Throughout my life I have owned 4 dogs, 2 cats and a host of smaller pets. Most of these came during my childhood, at a time when money meant very little to me.
I would bring home injured turtles that I had found while hiking and expect my parents to make room for them in the living room. Once, when I was eight, I brought home 4 lab mice who were going to be destroyed since their experiment had ended. Four mice quickly became 30 and my poor mother, who had put up with many of my previous pets, finally put her foot down when she discovered the mice hoard had chewed their way through their cardboard box and had taken up strategic locations all over the kitchen.
It wasn’t until Daisy, that cute little puppy you see in the picture, that I really faced the costs of owning a pet. That cute puppy grew into a 70lb black lab mix who loves eating things that she shouldn’t. She needs a lot of love, time, attention and money. This wasn’t a problem when I was a bachelor, making plenty of money in the tech industry, but it is now as my wife and I are talking kids, family vacations and all the expenses that go with them. So being the eternal optimizer that I am, I’ve tried to find way in which Daisy can fit into both my life and my budget.
Pets Eat Up More Than Money, They Also Eat Up Time
Before we even talk about money, let’s talk about time. Pets take time, a lot of it. In many ways, they are just like having another child. Sure, you may not need a babysitter for them, but you do need to come home to feed them, you do need to play with them and you need to set time aside for other things like walks and trips to the vet. On average, Daisy eats up about 60to 90 minutes a day. Doesn’t sound like much but please consider that my job already eats up about 12 hours of my day. An extra half an hour is a lot, and it would be a lot more if I didn’t pay for certain things like doggie day care.
It’s also a lot of opportunity cost. There are times when I want to work on my blog and instead I need to walk Daisy. There are other times when I want to write my business plan for my new venture but a cold wet nose insists that I play with her and not sit at the computer. Yes, it’s a big time investment to own a pet, especially a dog. Cats take up less of your time but they too require attention and time and folks who think otherwise are delusional. In fact, I’m told that the number one reason people give pets up at the shelter is because they have no time for them. So I ask you now, before you get a pet, please consider if you have the time required to devote to one.
But Yes, They Do Eat Up A LOT Of Money
Before you obtain a pet, there are a few things you may want to consider that will impact the amount of money you pay:
- Breed – There are quite a few pure breeds out there that come with a very large bill. Canine breeds like Bulldogs and Pugs and Feline breeds like Persians have frequent breathing problems which might require expensive surgery. Basset hounds and Boxers have problems with their hind quarters which may also require expensive medications. Manx (tailless) cats will sometimes have spinal problems and so on. Do your research and pay close attention to the health of the breed in question. Personally, I usually choose medium sized mutts for this precise reason but even mutts have issues. Medical expenses are a big chunk of pet ownership and if you want to save money, picking a breed known for medical issues is a bit counterintuitive.
- Breeder – Hand in hand with pure breeds come a breeder. These are the people who breed and raise cats and dogs in order to show and sell them. If you’re like the 99.9% of Americans who own a pet as a companion and have no interest in showing or breeding, then save yourself some money and avoid the breeders. You’ll pay hundreds of dollars for a dog with a fancy name and lineage, which you will rename fluffy and allow your 2 year old to paint with crayons. Save your money and get a dog from a shelter or, if you prefer a pure bred, a reputable specific breed rescue. There are endless dogs and cats out there just waiting to be adopted and they’re all much cheaper than the ones you’ll get from a breeder. As a bonus, you may even get a dog or cat which is already trained, house broken and very well behaved. Yes, I know all puppies are cute, but they’re also about 10 times the work of an adult dog.
- Size – Food is actually my number one expense when it comes to Daisy. I want her to eat healthy and she wants to eat a lot. The combination means a lot of food. My friends have a 150lb great dane and you don’t even want to know how much that monster eats. Size and food budget are directly proportional so a 200lb mastiff may be a poor choice for a budget conscious family.
So before getting a pet, consider breed, source and size. By way of comparison, my friends’ Great Dane costs about $300 to $400 a month to maintain between food and medical expenses. He also cost $1,000 from a reputable breeder. My other friends own a 30lb mutt from the shelter. She costs around $100 a month and cost them $100 to obtain.
Saving Money On Your Pet
Now, if you already have a pet, a few frugal things to keep in mind.
Toys – Your pet is the mental equivalent of a one year old. One year olds are cute but they’re also not so smart. Ever seen a one year old at Xmas? Sure they love the presents but they usually end up spending more time playing with the wrapping paper than with the actual gift. Why am I saying this? Because each and every time I go to the pet store I am amazed at the amount of cash people are willing to pay out to buy the equivalent of complex science kit for a one year old.
I think Daisy’s favorite toys are a large rubber ball that’s lasted for about two years now ($10) and empty water bottles (free!) Why would I ever spend money on the increasingly complex toys that PetSmart offers when she has a blast with an empty water bottle or a stick? If you want to challenge your dog a bit, put some dry food inside the water bottle and watch them try to figure out how to get it out. It’s just as good as those educational dog toys you’ll find at Petco for $20. Seriously, your dog does not need a teddy bear or a moving weasel ball or even a specially constructed ball and rope set. They’re just fine with an empty water bottle and an old sock.
