do you want your dog to react to? Well if you want your dog to understand the basic commands such as "sit, stop, wait, go, run, stay" You will have to pay a professional dog trainer to teach your dogs to obey these commands from you. Dog obedience boarding schools usually cost from $900 to $2,500 or more for two to four weeks of board-and-train, where the dog lives at the trainer's home or at a boarding kennel and the trainer gives the dog hours of one-on-one attention. Group classes at a local community center, dog daycare or pet store usually cost from $40 to $125 or more for four to eight weekly one-hour sessions. But if you have time to throw away, you can get a dog training DVD - clicker training and easily train your dog basic commands and slash that dog training classes.
Dog Accessories
Your cost to own your dog doesn't stop at grooming my friend, you are not out of the furs yet. You must buy your dog certain basic accessories. Some of these accessories are but not limited to:
Dog Food Bowl - $4 - $20
Dog Water Bowl - $5 - $25
Dog Collar - $20
Dog Leash - $25
Dog house - $150-$250
Dog Bed - $50 - $300
Dog Toys - $50
Dog Sitter
Many dog owners seek the assistance of a dog sitter when ever they have to leave the animal for extended period of time. A dog sitter is basically a baby sitter who looks after the dog while the parents are away. Dog sitters will cost at least $50-$70 dollars per day.
Dog Walking
If you have at least $10-30 bucks to spare daily, then you have no problem hiring a dog walker. A dog walker simply walks your dog if you cant. Dog walkers can walk up to at least 7 dogs at any given time.
Dog Neuter
If you don't want your dog to have a flood of puppies running behind him/her, you have the choice of neutering. The cost of spaying, a more complicated surgery, usually ranges from about $50 to $175. Some clinics and animal hospitals can charge up to $200-$300 or more, depending on the weight of the dog. The cost of both neutering and spaying vary greatly by geographic region, and even by veterinarian.
Dog Burial
My good friend, nothing good last forever. This is a sad thing but it is unavoidable. Who will go first, master or dog? I have no idea. But if you outlive your dog you will be faced with either the cost of cremation or burial. Cremation and burial cost will also depend on the size of your dog and and who is doing the cremation or burial. The average cost of pet cremation is about $60-$150. A pet burial plot and a dug grave cost about $400 to $600.
Dog Injury Lawsuits
One of the worst things that could happen is that your dog bites or frightens someone and the person falls and gets injured. If the individual did not provoke the animal. You as the pet owner will be looking at forking out cash to pay for any medical expenses and other suffering to the victim. You could end up paying tens of thousands of dollars.
Once you own or decide to own a dog. It is no free run, you will have to fork out cash to finance your dog. That my friend is the truth about cost to owning a dog.
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