Can I afford a puppy ? Upfront costs help please

affordmylife

i have a beagle and was worried about the amount of exercise required but he has two or three ten minute walk every day and the rest of the time he is asleep. he'll sometimes have an hour walk but he wont want another one that day.

he is the laziest beagle every.

i suppose what i am trying to say is not every dog is typical of its breed. i was expecting him to be much more lively but hes a sleepy lazy little treasure.

foreign_correspondent

regarding costs, this thread might be useful http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=859857

My dog costs...
Wagg Food lasts us over 12 weeks, so less than £1 a week for food
Halifax Pet Insurance - under £2 a week - relatively cheap premium as my dog is a small female mongrel, so less likely to have hereditary conditions, and less likey to be stolen!
Poop bags free from district council!
Worming and flea drops twice a year, perhaps a tenner per year, so pennies per week.
Vaccinations - about £20, every year to 18 months, so just over a quid a month.
Grooming - nothing if you get a dog with a sensible coat, not one of those fluffy things!
Total - probably about £4 a week!
When you first get a dog, you also need to get a dog bed, food bowls, lead and collar, name disc etc, but these do not cost a fortune and are a one off expenditure.


Our dog was already vaccinated, wormed, de-flead, neutered and micro-chipped by the resue which made the initial costs much lower for us. Also the shelter offered the services of a dog behavioralist in case we had any problems. We didnt!

You may also need to consider grooming costs if you get a dog that needs it, holiday arrangements, (will it go to kennels? will you pay a dogsitter? have you any relatives that will look after it?) what will you do about it when you have to be out of the house for a long day out? and, especially with a puppy - potential chewing up of stuff (shoes, remote controls etc!), damage to furniture (my old dog dug a hole in the middle of the leather settee!! lol!), carpet cleaning after toilet training accidents etc etc!!

I do not want to sound 'doom and gloom' dogs are great, but the reality of having a dog is that it is a big commitment and responsibility, and it can be expensive, inconvenient, and challenging - and you must go into it fully aware of what it may entail.

t_r

ok as the proud owner of a Sprollie (Springer Collie X)

Mine was free tbh there are breeders marketing them as designer dogs labradoodle springs to mind :rolleyes:. The reality is that you are paying for a mutt though;).

You will be getting a very inteligent active dog. As yet I have never tired my pooch out on walks. But spend the time traing her and she will sleep like a baby. Its cool having a dog that has had brill recall from day one not so cool having a dog that can open doors lol.
Mine is the size of a very small collie, most people think she is a collie pup which should give you an idea of size lol.

I would always recomend a rescue though. Pups are hard work, will chew, have to get there jabs etc etc.
My pooch is comming up to 2yrs old and apart from her puppy jabs I have not spent a penny on her at the vets, xfingers. I even had her spayed for free because the PDSA were running a deal at the time.

t_r

oh another thing my trainer says as a rule of thumb after 1hrs exercise a dog will sleep for 5 mins, 5 mins mental stimulation and it will sleep for an hour. (something like that but you get the idea)

foreign_correspondent

just saw this little dog (knee high) and thought I would post a link just to show that there are some dogs in rescue who might be your cup of tea- this one is a younger rescue dog (but past the most demanding age at 10 months!) who likes cats and other animals, and is great with children, can be left, and is not destructive!! (sounds like an ideal dog!!) - I think she is rather lovely from the photo!
http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=168788

t_r

tbh dogpages is the place to go for general doggy advice as well.

Rowan9

mishkanorman wrote: »

thanks, that was exactly the kind of list i was after !!

I think the best way to go about this will be getting little bits as we go along, im a member of freecycle and have seen a few things crop up on there every once on a while and will happliy use 2nd hand for the puppy until its reached an age where stuff wont be destroyed !!

mishka

um...one of my dogs still destroys and she has reached the age of 4 and a half! She has loads of attention, exercise, toys etc but wow she loves to eat table legs etc
w

sticher

I think it's great that you have waited until you have enough time, etc to devote to a dog, BUT:

Ive been warned about both breeds being a handful, ive met the dog who will be the mother and she is incredibly calm, the breeder gave advice about walking and training etc and also runs puppy classes. The dog isnt old enough to breed until later in the year so we have some time to re-consider !

I find it totally appaulling that people are deliberately breeding mongrels when there are soooo many in rescue centres. As has been said the two breeds in question are both highly demanding and to consider buying a pup from someone who can have no real regard for either of the breeds (or else they would not breed crosses) - I am stunned.

For some great advice on anything related to dogs/puppies visit www.champdogsforum.co.uk - there are many breeders, etc on there.

lab-lover

Iam gobsmasked at £250 for a cross breed! no way would i pay that, its daylight robbery. far better go to a rescue centre, you certainly wouldnt be charged that much.

good luck with your search tho. x

t_r

sticher wrote: »

I find it totally appaulling that people are deliberately breeding mongrels when there are soooo many in rescue centres.

For some great advice on anything related to dogs/puppies visit www.champdogsforum.co.uk - there are many breeders, etc on there.

Like you I find it discusting that so many breeders out there breed dogs purely for profit.
I do part time voluntary work for a breed rescue and I'm gobsmacked to see what happens to !!!!!es & Dogs when they are too old or not prolific enough. The "responsible" breeders now give them to rescues.

Oh don't rely on KC for good breeders.

I'm currently fostering a British Bulldog whilst its owner is unable to do so. These dogs retail at £2000 a pup. Don't be fooled into thinking that the breeder makes loads of money because they wont these dogs have been overbred to such a point they can't deliver the pups normally. Most have to be born by Caesarean section about 80%
Responsible breeders I've yet to meet one :mad:

Oh and for all you KC breeders they are not mongrels but designer dogs wont be long before KC reconise them though. http://www.findoutaboutdogbreeds.com/Designer_or_Mixed_Breed_Dogs.html