What a great article for people to read BEFORE buying a puppy/dog!

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2106&aid=1543

Good article. I'm getting so sick of seeing people who get a dog, and then the dog needs to go to the vet and they have no money to take the dog. If you can't afford one, then don't get one.

Great article, thanks for sharing!

Alot of good information here..

I wonder how people afford their dogs..

We are well enough off that we can but alot of younger people I am sure have problems affording the pups.

I'm so going to craigslist/friends/dollar store/walmart for everything except food. I plan on going to a local shelter for training which will be $100-140 a month. According to the link that price is on the high end? I thought it was a good deal :-/ ey ey ey

I was also seriously considering "puppy checks" which is two 20 minute visits a day by an insured dog walker which will cost $100 a week but I will have to reconsider that luxury.

EDIT: To answer the question, yes I can afford a dog but will have to hold off on having children.

We got our first, Koda, 2 weeks after high school graduation. I wasn't even 18 yet. I had about $3,500 saved up from my job to cover the first year. I would say I spend roughly $250-350 (depending on how crazy I am) in cash on the dogs monthly. I'm young, but I did not get my dog without knowing I'd be able to afford its necessities and extras since I am prone to spoiling, and I didn't get a second dog until I could double that amount.
There was an 8 month period we struggled, but that was because Jarod's mom is a PITA and I was having to deal with an $8,000 loss.
I have to say I hate the stereotype that younger people can't handle it as responsibly as adults. Koda's breeder was worried and I went as far as to show her my banking statements and pay stubs!

I'm a part-time young adult.. but I can afford my dogs just fine. They've never missed a check up, Cloud's gotten neutered, and they both get their monthly heartworm flea treatment meds without missing a beat. But I don't buy very many clothes, only work jeans when all mine've got holes in them, and very rarely do I go out with friends or spend money on going to the movies or going out to eat. So my pups are very, very spoiled

I got pet insurance because I knew I would need the help. The rest, i take care for. Bills will be missed for dogs (they never have been though!)

Back when I was young I had no problem affording my dogs. For me it was easier back then - before things like (human) kids and their myriad of expenses started eating up the paychecks.

I'm on a grad student budget, the fiancé works full time. It can be a struggle sometimes, but we make sacrifices on certain things like eating out to make sure we have enough if anything ever came up. It probably doesn't help that we spoil Bode rotten.

And like Samantha said, right now we don't have a lot of extra bills and costs that are associated with kids, home ownership, etc...

Mobezilla wrote:

I'm a part-time young adult.. but I can afford my dogs just fine. They've never missed a check up, Cloud's gotten neutered, and they both get their monthly heartworm flea treatment meds without missing a beat. But I don't buy very many clothes, only work jeans when all mine've got holes in them, and very rarely do I go out with friends or spend money on going to the movies or going out to eat. So my pups are very, very spoiled

Amen sista!

I work full-time and attend college full-time on a minimum wage budget without taking out any loans. I neverrr buy things for myself and my family 1,100 miles away know that. That's why they buy me gift cards instead of giving me money now. lol.

I moved away from my family in IL to relocate to TX. I wanted a husky the moment I moved out but I had to wait 2 years because I knew I couldn't afford it (and I was in an apt).

All it takes is determination and patience. I'm young, but Juneau never misses a meal/check-up/emergency vet trip.

My husband and I both have good full time jobs, we own a house, two vehicles and now Q and we still find that $ can be really tight. The economy is terrible, and everything is rising in price. It's really hard. We put Q first though, and have been putting our personal needs second so that he can continue to have the best puppy life we can give him. That includes 2 days a week at doggie daycare. After going through a 2 week Christmas vacation with the daycare, we've realized how invaluable it is to us, and mostly to him! Every dollar I spend on him is worth it when he's waiting for me at the door after a long day at work!

Fantastic post! I see so many stories about people giving up their dogs over vet fees, etc that it's great to see this addressed.

We waited until we were in a stable position with our own home to adopt a dog. We worked long hours and lived in an apartment with no yard, and then in a crazy renovation zone and spent that time researching breeds and volunteering. We made sure that we weren't put in a position that wouldn't be fair to the dog. Yes, it was frustrating because we really wanted a dog but we were also aware of how many dogs are given up due to moving, neighbors complaining about noise and "not having enough time for the dog", not having time to train the dog or deal with behavioral issues, etc. I hear these stories every day volunteering in rescue - many of which are avoidable.

We put aside money for emergencies, cleared credit cards for that purpose and invested in pet insurance. It's $65 for both dogs a month but we also don't have cable TV (which is more than that a month). We have bunny ears and use our internet access to watch any shows we love. We also go on less vacations, eat out less and spend more time with our dogs. We're enjoying our free hikes, family time at home, etc.

I commend all the younger members that I see so devoted to their huskies and who prepared ahead of time and will never give them up. There are so many members here that will do anything for their dogs and part of why we all love this community!

Eresh wrote:

Back when I was young I had no problem affording my dogs. For me it was easier back then - before things like (human) kids and their myriad of expenses started eating up the paychecks.

When the human kids establish their own life's it is easier to have dog(s).

You see we had a dog when the kids were smaller that dog never when without food or vet visits and boarding when we were on vacation but she did not get the same thing as my two babies get now.

I'm 21, work a full time job making minimum wage, and a second part time job also making minimum wage and I'm in school part time. Things have gotten tight before but my dogs never miss a meal, they're all UTD and spayed and neutered. You just need to prioritize.

I have had dogs all my life. I wanted one so badly when I was a teen I paid all her bills myself because my Mom didn't want a dog! I never missed a beat with her.

Now I do carry pet insurance, only because I have 3 still in college so I want to be sure I don't have any problems affording anything that may come up. And I work a part time job to help cover their expenses (by their I mean both human and fur children lol).

ljelgin wrote:

Eresh wrote:

Back when I was young I had no problem affording my dogs. For me it was easier back then - before things like (human) kids and their myriad of expenses started eating up the paychecks.

the human kids establish their own life's it is easier to have dog(s).

You see we had a dog when the kids were smaller that dog never when without food or vet visits and boarding when we were on vacation but she did not get the same thing as my two babies get now.

I'm counting down the years.

Good article, except I think the author is setting up readers to fail by saying mix breeds are healthier. Show me a breeder who breeds mixes and actually health tests their dogs. I think there's a very slim chance in finding one (aside from working mix breeds and some mixes bred to be awesome agility or flyball dogs). And boy I've seen plenty of mix breeds and designer dogs who have terrible health problems. Almost all of the labodoodles at my doggie daycare have horrible hot spots that just never seem to go away. Some are pretty gross!

But all in all, it's a good read that everyone thinking of getting a dog should read! People who don't realize that are the reason there are so many dogs in shelters.

We started with birds as our first pet, my hubby is a bird person and with both of us in the Navy and in an apartment, getting a dog wasn't ideal. Once we were sure we could handle that responsibility (birds need vet checks too!!) we upgraded lol. But I made sure we had a vet we liked, we are in a house with a yard, and we have the time for her. He works full time in the Navy, while I work part time and go to school full time (long distance college, so full time credit but at my own pace) and Karli definitely doesn't lack for attention.

My sister and her husband got a puppy right after they got married. Bad idea. She hasn't been spayed yet and they've had her for over a year now. She was sick earlier last year (constipation) and they didn't have the money for a vet. I just couldn't see how you could let a dog suffer, but then me and her have very different opinions about our pets.