Right now I'm at $32/month for a 8 month-old dog. It's a $250 deductible and will cover 80% of the medical bill(s).

My co-worker said once the dog reaches a certain age the insurance providers either drop or won't offer coverage. Totally understandable.

You all have given me a lot of great information and the last half of this page has even made me question if this is something that I want to do.

The things I do for money give me a lot of flexibility. I'm home for the majority of most days but a few times during the year I'm gone for about a week. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be providing 99.9% of the care for this dog for at least the first 6 months. When I am away can a puppy be left outside for a long period of time? If I go the adoption route at what point is it not possible to give the dog a name? Is pet insurance something that I should get from Day 1? How hard is it to house train a dog so they aren't crapping all over the place or chewing up things that you paid a lot of money for? I'm not willing to pay nearly $1k a month to own a dog like Kirkwood does to please his wife but what is the typical monthly/annual cost of ownership?

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

No. You run the risk of Cashman poisoning it
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=110557&hilit=barking&start=0

The place I kennel my dog is something like $45/night. Going on a 10 day vacation? $450 plus tax, etc. Then the dog smells like a damn piss factory and you pay them another $40 to wash it or you have to do it yourself. Ever take a shower with a 75lb dog?

Dude (can I call you dude?), you are raising red flags right and left.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I wouldn't recommend this. You can either crate train the puppy or board it during the day or for the period you will be gone.

Nas if you get a puppy you will definitely want to buy a kennel/cage for the dog. He shouldn't be out roaming around on his own at all when they are
small. They will chew things up and go to the bathroom whenever the mood strikes them. One other thing that people haven't mentioned is the food.
I have found with my dogs that the high quality food has always paid dividends for us. I pay $65 a bag for food, which lasts about 3 weeks or so but
we are able to change flavors and it is not made of corn meal which is what some of the lesser quality food is made of. It is my opinion that the food
has helped my current dog and past dogs stay healthier.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Don't buy,

Lease.

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I'm talking about me being away from home for a week and needing the rest of the household to help out until I return.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

leaseyourdogs

puppies are always getting sick and then you debate...vet or no vet? finally after three days of the dog shitting and barfing all hours of the night you bring it to the vet. They have to run tests, xrays, all kind of shit. $375 later you find out he must have "eaten something" and you need to buy special dog food for $5/can. 2 cans/day for a week, add another $70.


Doggie day care is a relative bargain at $35/day.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

A puppy that is not house broken should not be left unsupervised inside or outside for a long period of time. You might be able to find a pet sitter or dog walker that can come by once or twice a day for a cost that is more reasonable than boarding. We use a dog walking service 3 days a week, for $18 each 30 minute visit.

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We bought a purebred Yorkshire Terrier puppy a couple years back. For years i rebelled at the idea of getting a dog, and in a moment of weakness I agreed to purchase one for my wife. She has a fondness for this breed AND it is non-allergenic (i have bad allergies around shedding pets). Anyway, getting a puppy was a big mistake for us - its like having another baby and is a huge pain in the ass. It didn't take long to house-break the dog (it is a pretty smart breed) but all hours of the night needing to go out and trying to get it settled down for the night was really aggravating. It took this dog a good year to get a nighttime routine. Even still at 2+ years old the dog just is restless and doesn't seem to sleep very deeply, ever. Also, we did go to a breeder on a recommendation from a friend of ours and while i am satisfied that the place wasn't a mill and that our dog is healthy, if I were to do it again i'd just look at a shelter. Having a dog with "papers" means nothing to me and nobody else gives a shit either. It made things easier for me since it was an exact breed i was looking for, but I should have held out for a Yorkie from a shelter somewhere. Lastly, don't get a Yorkie. I mean, he has come a long way and he is alright I guess, but they are mouthy, jealous little breed of dog. And they live for-fucking EVER so we are stuck with this little fucker for the next 12-14 years at least. It is nice to have ZERO shedding and no allergies, and he is kind of funny to have around sometimes when his mood is just right and he is super-playful. He is very high-strung though and not a day goes by where I don't wonder what the fuck I was thinking when i green-lit this idea.

holy shit - you pay someone $200 a month to walk your dog, or am i reading that incorrectly?

