Are all dogs ridiculously expensive now?

[lechatnoir]

We're ready to welcome a dog into our home but just can't afford the ££££'s being asked by breeders and as novice/first time dog owners wary about getting a rescue. Is £1500-2k standard nowadays? I'm shocked and sad that this is beyond our reach so it's looking unlikely we will be able to find one. We are aware that dog ownership isn't cheap and factored in day-to-day costs it's just this upfront lump-sum we're struggling with. Any advice?

Did you know that King Charles spaniels are inbred very badly and are one of the unhealthiest breeds in the world?
https://www.peta.org/features/never-buy-cavalier-king-charles-spaniel/

The puppy mills often have a normal family home as a front as no one is going to buy a puppy from a shithole (although people do seem to like to think they're doing a good thing by 'saving' the puppy rather than that they are actually encouraging it to continue, so that's probably not entirely true). Puppy mills do have houses and flat as fronts though, fake certificates, all sorts. It's a huge money making thing and the 'good' ones are very convincing. They are even setting up fake rescues.

Please be very careful - and I agree with others that if you can't afford the prices then you should think very carefully about the ongoing costs. Many insurance policies don't include dental work which can be very costly and often needed at some point, there are annual injections and monthly worming tablets and every visit to the vet for anything usually involves them doing tests which half the time show nothing but you generally have to pay for (plus the cost of the visit) because it comes in under the excess on your insurance. Claiming on the insurance can also make it jump in price the following year. Be sure to read the small print very carefully.

I would also really recommend offering to look after someones dog for a couple of weeks while they're on holiday to give you an idea of what it's like, it does take over your life to a certain extent and remember a young puppy will be far more demanding than a friends adult dog.

OP read up on Cavalier King Charles. The likelyhood of a dog of that breed dying is near to 50% due to allmof them having an inherited heart condition. My friend lost one and the second she has lost her eye whixh is another issue many small.overbread breeds suffer from. Expensive but also heartbreaking to own a dog which is suffering.

Have you tried Spaniel Aid? They are getting several dogs a week at the moment who are perfectly good natured, people are genuinely giving up dogs after getting them as lockdown pets and now no longer wanting them. I know this is a bit bigger than your examples but a pure-bred springer can make a lovely family dog.

I bought my dog for just £300 last year, she’s a huntaway and they tend to be fairly low priced, she came from a lovely farm her parents are working dogs and she was raised around children and she’s the most amazing dog ever she loves our cats and my child, natural recall, highly intelligent and has been such a breeze. Not a very well known breed but exactly what I was looking for and I’m so happy with her.

There are dozens of lovely dogs in rescue centres, waiting for loving homes. They are PTS when more space is needed. Please consider one of them.

The cost of owning a dog will honestly shock you. If I added up what I have spent on my mixed breed dog over the 10 years I have had him it would shock you.
We paid £350 for him in 2013 as he was the last one to go and the owner I think just wanted him gone. Also he was a mixed breed and prices were cheaper back then.

In terms of costs of the 10 years, to name but a few-

Groomer (inc teeth clean) £60 every 6 weeks = £4800

Vet regular bill (to cover flea/worm/vacs/appts) £25 per month = £3000

Pet Insurance for first two years only £25 per month = £600
(Cancelled after they paid out £7000 to cover two surgeries and thus the cost of insurance shot up)

5 times over 10 years in hospital overnight with various virus / illness / dental absess (emergency appointment and overnight care) 5 x £1200 approx = £6000

Food (my choice to feed him chicken, steak, lamb, duck 3-4 times a week as well as his raw dog food and kibble) . Easy £200 per month = £24000 (Oh my god!!)

3 dog beds from Orvis (memory/air foam) £600

Sheepskin rugs cos he loves to lie on them £500

Harnesses, leads, car seat, bowls, blankets, toys, treats, activity games, toothpaste, shampoo, wipes, pill dispenser, fur scissors and no doubt others I have forgotten about??? Lets say £50 per month which would be way too little some months £5000

So that's just costs I have been able to remember over 10 years £45000!!!
Compared to £350 to buy him.

And that does not include the £7000 paid by petplan when he had two surgeries for his cruciates (knees)

I've shocked myself here. Away to give dog the job section of paper so he can get a job!!

