Cheaper than sending a kid to college; but still — BE PREPARED.
Sure, usually it’s called dog ownership. But I am ready to admit that my dog fills a role that a dog twenty years ago would not have been invited to fill.
Twenty years ago, there were no Emotional Support Animals on planes, no Chewy.com, and probably no more than two different places you could go to get Fido a winter coat. Now it’s different. Dog family-hood in the early 21st Century is all I know. And I’ve made a spreadsheet about it.
I’m a dog mom, and I’ve got the Mother’s Day cards, coffee mugs and fridge magnets to prove it. Also, I have Gogo. He’s my dog, whose other title is The Sunlight in my Universe. When I picked him up from his foster home, all I had to plunk down was $275. Such a deal!
He was a mystery mutt, pretty-sure-he’s-a-pitbull-but-definitely-lab-boxer-plus-maybe-hound. I bought some food, a collar and leash, pee pads and a crate. His fur was kind of thin, so I thought he would need sweaters. That’s all I thought of, as expenses went.
If you’re thinking of getting a dog, but haven’t taken the plunge yet, this might be a good moment to take a hard look at the financials. If you already have a canine Sweet Baboo, this post may serve to confirm that you’re not alone, and you’re not imagining it: dogs get expensive.
The following cost estimates are based on my real bills, since 2016, and project forward from 2021 until 2033. In this scenario, this dog will live to be 17 years old. That’s optimistic for a large-breed dog, but not unusual for smaller breeds. Each family makes choices along the way: how expensive his food is; how many toys he gets; how often his bed is replaced. Each family will complete this adage its own way:
Shred it once, shame on you. Shred it twice, that's coming out of your allowance. Shred it three times...maybe we have to rethink the wisdom of buying you fluffy beds. Ok, ok. One more....
Some items are not optional, in my opinion, and were unknown to me before I got Gogo. For instance, in the past 5 years here in the Northeastern US, leptospirosis and Lyme disease have become so prevalent that many vets, including mine, recommend dogs get a vaccine for each, every year (Lyme vaccine and Lepto vaccine= $27 each this year).
Heartworm preventive medication, which used to be recommended mainly for Spring-Summer-Fall administration (prime mosquito time), is now generally recommended year-round, even here in the Northeast (Thanks a lot, global warming). For the vendor I use, that prevention comes to $112 each year. Without prevention, heartworm can be lethal. Even dogs under treatment for heartworm sometimes die from it. Not a risk I want to take.
Here is the sum total of dog costs, starting with these assumptions:
Healthy, large-breed puppy
Low adoption fee
Private home setting with yard
No major injuries
| YEAR 1 | YEAR 2 | YEAR 3 | YEAR 4 | YEAR 17 | |
| ADOPTION FEE | 275 | ||||
| TOYS | 100 | 100 | 75 | 60 | |
| FOOD & supplements | 900 | 900 | 900 | 900 | 900 |
| poop bags | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| PUPPY SCHOOL | 200 | 100 | |||
| LEASH, HARNESSES, COLLARS | 145 | 34 | 62 | 34 | |
| winter coat | 60 | 60 | |||
| TRAINING COLLAR (ELECTRIC) | 110 | ||||
| ROUTINE VET CARE** | 292 | 292 | 292 | 312 | |
| SURGERY, SPECIAL VET CARE | 314 | 236 | 180 | 300 | |
| Medicine (antibiotics,pain relief etc.) | 72 | 35 | 50 | 60 | 60 |
| Flea & tick prevention | 268 | 260 | 260 | 260 | 260 |
| Heartworm prevention | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 |
| Pet first aid kit | 180 | ||||
| Bed(s) and crate | 120 | 160 | 60 | ||
| Human GOODS REPAIRS/REPLACEMENT | 85 | 100 | 75 | ||
| Human CLOTHING REPLACEMENT | 200 | 120 | |||
| FENCED-IN YARD (4′ high) | $7,000 | ||||
| Housing premium* | $1,400 | ||||
| vacation boarding (1 or 2 weeks/yr.) | 280 | 385 | 0 | 150 | 300 |
| City dog license | 25 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Annual total | $3,176 | $10,149 | $3,584 | $2,310 | $1,994 |
| Lifetime total (lifespan = 17 yrs.) | $48,052 |
Purposely excluded here are the extras – like a fabric budget for making a fabulous bow tie collection, for example. Also, there is no allowance for major surgeries. A TPLO surgery (tendon repair, common for large and/or very active dogs) can cost thousands of dollars. You can consult gofundme.com for confirmation on that. Lots of owners saying “my dog needs this surgery…help!”
The extra-expensive years (so far) have been years two (splurged on a fence for the yard; gates on both sides) and three (fancy insulated doggie door purchase). These were, in large part, quality of life gifts to myself.
Take this as just one budgetary example, from a person who always, always wanted a dog, lives in a cold climate, and is highly risk-averse. Your results may vary.
Puppies are Jerks 