The Real Cost of Owning a Dog

They say you can't put a price on love, but it's better to know how much love you can really afford.

VETERINARY

First year: $400-$800. The first year includes vaccinations, worming, and spaying or neutering. Spaying or neutering run between $35 (for low-cost clinics) to $200. Spaying costs more than neutering, and both cost more for larger dogs. Like children, puppies often have accidents or illnesses that require additional visits.

Adult years: $200-$500. Adult years include annual checkups, booster vaccinations, parasite control, and illness and accidents. Heartworm prevention will cost more for larger dogs, as will most drugs. Assume that during one or more of those years, the dog will have an illness or accident. Add $200 to $600 up for each such event.

Senior years: $300-$500. This assumes no problems. Seniors have the expenses of adults, plus annual blood tests. But eventually, most seniors get ill. Depending on the illness, and how far you are willing to go, the typical additional expense is $400 to $2,000, but can go up to $10,000 or more.

FOOD: $15-$60 (and up) per month. Costs are less for smaller dogs and adults. They are lower if you feed only dry food, and can be slightly to considerably higher if you add canned food or meat. Treats can also add to the bill.

ACCESSORIES: $20 -$100 per year. Collars, leashes, toys, crates, dog beds, cute outfits, carrying bags...you can spend as much as you want. But you can also stick with the necessities and spend as little as $100 the first year, and just $20 or so subsequent years. Again, larger dogs will need large crates and tougher toys, so they tend to have larger bills.

BOARDING: $15-$40 per day. Rates are higher in metropolitan areas, and for larger dogs. Additional services such as grooming, walking or training cost extra.

OBEDIENCE CLASSES: $50-$150 per eight-week session. Private lessons cost more. Lessons offered by a dog or obedience club usually cost less.

GROOMING: $10-$1200 per year. Short-coated dogs with healthy coats will need only an occasional bath and brushing, plus nail clipping. If you pay for nail clipping, that's about $10-$15 a visit, at least monthly. For dogs that require professional grooming, count on $50 to $100 a month.

LICENSE: $0-$60 per year. Most urban areas require annual licenses for dogs, although many rural areas do not. The fee for spayed and neutered dogs is often less than that for intact dogs, which may be $100 or more in some places.

FENCE OR CONTAINMENT: $200-$2,000 up. If you have a yard, you'll need to keep him in. The best way is a fence, but you can also have a kennel run or underground electronic system. A larger dog may require a higher, sturdier fence.

HOME REPAIR: $15-$150 up. Chewed furniture, shredded carpet and new paint for doors and screens for windows are the most common projects. Larger dogs can do more damage.

How can you keep costs down?

1. Research your breeds and choose one with as few expensive hereditary health problems as possible. Then research your breeder and choose one who tests against these problems. You may pay more for your dog, but save money in the long run.

2. Choose a small dog; not tiny, but small- to medium-sized.

3. Choose a short-haired dog.

4. Choose an adult dog.

5. Feed a brand name but not exotic dry food.

6. Learn to do essential grooming chores yourself.