Obviously if you are more sensible than me you can cut some of these costs.
For example a normal person probably spends around £50 a month on food so that would be £6000 over 10 years rather than what I choose to spend.

My dog is horribly spoiled but you can see the cost of some of the more essential items and even they are quite quick to build up to thousands of pounds.

Honestly I do agree with the other posters. If you can't find the money to buy a dog, you definately will struggle with some of the costs. I hope you find the above useful. On the plus side you will have an unbelievable amount of joy, laughter, happiness, love and companionship from them. They do change your world and your perspective.

This.

That...

Because honestly, yes, if you can’t afford to do that you can’t afford a dog.

p.s. not all dogs need to go to the groomers so this is something you should think about. My dog is a shihtzu / coton de tulear cross and does not shed. Thus the groomer bills!
Obviously a dog that does not need a groomer will be cheaper.

Dog ownership is really for well off people only, it should really be means tested

echo the above, if you can afford the ongoing, put the monthly cost aside and you’ll have £2000 in less than a year. If you’ve budgeted less than that you’ve not budgeted enough for their upkeep

Spaniel Aid are great, but they tend to want experienced dog owners. They have also exclusively working cockers and springers, which are high energy breeds, and the dogs they get in tend to have issues with resource guarding and / or separation anxiety and are not suitable for novice owners.

I completely agree with those who say that if you can't afford the purchase price, you can't afford the vet bills. What happens when the insurance premium goes up to £150 or more a month and you have to pay the excess plus (when the dog gets old) 20% of the bill. And (unlike car or house insurance) you can't shop around once your premiums go up as the new insurer would exclude anything they choose to class as a pre-existing condition. So, if your dog swallowed something inedible and had to be opened up, that would then exclude any gastro-intestinal issues.

Keep an eye on the rescues. Our last 2 dogs have been puppies from shelters. 1st was 16 weeks old. Our latest was 8 weeks . Obviously, we had an open mind on breed, but they have been absolute gems.

Sorry, that should have said "almost exclusively working cockers and springers".

I would keep an eye on rescue centres. Dogs that would suit your circumstances do come up, you just need to be patient.

I agree with others that dog ownership is expensive, but a lot of the costs some others mention aren't an issue for me, e.g. I don't need to pay groomers or dog walkers or kennels, and though I spend more on dog food than I had anticipated, she not raw organic fed. So imo dog ownership doesn't have to be extortionately expensive or just for the rich. I think being able to front vet bills is the biggie.

And yes, prices did skyrocket and it's not a good thing. It's a sign that breeding dogs is a way to make money. It would be much much better if it was less profitable because then we wouldn't have puppy farms and wholly unsuitable backyard breeders.

We have a 4 year old Eurasier, paid £1400 4 years ago.
In terms of daily costs, not too bad £50 a month kibble, topped up with real meat so probably another £25 a month (but absorbed into our food bill)

I don't flea treat every month but roughly every few months as she reacts to the treatments.. am diligent about checking for fleas and ticks..ditto worming, so around £30 evey 3 months.

I do vaccinations 3 yearly, not yearly top ups, as research shows more often is not necessary.

Double coated so no clipping costs.. I groom her daily myself.

Petplan £46 a month and goes up every year even though we have only needed to claim once.

Biggest regular cost is Cytopoint for allergies £164 for one injection... luckily only needs it twice a year usually!

Dog walker £30 a week for my work days.

Leads, harnesses, poo bags training treats...

I think she's the most expensive member of the household by FAR. My car is cheaper to run and insure than my dog!

I don't dare add it up!

Our next dog will be a rescue , now we have a decent amount of experience, but I think until you have a dog, you will always underestimate the enormous cost of owning one!

But she's worth every penny

Thanks you I am taking it all in but @StillMedusa your costings sound more realistic and in line with what friends with dogs are telling me. Honestly £45k as normal annual expenses is laughable - I wouldn't dream of buying £600 dog beds or £50pm worth of toys. We won't need kennels or day care, happy to groom at home with clipping every few months but purposefully avoiding breeds that need more regular grooming. I know about flea/wormer/vaccination costs plus insurance & food so really finding some of these 'if you haven't got £2k to hand then dog ownership isn't for you' a bit unnecessary. Yes we could save and wait for another year but we've spent the best part of a year talking about it and don't want to wait another year plus have money kept aside for 'start up' costs, spaying/microchip/dog bed/travel etc And if there was an emergency we would be able to pay just as we do with cats/car/home ownership but it doesn't mean I want to shell out ££££ upfront.

