TAKE ME HOME PLEASE Not everyone thinks about the various places you can adopt a pet including the most obvious, the humane society. Having a family pet is something that is common in many homes around the world. Having a family pet can add some stress to our budgets as well as having enough time to care for them. Making smart decisions when purchasing a pet can go a long way in saving you some of your hard earned money. A Man’s Best Friend, Not Always a Budget’s Best Friend While many people consider their pet to be a part of the family many do not think about how much money owning a pet may cost them in the long run. Mr. CBB shared in a previous post the many costs associated with owning a pet. If you have even the slightest concern that you may not be able to afford all the costs associated with owning a pet or the time required to care for your pet, don’t own one. You may want to strongly consider not having a pet until you can make sure all of their needs will be met. Where you purchase your pet, Humane […]
A dog is for life, not just for Christmas
YOUR DOG WILL LOVE YOU UNTIL THE END As with many pet owners and this time of year I can be sure that they’ll be at least one present under the tree for your four-legged friend. The family dog, the pooch, the mutt or even the Heinz 57, including our particularly daft dog will be there waiting for the special treat that they already sniffed out a couple of weeks ago. Our little friend has spent many a Christmas diving in the wrapping paper and running off with presents that aren’t even his, but this year he’s getting particularly old. Boarding a dog After many happy years running after bunnies and generally terrorising the country side he’s really beginning to show his age. He’s going away for a couple of days so the wife and I can take a little trip somewhere that she doesn’t yet know about. Now, normally I would be booking him in to a kennel, but he despises kennels, worries far too much that we’ll never come back and then proceeds to not eat. Once, the situation had gotten so bad he had to be picked up early by my parents when him […]
Pet Budget: Homemade peanut butter dog treats
Treats Your Dog Will Love I’ve never given much thought to our pet budget and making homemade dog bones until I came across a peanut butter dog treats recipe that made me question the cost of the treats we purchase for our dog and what’s in them. Pets cost money We currently put away $113 a month into our pet budget category to cover costs such as vet bills, food and treats, pet licence, snow boots, leash, poop bags etc. Before you decided to own a pet you should do your research into all the potential costs associated with pet ownership. The Peanut butter dog treats is a recipe that I found while reading the Facebook page of Kitchen Dreaming. They really are as easy to make as my 5 ingredient peanut butter cookies for humans, except for the chocolate of course. I thought it was a brilliant idea but I wasn’t sure if our dog would be into the whole peanut butter biscuit idea. I was wrong, he loves them, he more than loves them. After he had the first peanut butter treat he literally sat and watched them baking in the oven. He made sure to come and keep reminding me […]
The Loss Of A Dog, Euthanasia Costs and Dealing With Grief
Unconditional love. The loss of a dog, euthanasia and dealing with grief may well be part of owning a family pet. Thoughts of what to do when a dog passes away is not a subject that many pet owners tend to think about. As humans we do the same because we don’t tend to think of our own deaths and preparation of a will unit later in life if ever for some people. I’m not sure if we will ever own another pet when our beloved dog passes but we do know he’s had a great life and we love him very much. I would rather see our dog pass of old age in his sleep rather than pain and suffering. I still hold that close to my heart. When a pet dies, a part of the owner dies with the pet because there is a spot in our hearts that becomes the bonding of pet owner and pet. Writing this post is bringing a tear to my eye as good memories flashback in my head. I don’t care who you are you the last thing you want to think about as a pet owner is the death of a dog. All […]
Costs Of Owning A Pet…Can You Really Afford One?
FIGURE OUT IF YOU CAN AFFORD EVERYTHING THAT COMES WITH PET OWNERSHIP BEFORE GETTING A PET Owning a pet costs money and I’m not talking chump change neither. There are significant start-up and ongoing costs that should be factored in to your decision to be a pet owner. So often I see people who get googly-eyed over a small kitten or a small fluffy dog and jump right in and adopt one or take one on for free. Impulse purchases are the worst and are often the expenses that will cost you most out-of-pocket. Dogs depending on size can live 8-14 years and the costs of owning a dog can mount up according to Dr. John Williams at Pet Place. Dr. Williams goes on to say; Small to Med dogs Estimated lifespan 14 years Start Up costs $740-$1325 (first year) Annual Costs $500-$875 Lifetime Costs $7240- $12,700 Large Dogs Estimated lifespan 8 years Start Up Costs $1020-$1825 (first year) Annual Costs $690-$875 Lifetime Cost $5850-$7950 There are reasons people offer their pets for free, mainly costs they never considered but other reasons such as allergies, not getting on with other pets or family members, scratching, illness (which they may not […]
