1 Good Reason Not To Get A Dog

MY BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE TO FUTURE DOG OWNERS WOULD BE:

If you don’t have enough money to finance having a dog in your life… PLEASE DON’T GET ONE!

If you were stopped in the street and somebody asked you ‘what do you think a dog would cost on average across his/her lifetime?’ Would you know the answer? Baring in mind most dogs live to a ripe age of 10 years old. So go on hazard a guess, roughly how much do you reckon a dog would cost to insure, groom, medicate, feed, walk, book in kennels, train, entertain etc? £4K? £8K?

On average a dog could cost you at least £12K across a lifetime, especially if you have a big dog breed like the breed I have - a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

This estimated cost of £12K doesn’t take into consideration any of the following additional costs such as… whether your dog gets poorly and needs an operation; he has an ongoing illness or seasonal allergies so needs allergy tests and medication; damage to your furniture and house, upgrade to a bigger car, the loss of income due to the fact you can’t work so many hours because your dog has detachment anxiety, dog behaviourist sessions because you need nail down the training in the early days, and the list goes on.

Seriously who has a spare £10-20K sitting in the bank to pay for unforeseen dog costs?

Plus, if you’re planning to start a family, book a holiday, save for a house deposit, take early retirement, go part time, start a new business; if you have a dog it will take priority, you’ll have to spend the cash, because if you don’t pay and care for your dog, what is the alternative?! And no we don’t want to have that discussion. The UK does NOT need anymore rescue dogs looking for a new home.

I really don’t want you to suffer financially. You don’t know what you don’t know. I am here to help you and many other not make the same mistakes I’ve made whilst being a dog owner.

Here is an example of the hidden costs my partner and I have had to incur in the past 2 years since our first ridgeback arrived ( we now have 2, so costs have almost doubled)

Bedding - £1000+

Collar/Leads - £200+

Puppy Training - £500+

Dog Books - £100

Insurance - £140 per month (Bought By Many)

Vet Bills - £10K + check ups, worming, operations, medication, vaccinations,

Food - was £400 pm, but now they are off a raw diet and onto quality kibble at £250 pm

Treats - £10pm

Toys - £250+

New Car - £100pm extra for a Volvo XC60 - big boots for 2 big dogs

House Maintenance - £500+

Other costs - no doubt we have spent on some stupid non essential stuff for both our dogs. I won’t even harbour a guess, but it’s bound to be another £1K. I really don’t want to tally what the total comes to, it makes me feel physically sick, so you can do the maths!

Our outgoings for the dogs were mainly due to the fact our eldest Ridgeback is allergic to the world and needed steroids in the early days. Until the vet could work out what he was specifically sensitive to, there were all sorts of medications and alternative heath remedies we were trying - costing a fortune. Plus, he had an eye operation around the time he turned one years old, due to inverted eye lashes - honestly you could’t make this stuff up!

The good news is, you probably won’t have to incur the huge costs we are having to pay, but you should bare-in mind that in 2023 the costs of owning a dog just keep going up and up. Plus, the cost of living crisis and Brexit is making an impact on rising dog food bills, dog accessories and vet bills.

I have so much to write about this topic and I’ll also be sharing some top tips on how to save money on some of the above items I’ve mentioned. I’ll be here and on the private chat section for those of you who have subscribed to answer any questions you may have about the cost of owning a dog.

Until the next time, take care and please seriously consider whether taking on a dog you can’t afford is the best thing to do, for you, your family and our four legged friends Take care

Tanya

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