Another good and healthy option are bones. Most supermarkets will give you raw beef, pork or lamb bones for very cheap. A $2 bones makes for a treat, meal and long term toy all rolled into one (somewhat messy so make sure she eats it outside or else your wife might get annoyed. Love you baby!) package.
And yes, the same applies to cats. My two cats are just as happy chasing a bit of string that I cut off my sweater as they are with a fancy plastic stick attached to some feather on a string. Again, think one year old at Xmas!
By the way, the best toy for a dog is another dog! I take Daisy to doggie day care because I don’t have enough time to properly walk her every day. Do you know what they have there for the dogs to play with? Other dogs! That’s right, it’s a large open area where the dogs get to roam and play for 10 hours. That’s all your dog really needs. If you don’t want to pay for doggie daycare, find a nearby dog park and take them there. It’s a great way to tire out your dog while also teaching them valuable socialization skills at absolutely no cost.
Human Like Treatments – No, fluffy does not need a chiropractor or weekly grooming or a massage or a doggie day care with a built in pool or a monthly manicure or a special kitty sweater. In fact, fluffy hates all of these things. You’re the one who insists on paying for them because you think of fluffy as a human being. Trust me, your dog or cat doesn’t need to be treated as a human being.
Daisy is perfectly happy (and healthy) with her once a month bath in my shower. It takes about 15 minutes and costs me absolutely nothing. She’s also quite happy without a weekly massage (yes, I’ve had people telling me about their doggie massages), a manicure (if your dog needs a manicure it usually means you’re not getting them enough exercise), or a sweater (most of them have enough fur). Dopey and Sneezy (the cats) are also happy without any of these things.
Health – A healthy pet is a pet that will cost you a lot less money. That’s true of human beings as well but this is a post about pets so… The number one way to keep a pet healthy is to not overfeed them and give them plenty of exercise, which again, is also true of human beings.
- Don’t give your pet table scraps, they don’t need them
- Don’t give your pet food just because they ask for it. Keep them on a regular feeding schedule with regular amounts. Yes, I know they’re looking at you with those sad, puppy dog eyes that just cry out for food. It’s a trick!
- Do give your pets plenty of exercise. That means at least 30 to 60 minutes every day and preferably something more than a leisurely walk. How about taking them to the park and running around a bit? It’s free, it’s good for them and it’s good for you!
Pet insurance – Never buy pet health insurance, you’ll pay a lot of money and end up with an unpleasant surprise when you find out how little these companies actually cover. Over the life of all my pets I would never have recouped the cost of these insurance policies. Insurance in general will never save you money, it’s only a way of mitigating risk. With the cost of pet health care being much lower than human health care, the risks are much more manageable. Not to mention the fact the risk mitigation is a lot lower thanks to the less than wholesome business these companies run.
End of Life Care For Pets. It’s More Than Money.
I hesitated to even speak about end of life care for pets in a post about frugality. First, these discussions almost always touch off a debate about end of life care for humans and second is the unpleasant implication of the value of life, pet or otherwise. So let me address the first objection first. The following is about pets, animals, non humans. If you choose to read into it something humans, that’s your choice, but it’s not my intent. Second, in regards to the value of life. This is actually what made my decision to include this section in this post, because I wanted to emphasize that life, even that of a pet, should NOT be calculated in monetary terms.
If you own animals as livestock then yes, they are property and nothing more, but pets are not livestock. These are animals who you have made a commitment to care for in return for nothing more than companionship. This is not a business relationship, it’s an emotional one and you need to think about what’s going to happen towards the end of that pet’s life.
As with humans, much of the cost associated with pet healthcare comes towards the end of their life. Cancer, arthritis, heart disease and all the other ailments that impact human beings also take their toll on pets and that toll includes a lot of money in treatment and medication. Unlike people though, at some point you’re going to have to make a choice. That choice will be whether or not to continue paying for that expensive treatment or to say good bye to your pet and have them put to sleep. I ask you to consider this now because later on will be too late.
To me, a pet is a part of the family. That means I will pay whatever it takes to keep them alive as long as their quality of life is good. However, I will not prolong a pet’s suffering just to keep them with me for a few more days. It’s a horrible decision to make but it’s one that you, as a pet owner, will need to make. Are you willing to do that?
Think about that for a moment. There will come a time when you will need to make a life or death decision for a living creature who you have bonded with for over a decade. You will need to explain your decision to your kids. You will need to explain it to yourself. You will need to make a decision on “is fluffy’s life worth these thousands of dollars?” and you will hate yourself for even thinking about that question. This is something you need to consider now, as a responsible adult, before making the decision to bring a pet into your life.
For me, the years of love, companionship and joy are worth that pain. I know that someday I will have to let Daisy go, (even writing about it brings tears to my eyes and I can’t imagine my life without her) but when the time comes, I will do the responsible thing. All the money in the world couldn’t buy me the happiness she brought into my life and no amount of painful goodbyes will ever erase the good times I had with her. When I have done all I can to keep her healthy and happy, when there’s nothing I can do to ease her suffering, I will make that decision. I will give her one more sock to chew, one more treat to eat and one more hug, and I will say goodbye to the best friend I ever had.
