costs associated with owning a dog

How much does it cost to board a dog (medium-sized) for a week or two? what about over the holidays --is it more expensive then? how much is a dog walker? how much are annual vet bills? Considering getting one....

Size isn't usually the issue in boarding; the facility itself is. Boarding for a week at a reputable facility can run about $250; usually it is the cost of a day's day care plus. When we lived int he Maplewood we used Preferred Pet Car and were very pleased; day care even with a package is upward of $35 a day as I recall, so multiply that by the number of nights you are boarding and add something,. The place I sometimes use in Westchester now is not any cheaper. I know that many people who pat on MOL prefer other boarding facilities but I doubt they are much cheaper. Some, the more deluxe ones like Animal Inn, are probably ore. A dog walker can vary in price and in expertise. Where I now Iive a single walk by a nearby adult who loves dogs but no longer has one of her own is $15, and four or five hour stay at the walker's home is $30, and the daily fee for a single overnight stay there is $60. While in my experience holiday periods are not more expensive they do require reservations far more in advance, as do summer weekends, and there may be a penalty for cancellations.

Vet bills also vary, depending on the dog's health; even ear infections and conjunctivitis can add up. We have pet insurance, which in itself is quite expensive (over $50 a month) but does pay for itself in the event of serious injury or illness. Vaccinations can be expensive, and even vets who don't believe in a lot of shots will be administering rabies and parvo/distemper vaccines and such. Dogs that go to day care or boarding usuallyneed more shots, such as bordatella and canine influenza. 

Also remember you need to have a dog groomed sometimes even if you are willing and able to bathe him or her yourself. There is also the issue of food. If you go the raw food route it gets really expensive; if you go the decent-quality kibble rot (such as Fromm or Nutrisource) it will be much less of course, less than $20 a week for a dog under forty pounds.

We have had a dog for nearly seven years and this particular dog is generally a positive aspect of our lives; we did not have one when our children were growing up. Taking good care of a dog is a major responsibility and in my opinion not something to be undertaken if one already has a lot of professional, household, or child-care commitments  (not familiar with your specific situation). A medium size dog needs exercise and space. It is also not something to take on if you don't have several thousand dollars a year to spare for day care/walking/boarding,vet care and insurance, and food. Of course you can omit the day and boarding expenses, but it doesn't sound as though that is part of the plan. Any dog will limit your ability to go out and do things spontaneously, more so than small children, who at least can be taken to a store or family-friendly restaurant. 

Not a clear-cut choice, really, 

If you're on the fence, you might consider fostering a dog for a rescue. The rescue covers all expenses, and you can decide whether a dog will fit in your life without making a lifelong commitment. And fostering really does save lives.

Thanks. @kthnry --where do you recommend fostering one from?

jules867 said:

Thanks. @kthnry --where do you recommend fostering one from?

Do you have a particular interest in any breed?

Ideally, I'm looking for a medium/small, non-shedding, hypoallergenic dog that likes to play/cuddle with kids  -- so maybe a Cavachon or a Havanese. Any suggestions?

We have a labradoodle, about 70 pounds.  Boarding when needed is not cheap, we pay about $65 per day.  A non shedding dog usually has hair, not fur, so in our case he needs haircuts.  A full service grooming at PetSmart including nails and a cut and wash costs about $90-100 with tip, and is hard to book around the holidays unless you do it well in advance. We get about three cuts per year.  Vet average is about $200 per year, plus flea and tick  stuff which adds probably another $200 per year.  

Not cheap, but an unbelievable friend to have.

Dogs are expensive. Far more than cats. 

I have never boarded my dog in the nine years I've had her. I have an arrangement with friends where we trade off. My dog is small, non shedding, and well behaved so my friends are mostly happy to have her. Maybe you can find such an arrangement. Make sure to train your dog really well so others will want her to be around.

My dog costs me $75 every 8-10 weeks for grooming. An annual vet visit is about $150 with the shots and such. Flea/tick and heartworm medicine is about $20 a month. 

It can add up but what you will receive in return is priceless.

I know little about this rescue, but check out this adorable-looking maltese -- a hypoallergenic breed:  http://searchtools.adoptapet.c...

We have boarded our Lab mix at Preferred Pets, and he seems to have a great time.  Recently, we have begun to have someone house and pet-sit. Works well with Seton Hall grad Students who commute. Cost a little more, but the peace of mind is priceless.

such a sensible and practical thread. You are to be commended on all your planning. My relative recently got a 3rd dog after 2 previous disasters with no forethought to type of dog, care needed, cost and so on. It's refreshing to see a person who is thoughtful and well prepared.

We ballpark it at $2000 per year for our family's beloved adoptee.  The majority of that is for boarding (vacation, travel to visit family, etc, probably adding up to 3 to 3 1/2 weeks), followed by vet and grooming costs (as was said above, breeds with hair need haircuts), as well as food and medicines. Well worth it, but a significant amount of money.

