Have you ever totalled the real cost of your dog?

[Talkmeoutofthis222]

If you haven't. - don't

Mine are easy mongrels but ye gads we have...

Vets
Insurance
Food
Equipment (crates, bowls, beds etc)
Dog walker
Holiday cover
Training/behaviourist
Chiropractor

But then.. Wait for it...

Dog suitable car
Lost earnings through dog ownership

The last ones are huge for us! Over the course of all our lifetimes we have/will pay thousands that we wouldn't pay if we didn't own dogs.

I met someone who had paid £5k to fly a rescue dog from the USA to the uk. Couldn't bear to be parted.

It's not for the faint hearted is it?

Justbeing can we have a pic of the colliexpoodle? Sounds lovely then I'm hiding the thread

She's lovely

Juliet, she is gorgeous; but border x poodle, she must have the highest doggy IQ in the world

Tinned sardines have been a revelation for me and SweetPup, the best recall treat EVER, and he is very shiny

But, all this expense? I've saved money because dog walking and dog hugging is my new hobby!

Yes she's very smart. I don't think it's a combination I would recommend personally!

She is gorgeous! Is she high maintenance? I would imagine she needs a fair bit of stimulation!

To be fair, in the house, I barely know she's here apart from the trail of wee she leaves behind but she needs a decent amount of exercise. She picks things up very quickly, bad habits included, and is very collie like in her mannerisms.

That's the problem with intelligent dogs - I always think ours is too clever sometimes!

The whole dog market seems to have taken of rapidly in recent years and people seem to spend masses of money on things they didn't used to. Our boy costs us ~£10 month for food, ~£300 p.a. kennel costs, ~£30 p.a. booster jabs plus training costs but they'll only be for the first few months. They don't have to cost you a fortune!