Comments on: Don't buy a dog

By: john

john — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:24:20 +0000

Yes they are very costly and out grow there crates that they need to feel safe. But I hope one day people will come to there sinces and stop paying so much for dog and other animals. Maybe that would stop or slow down the breeding of them for money.

By: It’s Never Too Late « Two Working Parents

It’s Never Too Late « Two Working Parents — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:57:17 +0000

[...] Gathering Little By Little talks about tipping getting out of hand and about his expensive new family member. [...]

By: CindyS

CindyS — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:01:20 +0000

Great article! People don’t realize that the largest cost for buying and having a dog is AFTER you buy it. I’m not sure where you are but I would expect flea control to be much larger. Frontline Plus runs about $40 for 3 months which works out to about $160 per year. Most of my clients use it year round here in Southern Virginia.

I would also agree on the premium dog food. Just like humans, dogs are what they eat and most of the grocery store brands are more like eating at McDonalds every day.

By: [ ! ] The Sugarbuzz Project » Blog Archive » Feedbucket: Playing With Digsby Edition

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:02:00 +0000

[...] GLBL shares with us a bit of the obvious. You know, because there are some folks out there that are just too stupid to know this stuff. Seriously. I mean, they elected…oh, nevermind. Gather Little By Little [...]

By: Why I don’t have a dog | Caddickisms

Why I don’t have a dog | Caddickisms — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:23:38 +0000

[...] to Glblguy in his post, Don’t buy a dog, given an average lifespan of 12 years, the cost for a dog works out to $7,210.00 ($775 for the [...]

By: bouncing back

bouncing back — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:37:36 +0000

The mother wasn’t registered and it was her second litter?! Yikes, even if the place was clean,neat and tidy, a reputuable breeder would not breed an unregistered dog to a registered dog. Most breed clubs have a code of ethics that prohibit that. Sounds to me like your “breeder” did the breeding purely for the cash.

I have friends who fall under the moniker of “hobby breeders”. They litter register the pups with the AKC and the individual registration is up to the new owner. A reputable breeder will supply the litter registration slip and a sales contract that spells out if the dog is to be spayed/neutered, conditions for it’s return, any known health issues, etc.

By: MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators

MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:23:09 +0000

We've spent over $30,000 on our dogs over the last 8 years. Biggest lesson learned: Pets don't need pets. Don't buy another dog because your first dog is "lonely".

By: Wendy

Wendy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:21:07 +0000

WEll, you’ve learned a lesson, and now have a BEAUTIFUL lovely sweet puppy to add to your joy! (an monthly expenses).

By: glblguy

glblguy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:53:11 +0000

Wow, didn’t anticipate the number of reactions! First off a few corrections as some of my info is wrong. My wife did find some pups on Craiglist but didn’t buy those. She found Rusty on a breeders classified list for the area we purchased him. He was also $250.00 and not $100.00. Again, I got confused on who she bought him from.

Food…yep, forgot to add food. I had it in there in the first draft and when I changed the format I must have deleted it! So don’t worry, we do feed our dogs

As for puppy farm vs. hobby breeder vs. regular breeder…I have no idea. I do know that father was an AKC registered show dog. The mother was not registered. The dogs were very well kept and the place was clean. It was the mother’s second litter and they weren’t planning on having anymore. They kept one of the puppies and sold the rest.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:55:04 +0000

Some thoughts:
- Don’t get papers just for the bragging rights ;p

- Get pet insurance. Even a broken leg can set you back $4,000.

- Make sure you research the breed before you buy. Much as I love mutts if you buy purebred often you can anticipate (and prepare for) certain things about your dog, like how much exercise and space it needs or how much it barks or how big it will grow. If you get it from a good breeder you can also meet the parents and siblings and get an idea of the dog’s temperament. If you have a good breeder they will ask as many questions of you as you will of them.

- Learn to make your own dog food. I found that most recipes called for ingredients I was already buying, and having a pup actually means I waste less leftovers and my dog eats healthier for it.

- Puppies and kittehs are expensive but to me the benefits far outweigh the costs. I exercise more and end up doing more “free” activities that involves the puppy, and she brings more joy in my life than anything brought ever could

(My pup, a 1 year old Papillion is here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/wufflebunny/sets/72157603640734237/)