Agree with this. We buy a high-quality limited ingredient kibble that is primarily meat and then top it with raw food each meal. We've had the dog almost 5 years now, and he has the energy of a puppy still with no health issues other than general seasonal allergies.

Nas, regarding the cost, and granted we pamper the dog pretty well, we spend about $100.00 on food per month. Probably $25 on treats. $20 on allergy meds. Usually Zyrtec. $10.00 on toys. $10.00 on dental water to help with tooth treatment. And then if you prorate shots and meds out over the year, probably another $30.00. So we spend probably around $200 to $250 a month. You obviously will have more upfront costs initially buying things like leashes, collars, beds, crates, etc.

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My wife works in a hospital and does three 12-hour shifts each week. On those days, the dog would be alone from roughly 6am-5:30pm so we have the dog walkers come on days she works.

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damn, that would be a deal-breaker for me. Is that a long-term expense, or will that only be until the dog reaches a certain age and you are more confident that it can make it through the day without messing up the house?

i'm sure once it reaches a certain age it won't need to go to the bathroom any longer

Not a good idea as a puppy. They're curious and likely teething. They'll want to chew or eat all these new interesting things. We ended up taking the dog to the vet twice b/c she ate something causing her stomach issues. Like hatchetman said, x-ray, medication, special food, and it ended up being a $500 ordeal. And that's the "phew we dodged a bullet" diagnosis.

Doesn't matter. Pups will learn their new name if they see responding with it comes with praise, love, treats, etc.

I wish I had it on Day 1. It won't cover routine shots, check-ups (they do offer those to be included but it's not worth the added cost).

House training isn't too hard. You just have to be diligent to take the dog out every 2-3 hours if they're a puppy. They'll still have occasional accidents but after a month or earlier you'll be fine.

For our 40-lb mixed breed:

$30 - Food: 50lb bag (~$55) of Merrick's lasts 2 months for us
$20 - Treats (alternate between: Blue Buffalo biscuits, Persian cucumbers, Ice, or peanut butter)
$160 - Daycare
$10 - every other month clip nails

$210/month on "fixed" costs

then there are the one-time things like crate, bed, harness, leash, bowls, soap, toys,

I'm sure once it reaches a certain age it can be completely housebroken and may not need to go outside as often, and therefore may not require a dog-walker on those days.

The wife and I leave for work at 6am. I'm home at 5pm and her at 6pm.

There would be shit and piss all over the place.

what does being housebroken have to do with how often it may have to go to the bathroom ?
(hint: i'm gonna say it's probably at least once per 11 1/2 hours)

The old rule of thumb was you could leave them for 1 hour without a bathroom break for every month old they were, typically up to 12 hours. We unfortunately left our boy once for 18 hours, and he was fine. No accidents. 12 is the most we will go under normal circumstances. But we adopted an 8 month old dog who was 90% potty trained.

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my housebroken dog occasionally stays home for longer periods of time than that with no problem. I was asking Frank if his dog-walking expenses was a permanent situation for him or temporary. I have no idea if he has an old dog or a young puppy. Naturally if it is a young, un-housebroken dog i can see where long periods by itself could be a problem. A more mature, housebroken dog may not require the dog-walker. Who the fuck asked you anyway?

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I volunteered at a shelter once a week for six straight years. There is no proof of this so, as usual, you're full of shit.

The dog walker commercial featuring Olivia Munn always makes me wonder what won't she do for a check.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Hmmmmm.....

My family has been involved with the local humane society for over a decade, so I'll go with that knowledge over whichever board douche just outed the worst mult in board history.

Hi, 312.

So you're saying that serving as a spokeswoman for a dog walking service is less legit in your eyes than serving as a beard? Add RR to the growing list of CFMB posters who may be on the down low!

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yet you suggest going to a breeder ?