The Real Cost of Owning a Pet

[samburger]

Parasitic interaction all the way!  Love my 2 parasites who cuddle and shit and bark. Doggie daycare 2 days per week. Dog walker 3 days.  Boarding for vacations.  Homemade soft food plus high-quality dry. Vet visits. Yep, they suck our wallet dry, but make us Jones for them, to see them, pet them talk to them. And I'm fine with it all. I'm a junkie.

No, no! Co-evolution, not parasitic interaction. The theorist Donna Haraway argues that dogs and humans coevolved, meaning we rely on dogs as much as they rely on us. She would argue that spending money on your dogs is a form of self-care: to tend to the dog is to maintain a relationship you rely on.

So "I'm a junkie" is the correct answer, basically.

[Cassie]

Also many things you spend $ on for pets is a one time cost-for example a crate that will last forever.   Pets either bring you joy and are worth the expense or aren't depending on the purpose and/or stage of your live.

[rocksinmyhead]

You did make me laugh out loud with your last sentence although we all know it is not true.  I have 3 small yappy dogs and they do alert you to danger however, I would not count on them if someone broke in.   Now Chi's are another story.  There was a u tube video of one that kept jumping & biting the burglar's face until he ran out of the house.

I was at a forensic conference back in 2005 and heard a crime scene investigator speak about bodies found in a confined space.  Where the owner had a cat...all had been predated.  The two aforementioned dog breeds also (if memory serves) I think poodles as we'll.  anyway...
http://books.google.ca/books?id=HPlMwSTSsbwC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=post+mortem+pet+predation+owner&source=bl&ots=H_k6tElrzP&sig=1VVlcRNaBpUL844u4FVba7G9oL8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6lxxU_DdOpe3yATstILQDA&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=post%20mortem%20pet%20predation%20owner&f=false

LOL. I can't say I blame them. my boyfriend always says he and our dog had a deal when he lived by himself/before I came along... if my boyfriend died at home and took a while to be found (and therefore was not feeding our dog), Oscar (the dog) had his full permission to eat him to survive.

yes that sounds ridiculously morbid and no my 34-year-old boyfriend has no reason to think he would die anytime soon, but I personally find it hilarious. he is definitely what some would consider a "crazy dog person" (but hey, I love our dog too, he's super fun to go for walks with and is virtually silent... no yapping here! and not super expensive, my boyfriend got him from the pound and ongoing costs have been minimal)

I don't have a problem with other people not liking pets. if you don't like pets, don't get a pet! for us, having one dog is SOOOOOO worth it. we have tossed around the idea of getting another dog to keep him company, but I'm not sold on it. I also have no interest in ever having a cat or any other pets, but we will probably always have a dog.

[Cassie]

Another reason we love our pets so much is because they do NOT TALK!

[Eurotexan]

I have a dog (40lb cocker) and a small cat. They really don't cost me that much. I get food and treats from Aldi and they have annual check ups. Since I joined MMM I have asked friends to take them when I travel rather than putting them in boarding for $30 a night. That has saved me a fortune! That to me was the biggest cost. If you can avoid that and they keep healthy (lots of walks for the dog, picking a healthy breed and a bit of luck), you should be fine.

I love my dog so much, wouldn't trade him for anything!

[livetogive]

We have both extremes in our house dog wise;

A large, young & healthy dog in a city that costs us an arm and a leg.  Had I known the full extent of the costs I would've made different choices.  Due to the nature of where we live we probably spend almost $900/month on him, but in a financial emergency that total would drop to 200 or less.

A small, older dog with lots of health problems.  She's a sweetheart and probably costs us less than $100/mo, but it's lumpy because it's mostly vet visits. 

If I could do it again I'd get another small dog before a big one because it's so much cheaper to ensure a great quality of life where we live.  However, we are living proof that a large dog does better in a small apartment with love, training and exercise than hanging out alone and neglected in a large house with a great back yard.