Owning a Dog!?!

Just call around to the vets in your area. I work at a vet clinic, and we have price shoppers all the time. Also lots of people like you, who don't know how much $$ to expect, or haven't owned a dog in a while.... just call and ask! Prices seems to vary by location. At least in Canada..... we're in a more rural area, and we have clients who drive an hour away from where they live in the city because a cat neuter costs $47, instead of $200.

Shots for the first set are around $75, The second set is about $50. Food is about $20 for a big bag of puppy chow. Dont get it spayed until its close to a year old. That costs about $200. Toy wise theese dogs have a pretty decent jaw so i would stick with the kong brand. Bones are up to $11 each. I only buy my bones from petsmart my dog hates the walmart bones. I advise since its your daughters dog enroll in puppy school at petsmart ,$100,when you get both sets of shots. The experience will be both good for your daughter and her dog. Also Crate train the dog a good crate costs about $70. My registration was $7 And to certify it akc was $35

when i got my pitbull...i had to take her for the parvo shots....4 times, 2 weeks apart @35 everytime. then the last one, she also got the rabies shot. then once a year after that. i fed her science diet puppy food for the first year and a half. toys...hmmm, shes a pit....toys last 15-20 minutes with her. theyre not cheap, but theyre worth it if you get a good dog.

SuperStang83 said:

wow, I thought spaying would be pretty expensive! I am assuming that after the $300 purchase price I can expect to pay about $300 in registration, spaying, and shots? Is $300 a good price for a boxer...the tail is already done, but do they also get their ears cropped? Thank you?

Jacob

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My Lab was 300 so ill say thats a decent price but look to pay closer too 300 for the dog 500 everything else.

SuperStang83 said:

RsStanG1987....darn, that's a lot of money man!

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Its true man. I thought my dog would be cheap too

Don't forget the annual cost of ownership - food, toys, snacks, regular meds such as heartguard and frontline and typical yearly vet bills. Annual average vet bills for my wheaton terrier over the last 5 years have been around $400+ per year.

Getting out dog was cheap, just get a good vett is the biggest part, someone who is good and not over priced. Think of it this way, your buying your little girl a awsome bestfriend and protector...how much is that worth?

SuperStang83 said:

I was wondering if anyone knew what all costs were involved in purchasing a dog? I want to get my daughter a female Boxer that was born in the middle of September, so it has no shots and is not spayed. I am paying $300 for the puppy, and have no idea what registration, shots, and spaying a dog is going to cost along with dog food and toys. My daughter is already excited like crazy though! Can anyone just give me an honest opinion of what kind of costs to expect right off the bat? Thank you!

Jacob

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Boxers are very good dogs, very smart easy to train and great with kids.

For the price of a dog you could buy an 03 cobra brake kit

It`s not just the expense,dogs are a pita as well.
That dog has to be trained,looked after bla,bla,bla.

What if you all have to leave town for a few days or more?Whose going to look after it?

More trouble than it`s worth imo.

if your getting a female, i would think twice about spaying her... my buddys breading his and makes like 1200 every year, just for owning a dog!

90mustang_GT5.0 said:

if your getting a female, i would think twice about spaying her... my buddys breading his and makes like 1200 every year, just for owning a dog!

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That isnt even worth the trouble.. To sell them for a lot you have to get all theese certifications and spend cash on a dog to stud it with. Eff that

SuperStang83 said:

Youhave a hard heart man...I don't know if you nver had a dog or what, but they are more than worth there weight in gold. I love dogs, and think that they are awesome companions not only for kids but also adults! Sorry for the mispellings and such, but whenever I try and go back to correct something it only lets me write over it and not fix the mistake!

Jacob

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I feel the same way he does, I wouldn't own a dog. Too much mess, work, money,etc.. to worry about. And yes when I was living at home we did own one.

OH yeah, my dog just whent with me to autozone to get my heater core and to get taco's from jack in the box!!! Dogs rock!!!

I recently heard that a medium size dog will cost an average of about $800 to $1000 per year, after the initial cost.

Don't forget you'll want to keep some money in reserve for unexpected vet costs. Emergency vet bills can add up VERY quickly. They do sell pet health insurance -- around $25 to $50 per month. It's easy to say, "I'm not gonna pay that!", but one trip to the doggie emergency room, can get you saying, "I wish I had the insurance!" I'm speaking from experience.

Make sure you're ready for the commitment. A dog will change your lives. Smaller dogs need to "go out" every 4 to 6 hours, and they (not you) set the schedule. This may mean 6:00 AM. And when the switch back to Standard Time rolls around, it may mean 5:00 AM (dogs don't understand the whole, "Daylight Savings Time" thing). Unfortunately, animal shelters are filled with pets whose owners overestimated their ability to take care of them.

The point is that the cost is greater than just money. My parents recently adopted their first dog. They are retired and have plenty of time to devote to it, but they'll be the first to tell you that they had no idea what a big, life-altering commitment it was going to be.