(No paid dogwalking in our total)

jules867 said:

Ideally, I'm looking for a medium/small, non-shedding, hypoallergenic dog that likes to play/cuddle with kids  -- so maybe a Cavachon or a Havanese. Any suggestions?

Those designer dog breeds are in a lot of demand. They tend to go pretty quickly.

If you want to try fostering to see if a dog (any dog) is a good fit for your family, I would suggest signing up with a couple local rescue organizations, such as Saint Hubert's and Mount Pleasant. Since it sounds like you have a busy household, work all day, and travel a lot, I would advise focusing on the dog's personality rather than a breed. I would recommend an adult dog, calm and confident, medium energy, already house-trained, good with kids, and definitely no separation anxiety. The staff and volunteers at any rescue or shelter can help you choose a good candidate for your family. A lot of dogs in rescue have been surrendered by families and have a history, so you know what you're getting.

As the owner of many dogs, two of them full bred, non-rescues, I will say you are getting sound advice here. Pet ownership is a gamble and a commitment. One never knows if a disease or accident will occur. Each can be palatable to the pocket or can be devastating financially. 

If you are searching for a full bred dog, PLEASE research it thoroughly. Like humans, dogs are predisposed to certain diseases and ailments. One of our full breeds was prone to hip dysplasia; our Chow Chow prior died of Lupus - you can do your HW to give yourself a heads up to what may happen in its future but there's no way to really pinpoint the cost. Since we've had full breeds with a host of possible issues, we decided that after our Akita passed, we would continue to rescue (our Akita had a "sister" which we rescued who was part Pit and part Basenji). We find that mixed breeds have less medical problems than full bred dogs. We have two rescues who are vastly different, extremely loving and so far, very, very healthy. 

IMO the most expensive thing we do regularly for our dogs (we have 2 - because like kids, if you have one, what's one more and they keep each other company!) is grooming and boarding. Unless they need a hospital stay, immunizations really aren't that expensive. 

kibbegirl said:
Unless they need a hospital stay, immunizations really aren't that expensive. 

Sounds like the OP is not going for a particularly large dog, but in case someone else might be reading this I would qualify this last statement. We have had a number of large breed dogs, and practically ALL medical expenses are quite a bit higher than for small or medium dogs. For most things -- especially oral meds -- large breeds generally take larger doses, which obviously drives up the cost.

Still, as we always say, it's cheaper than paying for college.

EDITED TO ADD: We've had several different boarding/pet sitting situations, all of which cost us right at about $50/night. I don't recall any time we were ever charged more because of a holiday. (Not saying it never happened, but if it did I don't remember it.) 

A friend got a very active puppy recently. Their costs are also in sleep, furniture, flooring, shoes/clothing, electronics, etc. These costs likely reduce with maturity and training (that training, if via obedience school, could also have a cost).

A dog will cost at least a few thousand dollars per year, especially if you plan to board the pet while on vacations and weekends away.

We often stay at pet friendly places when we're driving to the location. We pay a neighborhood kid to feed and walk them when we can't bring them. We've never boarded a dog.

We have two dogs, which I surmised wouldn't be much different from one, just two scoops of dog food instead of one, right? Turns out 2 dogs produce 4 x the amount of dog poop in our yard than one did.

The most expensive thing has been surgeries, which some people might not have chosen to do. We didn't have dog health insurance, but if you were to insure your dog, that expense should also be considered.

This is a great thread - the only thing I would add is that, although pet insurance sounds a bit crazy, it saved us 1,000s of dollars when our dog got sick.

Any recommendations for pet insurance?

We have had Trupanion for about six years; premiums have gone up substantially since we started, but it has been worth the cost, and they are responsive about communicating

Thanks for all the great info!

https://www.sthuberts.org/blog...

Just leaving this right here...

This is an excellent thread. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the other end of the spectrum. Pets can bring a tremendous amount of joy, love, play, companionship to children and adults alike. They're really an extension of the family. So much so that the monetary cost can seem minuscule in comparison. At least I hope so because I plan on gifting my 3 year old (only child) and myself with a dog very soon. 

If you rent a residence or ever plan to be a renter, you should know that the landlord can impose additional costs on tenants with dogs. I just learned this. Someone I know is planning to rent an apartment. Dogs are allowed, but the tenants have to pay an nonrefundable $500 fee up front and an additional $50/month in rent.

shoshannah said:

If you rent a residence or ever plan to be a renter, you should know that the landlord can impose additional costs on tenants with dogs. I just learned this. Someone I know is planning to rent an apartment. Dogs are allowed, but the tenants have to pay an nonrefundable $500 fee up front and an additional $50/month in rent.

In addition to the extra charges, it is also very common for landlords to impose a size limit (usually by weight) on dogs.

also, if you plan to be a renter or buy a coop in the future, some places have weight requirements for dogs. i've seen under 50 pounds and under 25 pounds at 'pet friendly' buildings.