Breed recommendations very helpful thanks and will keep looking. Our absolute ideal would be a young adult who has been well socialised and settled in a family but needing rehoming - I've seen a few so any thoughts on this welcome.

Very very rare. Not impossible but rare. I know a lot of people who work and volunteer in rescue and most dogs coming in have complex behavioural or medical needs. Puppies have been farmed. People returning to work are not giving up their dogs in hoards and people who have put the work in (and it is a lot of work and time) to socialise their dog and raise them well aren't going to give them up unless it's absolutely necessary.

Your best bets are the breed clubs. We were in touch with one for the breed we wanted but none came up or were likely to that could live with a cat (even a confident dog savvy one) so after two years of searching and applying for rescues we bought a well bred puppy.

I didn't want to spend that much - does anyone? But it was what it cost to buy a well bred puppy.

If you want any kind of breed, they do seem to be expensive. We are looking too. However, I did read somewhere expect to pay up to £3000 in your first year for vet fees, food, kitting them out. We bought a couple of rabbits two years ago and frankly they’ve been unexpectedly expensive. So if you’re flinching at this initial price point should you be going the whole hog?

My dogs insurance bill is £1600 a year! Dogs get more expensive as they age, factor this in. I personally wouldn't pay £2000 for a puppy either but if that sounds out of reach then do consider if you can afford another pet (you mentioned a cat)

Insurance aside I pay £14 a month for his health plan (vaccinations, working, flea treatments plus one "free" service usually choose nail clipping, £20 a month for dry food (he is cheap, working dog food), gets scraps off the table (I buy packs of 4 meat and 1 dd is vegetarian, so guess who gets it). No costs for grooming, daycare or kennels. So he's not an expensive dog, but the vet cost are £££

You may find the if you haven't got £2k to hand then dog ownership isn't for you' a bit unnecessary but it’s true . I’ve just been to the vets with our dog for his ongoing problem ( since January) and paid another £200 for blood tests and will likely have another £200+ to pay tomorrow for the new medications off the back of todays tests , if you haven’t got that kind of money to hand I would imagine it’s incredibly stressful .

Of course 45k is extreme, but I would say £300 is a good amount to budget for each month, plus that much again for start-up costs when you actually bring the puppy home with you. Day care/walker/holiday costs would be on top of that again.

I don't think people are saying it's unaffordable for you are trying to be mean - they just know from experience that dogs often cost a lot more than you imagine they would!

This year alone my dog has been at the vets three times already - once for a stomach bug which required an OOH appointment and medication - £100. Two more appointments for a potentially cancerous lump on his face - around £35 each, plus medication at £30. My insurance excess per condition is £120 so I couldn't claim any of those costs back.

His food is about £50 per month.
Plaque-Off for his teeth around £10 every six weeks.
Insurance - £57 a month.
Treats/chews - probably around £30 a month.
Nail trims (£5 a month as he won't let us do them ourselves).
Flea/worm/vaccination plan - £12 a month.

They're his set monthly costs, but there's also stuff like poo bags, dog shampoo, replacement collars/leads/harnesses, bedding and blankets, coats/drying coats (not necessities but they make winters much more bearable) etc.

I would also make sure you have money aside for training if you've never had a dog before - that's another £100 or so for six weeks of classes, but I'd recommend going for longer.

Not hung up on a particular breed but small with low prey drive (we have a small cat we don't want terrorising!) & family friendly - been looking at cavalier king Charles spaniel
My KCS constantly chased squirrels and cats! Also very prone to I'll health. I wouldn't get another one of those, gorgeous as they are.

“Yes we could save and wait for another year but we've spent the best part of a year talking about it and don't want to wait another year”

Then you’re hugely unlikely to find a decent breeder... they don’t tend to just have puppies hanging about ready to go.