Can you afford owning a dog?

Dogs cost money. Before you become a dog owner you have to have a clear picture about how much a dog can cost you. Most new dog owners calculate the cost of owning a dog by just summing up costs of buying a dog and the price of dog food and on the basis of this misleading and deficient calculation think they can afford a dog regardless of their budget. Very few people really know how much costs of having a dog can be.

Purchase price for a dog

Purchase prices for dogs vary; depending if you want to buy a pure breed dog or a mixed breed dog. Many people don’t want to pay for example € 500 to € 1000 for a dog, as they think they cannot afford this. They choose a poorly bred puppy instead, for much smaller amount of money. This can be a big mistake, because for that kind of puppy there's no guarantee that this dog will be healthy, and the costs of owning such a dog could later mount to huge sums due to expensive medical treatment your dog could have. A poorly bred dog can later have allergy problems, bad hips or elbow issues, backbone problems and other health problems.

Nevertheless, buying an expensive, well bred dog is also not a guarantee for a healthy dog, as lately, more and more pure breed dogs, especially the popular ones such as Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever, German Sheppard and Boxer, develop different health issues and have serious health problems. If you don’t want to pay for a quality purebred, than be a responsible to dog world and go to a shelter and buy a mixed breed puppy, that will probably be healthier than a poorly bred purebred dog.

A dog is an investment - of money and time

A dog is a big investment. It is going to cost you a lot of money and a lot of your time. If you are not prepared for this and not willing to satisfy your dog’s needs, then don’t buy a dog. Many dogs live a miserable life because their owners don’t care for them properly. Also because of lack of financial resources. These dogs do not get enough exercise, are not socialized and fed properly and have poor medical treatment in case of illness because their owners don’t have time for them and money to pay such expenses.

Yearly costs of owning a dog can mount to over € 3500

It is difficult to say exactly how much owning a dog will cost you. In best case scenario this costs is basic and most people can afford it but in worst case scenario, for example if your dog gets very ill and needs a long medical treatment or has any other problems, such as allergy problems or needs a complicated surgery, then total costs can be huge. I can tell from my own experience, that a total cost of owning a dog for 10-12 years can mount to more than € 25.000 total, that is approximately € 2.000 a year, and this are more or less basic, normal standard costs, without any complicated medical treatments. And the bigger the dog the higher the costs, as bigger dog needs more food and higher doses of medicine and vitamins than a small one.

Costs also differ on the area where you live. In big cities costs are usually higher due to higher demand and also standard of living, sometimes doubled in comparison with rural areas.

What to take into consideration when you calculate total yearly costs of owning a dog:
1.      Purchase price (€ 50- € 1500)
2.      Food (€ 150 - € 1200)
3.      Vaccines (€ 20 - € 100)
4.      Spay/Neuter (€ 60 – € 150)
5.      Vet bills (€ 500 - € 1500 or more)
6.      Dog equipments (collar, bowl, leash, bed ...) (€ 50 - € 150)
7.      Deworming, heart worms control and flea and ticks control (€ 100 - € 200)
8.      Training (€ 150 - € 250)
9.      Fence around house (€ 0 - € 900)
10.    Kennel with a dog house (for outdoor dogs) (€ 300 - € 800)
11.    Dental care (€ 0 - € 100)
12.    Shampoo, grooming tools (€ 15 - € 100)
13.    Other costs (€ 0 - € 200)

One time costs: approx. € 600 -  € 3800
Average yearly dog costs:       approx. € 950 - € 3500


Related Articles:
The cost of Owning a Dog; http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1671&aid=1543
The Costs of Dog Ownership; http://dogs.about.com/od/becomingadogowner/a/costofdogs.htm