Upon moving to Michigan and obtaining a backyard, the first thing on my list of priorities was to get a dog. Despite my pursuit of all things financially wise and frugal, this may be my achilles heel.
As my dear car guy husband commented, “as much as you want your dog to be cheap, she never will be.” It’s true. I put together a rundown of the actual cost for the first month of ownership. These are the sticker prices of every doggie item purchased, for your future reference.
Note from me:
Yes, I am plagued with intense guilt about how it could’ve been invested wisely. In the name of truth, transparency, and education, I give you the true cost of Lola the dog.
- Invisible fence: $145
- Extra fence wire (because our neighbor is awesome and let us extend our fence into his yard): $25
- Lawn edger rental (to dig invisible fence): $26
- Extra Petsafe batteries for invisible fence: $14
- Dog bowls: $7
- Crate: $63
- License: $32
- ID tag: $16.50
- Register microchip (she already had one in): $20
- Heartworm pills for one year: $100
- Vet checkup: $42
- Kong toy: $7
- Two plastic frisbees (that were quickly destroyed): $6
- Kong frisbee (here’s hoping for longevity): $11
- Dog shampoo: $6
- Brush mitt: $9
- Poop bags for life (seriously...900 bags): $15
- Milkbones (also for life. The Amazon picture was surprisingly deceiving): $9
- Gourmet dog food (recommended by breeder and costs $50 for a full-sized bag): $14
- Costco dog food (which she will be eating from now on because you have to draw the line somewhere): $30/bag
- Lola the dog: $800
Total: $1,397.50
Gasp. I know.
I’d like to interrupt this expense chart to talk about the price of Lola herself. We looked at both shelter animals and purebred Vizslas, and shelter animals are quite a bit cheaper ($150-$300) with many of the additional vaccinations already included. We decided to pay a higher initial sticker price because she was exactly what we were looking for and were willing to pay more upfront for a temperament history, breeder reputation, and a good breed fit for us as a couple (and for reference, if we bought her as a Vizsla puppy instead of her being four years old, she would’ve been twice that). I am in total favor of rescuing animals and totally believe that mutts can be the best dogs. We opted to go a different route because it was my car guy husband's first dog and I wanted it to be as seamless as possible.
That said, even if your dog is a rescue (good job), you're still looking at $500-$1000 in initial doggie expenses!
Oh, and it keeps going.
Additional costs
- Coming up: obedience class: $200
- Coming up: yearly shots: $50ish (actually no idea. I'll find out in a few weeks)
- Coming up: doggie day care (only if it’s a last resort): $25/day
- Risk of a possible surgery (did you know dogs can’t digest corn cobs? Yeah, she ate a piece of one the first day we had her): $1,500-$2,000
Costs paid by her previous owner
(they left a very informative vet record)
- Spayed: $567
- Allergic reaction to bee sting (vet visit and meds): $177
- Microchip (original implant): $40ish
- Leash and collar: $25
When you're debating a new pet, make sure you take into account the real cost of having a fuzzy friend. They're wonderful, but just make sure you're capable and ready before taking the plunge. Once you dive in, it's real hard to turn back.
