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?

Have you tried contacting any local farms? We 'rescued' our puppy last year from a girl at a local farm who had taken the puppies in due to the people who bred them being cruel to them (the litter was an accident and he is just a small mixed terrier but the most loving little dog ever) he was £100 due to her just wanting to find them kind, loving homes so defiantly worth a check! Also feels good that even tho he was a puppy we saved him from a bad situation!

Rescue centres too but I know it can be hard work matching a dog to a family. We tried a few years ago but the dog we rescued needed to be in a single person household and it wasn't fair to have her in a home environment.

Best of luck! :)

Look for an older dog, they're cheaper. Also lots of rescue have lovely dogs that were dumped because they were just older as well doesn't mean they have problems
A rescue centre isn't going to give you a dangerous dog. Safer than random Facebook buying

I don’t understand how people make dogs so expensive. I paid £1500 for mine a rare breed from a very reputable breeder. I buy a good quality dog food about £35 every 5 ish weeks I vaccinate him yearly only because he goes to doggy day care I don’t have insurance I do have saving but he’s my 6 th dog all lived to old age and died none ever needed the vet until the end. I worm 3 monthly and flea and tick 3 monthly from March to November. He’s just had mild eye infection £35 at the vet for consultation and eye ointment.

Doggie day care must cost a fair amount?

Day care must cost you a fortune though .

£18 a day but I don’t use it more than once a week some weeks not at all. And not everyone needs doggy day care.
I used to own horses kept at livery so maybe I have a different view on what owning an expensive animal means 😃

@lechatnoir please consider a rescue. There are young dogs available and the shelter will be able to help you choose one suitable for your family. You’ll actually have a better idea of what you’re getting with a rescue, as the shelter will also know their temperament.

Aside from that, rescue dogs are cheaper to buy, they NEED a home, and they are often mongrels which can be beneficial in terms of health.

Well yeah, horses are a different level of expensive 😂

But, you’re not adding all the costs up, the daycare being just one, beds, leads etc need replacing every so often, toys, chews, if you use food other than their normal stuff for training or treats.

The stuff you tend not to pay much attention to if you’re used to having a dog, but you do need to account for if you’re working out if you can afford one.

and most people do get insurance, if you’re having to weigh up whether you can afford to get a dog to start with, you need insurance tbh, because the chances are you won’t have access to enough money if there is an expensive emergency.

Dogs are peanuts then 😃

Yeah, someone who can’t afford to pay the initial outlay for a dog is going to need insurance, as they won’t have the savings available for pets bills.
Our recently deceased dog didn’t have any long term health issues, but he did have a torn ligament when he was about 4 that cost £4k altogether to sort, then a lump on his spleen that ruptured when he was 9ish that cost £2.5k. Thankfully we were insured.

Vets bills, not pets bills!

I've just come on to say I have really had enough of ill-informed, prejudiced posters popping at every opportunity to tell us that 'rescue' rehome dogs "come with issues".

Exactly. In my experience they rarely come with issues. Puppies come with their own set of problems and also unidentified future issues. Even if your rescue has issues they will generally be known issues and they won't be removed with you if you can't cope with them.

We paid £1500 for our pedigree golden retriever puppy a few weeks ago

I haven't read all the responses but have you looked at breed specific rescues. The doodle trust have several dogs in looking forever homes. They have a few that are suitable for families and max donation fee is 450. If you have an idea on breeds you think would a be good match then I'd really recommend looking for resues. It mat take a little longer to find the perfect dod but worth a look

Agree with the advice to pick an unfashionable breed - this also means you are unlikely to get caught by a puppy farmer. We recently paid £900 for a well bred KC registered small terrier breed - yes we had to wait a while (as there are not many around) but it just gave us more time to prepare.

I met a few lhasas and they were great little dogs. Only downside would be grooming if you're not up for doing that.

Honestly Op, if you are worried about up front costs, I'd walk away. The monthly costs of ddog ownership are huge. DDog eats £40 a month in food, £10 in treats. Insurance is £60 a month. Dog daycare, £120 a month (2 days a week). Then flea treatment, worming, leads, collars, grooming, dog beds, toys. Dog had a one off vet trip last week because he had a grass seed up his nose - £75.
I probably spend £300 most months on DDog. Its not cheap.

We got our girl for 700 last year she was is cross between a labrador and a cocker spaniel. We love her to bits. Depends if the pedigree matters to you.

ex-racing and therefore non insurable

I don't know where the poster gets this - I've had ex-racers for over a quarter of a century and I've always been able to insure them (insurance which paid out on multiple occasions).

"Wouldn't put them through it" is a situation by situation decision, but people should not kid themselves - if you don't have insurance, you may find yourself deciding whether to spend £6-10k on well tolerated, effective treatment which will relieve your dog's current suffering, or have them PTS, and that will be a financial decision and you will have to live with it. Not a position I ever want to be in myself.

That's exactly my point - insurance is for you more so than it is the dog.
My argument is that if you adopt a dog who is likely to spend its life in kennels or from a desperate situation as some dogs who live in overseas rescue are in with the knowledge that you can't afford insurance and you can't afford £10k for vet treatment, then it still might still be the right thing to do.
It at least gives them a chance.
It's far from ideal but the situation is so desperate for so many dogs that it might be the best option for them.

Go to a rescue

I would really try to rescue if you can. I foster for a breed specific rescue as the majority of the dogs now are being given in as people can't afford them and other personal circumstances. All the dogs we have had stay with us have been lovely and only a couple had issues (such as pulling when walking so nothing a bit of training won't sort out). Still way easier than a puppy! The amount of dogs coming in is massive and there are far fewer people wanting to adopt (again it is the cost that is the issue). It makes me sad that so many people are buying puppies when thousands of dogs are desperate for loving homes. Most of the dogs we get are only 1 or 2 years old. Not oldies with loads of health issues (although I do love an oldie!).

I visited this rescue yesterday https://www.manytearsrescue.org/index.php there are so many dogs there it would break your heart. Although many need a resident dog due to their past as breeding dogs, they do regularly get lots of young small dogs (unsold puppies) who might potentially be able to be an only dog. They also have litters of puppies being born to pregnant bitches which they rehome as only dogs. They seem to consider rehoming to families or with cats if the dog is right for that situation. They are so busy though, you need to keep an eye on the website which is updated all the time.

If you’re struggling with upfront costs then I’m afraid I agree with the other posters advising to think again. That is pocket change compared to life time costs and relying on your overdraft for big vet bills isn’t going to do you any favours.

if you’re really set then get an unfashionable breed but still check breed issues. For example King Charles spaniels are prone to quite a few breed specific issues. Please whatever you do don’t get a flat nosed breed.

also check your local vet services. Are they taking on new clients? (Some still aren’t as they haven’t recovered from the covid puppy boom and lack of vets), what are their general costs? Where is their out of hours service and how much is it for an out of hours appointment? some places charge £250+ just to see a vet in the middle of the night