Cart (0)
VIDEOSpending Diary of a New Pet Owner
How much is that doggie in the window?
 |
|
So here it goes.
Days led into months, which led into years of begging and prodding from my two sons and husband.
We always visited the local pet stores to see adorable puppies and stopped in the street or in the park to greet a dog. I was scared of the extra responsibility. It’s equivalent to a baby without labor pains and it never grows up.
This past fall I finally caved.
As all stories like this go, my boys promised me they would do everything for the dog -- feed her, take her out for walks and to the bathroom, even in the pouring rain and below freezing temperatures. But I knew too well that I would be the one with full responsibility.
Friends had told me the decision to have a pet was really up to me.
My hope for this column – “Dog Gone It” is to share the financial implications of owning a pet. I hope to do this with relative frequency, but between the schedules of work, two young boys and now a dog, I’m not sure I can. Time will tell.
Finding A Dog
There are many avenues to go down when getting a dog. We thoroughly researched three in particular before getting ours. When I say thoroughly, you have no idea how much work I did. I hope to save you time, money and potential heartache by sharing it here.
The three most common approaches are the local pet store, private dog breeders or an animal shelter. (Most areas have an ASPCA.) Each has pros and cons. Most important, they have significant cost differences:
Option A: Pet Stores
Sometimes unfairly, pet stores are labeled as supporting puppy mills. This is not always the case, so you need to research your seller. Puppy mills are analogous to an assembly line where dogs are mass-produced and more often than not sold to pet stores. The conditions from which they are bred and cared for are not up to standard.
The greatest importance for a newborn is the bonding between mother and her puppies after birth. In puppy mills, most puppies are tragically taken away from their moms and littermates before seven weeks, which is detrimental to their emotional development.
While it may be convenient to go into a store, see the dog you want and have immediate gratification, think about how you purchase and make decisions in every other aspect of your life and make sure to ask the right questions before you make that impulse buy:
1) Where did the dog come from?
2) Does the dog have papers from the breeder and is the breeder licensed?
3) What’s the breeder’s reputation?
4) Can the store provide any references of people who have purchased dogs from that breeder? Many times, stores buy from the same breeders.
5) Talk to other people who have purchased puppies from that store.
Having children, purchasing a home or furniture, looking for the bargain in the supermarket -- many times people put more thought into these things then they would with the purchase of a living creature they will have to care for.
A dog will be a steady fixture in your life and family for many years to come. It is a very important decision that should not be taken lightly.
Next Page: The Breeder and Pound Options -->
The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.
Copyright 2011 Minyanville Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
