Comments on: Cost Of Getting A Dog or Cat

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:20:53 +0000

Shar Pei get a bad rap. I should know, I have 12 of them and 7 new babies. I have owned and bred shar pei for 18 years and not one of my dogs has ever bitten me, a vet or a person. Do not always believe what you hear. Marilyn

By: John D

John D — Thu, 17 May 2007 03:41:46 +0000

Sad state of affairs.
In new jersey it is more expensive to go to a vet then a Md or specialist.I was given a quote of $450 to have my Dog spayed.Every time you go to the vet it’s $150 to $250.And the crap they feed you was that breed of dog is know to be dangerous or I have never seen a well temper one.From 2 different vets and 3 different intenden.My dog is a 9 month old chinese sharpei.She was the runt of the litter.At 40 lbs a real brut.. She has not been fix yet but when I come up with the money it will be done. plus I need a warning sign Danger Danger She may lick you to death

By: Henry

Henry — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 08:36:49 +0000

Hi ,

Cost of owning a pet is just one consideration. Your real passion and commitment of time to your beloved pet is another important factor. It is easy to buy or pick up a pet. Abandoning it might be even easier , be it you give it to someone or selling it away. Once you established that love and relation with your pet , you might find cost of maintaning it is just a very small part. Enjoy your hobby of keeping pets !

By: Nell Liquorman

Nell Liquorman — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 19:52:30 +0000

You don’t get a pet based on cost, but based on how much love, time, and patience you want to invest in a loving companion animal. The cost of obtaining a pet is insignificant when you consider what having a pet adds to your life.

By: jim

jim — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 23:16:55 +0000

Please feel free to use my blog as your own personal chat room.

By: FMF

FMF — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 22:49:34 +0000

Hey, that’s my gifting — reality.

By: fivecentnickel.com

fivecentnickel.com — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 15:11:27 +0000

FMF is a real ray of sunshine.

By: FMF

FMF — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 13:45:00 +0000

Just think for a moment — 5 am, raining, cold, collecting poo.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

By: jim

jim — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 20:25:36 +0000

I was a little concerned about being allergic but I’ve been to friend’s homes and played with cats and dogs without incident, is that a long enough time period to know if you’re allergic?

I think we’re going to get a cat first, just to get used to taking care of a pet (and cats don’t need to be walked), before a dog but everytime I look at a sharpei I want to smush around its face. My girlfriend says that Sharpei’s aren’t friendly dogs, like the pair of Scottish Terriers at her parent’s place, but I don’t mind.

I think I’d prefer a smaller dog with its small poo. I’ve seen people walk around with newspaper bags for poo collection, which I thought was pretty ingenius.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 19:55:07 +0000

Just some quick advice, I knew this entry would get a lot of ocmments.

1) Make sure you’re not allergic to either. We found we were allergic to cats after spending weeks with one.

2) Cats are much easier than dogs.

3) The bigger the dog, the bigger the poo. Picking up said poo is a pain in the well, butt. =)

By: FMF

FMF — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 02:22:03 +0000

Jim –

You better take that “you can’t put a price tag on love comment down” — your girlfriend might see it and it could REALLY cost you some big bucks.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 23:07:50 +0000

In the past year and a half I’ve acquired both a rat terrier (6 months old when I got him) and a kitten (8 weeks old when I got her). I did not pay a fee for either (the dog was “rescued” from a college student who decided he really, really wanted pit bull instead) and the cat was from a private home. The dog came with a carrier, leash & collar and the cat came with nothing. I go to a rural veterinarian who is very inexpensive, it cost me about $50 to neuter the dog, about $25 for vaccinations since we didn’t know which, if any, he had already had, and then about $50-$60 for flea control and about $10 for heartworm medicine (all of these expenses were within the first month or so, because of his age when I got him). The cat has required 3 vaccinations at about $10 each and will be going in for a spay in March when she’s six months old (probably another $50).

That, of course, does not cover all the toys and goodies I’ve lavished on them (we won’t discuss that cost). Tip on frugal toys for cats: soda bottle caps.

I strongly recommend a rescued animal unless you just really, really “need” a purebred — good for them, good for you. Do go for the spay/neuter too, you end up with a happier, healthier animal. And they really don’t know the difference.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 23:02:23 +0000

I would recommend getting a medium size dog (I am highly allergic to cats, but they are cheaper for sure).

Here are a few costs:
Crate – $40-$60
Food probably $15 per month (and I buy the good stuff)
Nail trimming/grooming – Get a short haired dog. Nails are $8 at PetSmart (you could probably do it on your own if you get a dog with white/clear nails).
You will want puppy training pads in your home to start with – $8 – $12
Toys – $20 (balls, a few stuffed animals)
Blankets – You probably have some around the house, but every pet deserves a nice blanket.
Books – you should buy a bread specific book.

I have health insurance on my dogs. I’m not sure how much it costs, but when I did the cost benefit analysis, I came out ahead. Once you have a dog in your life, you will pretty much spend anything to keep it alive. When you get a dog from the shelter you can’t be too sure of its medical history or gene pool… even if you buy a dog from a good breader (WHICH ARE VERY HARD TO FIND), you may still have medical issues (which is why you should buy or borrow from the library, a bread specific book)…

Didn’t know I had so much to say on this subject! Good luck with your decision! : )

By: jim

jim — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:54:23 +0000

You can’t put a price tag on love. hahahaha

By: FMF

FMF — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:43:35 +0000

Hey, I wanted to leave links all over the place, but thought that wasn’t cool.

Don’t blame me if you buy a dog and are $15,000 poorer in 10 years. I’m trying to SAVE YOU MONEY here!!!!