I didn't have in mind at all luxury pet beds, toys or treats. More the sort of thing that was mentioned by Malka and Baillies - I'd do anything I had to do to keep my dog healthy too. And if I were really impoverished I'd put the dog's dinner before my own (hell I can live on toast and pasta - have done it before!) but I would not be able to afford a big bill for emergency hospital treatment costing thousands.

I was just really asking from the point of view of whether prospective dog owners think it through before buying a dog.

My food bill for my dog is infinitesimal even if I buy the most expensive on account of her being so tiny and eating so little!

As regards compulsory insurance - I'm horrified to see how high the premiums are in the UK now. I was thinking more along the lines of a sort of 'tax' much like you pay for your car or tv.

What happens if damages are awarded against a dog owner for injuries inflicted by their dog and that owner has no money to pay? Does the injured party get paid out from some fund like the MIB have to compensate victims of uninsured drivers?

I do think owning a dog is a big responsibility. If it were made more difficult for people to do so we might not see so many instances of irresponsible ownership. Or even less irresponsible breeding if it wasn't just open to anyone to buy a dog.

At least rescues do insist on some stuff being in place and I think they do home visits in some cases. Pet shops don't do any of that nor I suppose do a lot of people selling dogs on Gum Tree or other advertising sites.

(I remember almost 20 yrs ago when I adopted a cat from the biggest cat charity - they were so rigorous even with follow up visits I thought at the time it was probably not much less tough than applying to adopt a child)

Pat - having just had a half hour telephone chat with my wonderful Vet - who does not charge for consultations, only for treatment, I am even more satisfied that I have done/am doing the best thing for Pereg.

And like you, I would go without to make sure that she has the food, and medication, that she needs.

The trouble is though circumstances can change so quickly that it's impossible to really say when you can afford to get a dog and keep it for well over 10 years in the style to which you started.

Ours have best food we can afford, never lost a dog yet through bad diet, practical collars and leads, again never lost a dog due to cheap makes etc, they have harnesses that suit their bodies but not the dearest ones out there. They have old duvets to sleep on, practical and washable and share our beds and sofa so don't think they miss out on anything there. They have carrots as treats which they both love, cheap and cheerful and vet reckons their teeth are really good due to their crunchy evening carrot.

Vets fees ? well who when they get a dog can predict what will be needed, we don't insure because when we did they wriggled out of paying so we had wasted the 10 years monthly fees so now have an empty credit card and pay off when we have bigger bills. But and this is just my opinion I won't put mine through extremely expensive treatments or treatments that may cause them distress and pain with no guarantee of cure. I have seen too many times people spend thousands and still end up PTS after wards. And PTS is not the worst thing can happen to a dog. So we take each problem as it comes and do what we think is best at the time.

I don't think if we were millionaires we would approach dog owning any different because we know ours are happy and we are stingier with ourselves than we are with them so we are confident we do our best for them.

Excellent post Julie, and I have never treated my dogs differently whether I myself was living like a pauper or a king.

Yes I know you do the best for Pereg and you are very lucky to have a vet that doesn't charge for consultations. However this isn't really supposed to be a thread about who would go the furthest mile for their dog or what we'd give up for them.

It was really just about whether people really stop to consider the costs of dog ownership (outside of buying and feeding them) before they take them on.

And, I suppose, I did have in mind that it perhaps shouldn't be quite so easy for just anyone to 'get a dog'.

Rescues and reputable breeders it seems are very picky about who the dogs go to (with good reason I reckon as they don't want to end up having them chucked back to them) but there are many dogs being sold outside of rescues and reputable breeders (probably the majority of dogs come from outside them).

I think I mentioned our pal in the UK who actually works with Guide Dogs - fosters them before they are placed. She has a spotless record going back years for doing that but is considered unsuitable to rehome a dog permanently because although she works part time, it is for more than four hours a day. Gardens are inspected too, all sorts of things when it comes down to reputable rescues rehoming these days. I think they are passing over a lot of 'suitable owners' with the rules being so strict but then I also think that's better than just letting anyone have a dog just to get it off their books.

So there are quite 'tough' rules in place regarding home circumstances, housing conditions, whether you have other dogs or children etc. but I don't think anything in place regarding whether you can actually afford to keep the dog should anything 'go wrong'.

The trouble is many of the people who just get a dog often can afford them they just don't bother to pay vets fees etc, those of us who struggle are no less likely to seek help than people who can afford it easily.

Licence fee here too €25 a year. And they did start putting up posts with poo bags on them - brown paper bags with a little cardboard scooper. No ta - I will stick to my biodegradable plastic ones!

I do see what you're saying but personally I don't need anyone to check out my garden, they wouldn't be as picky as me anyway.
I've had dogs all my life and for a huge part of my life worked full time and for at least a decade of that time could not get home at all during the day. I still had dogs, dogs that lived happy fulfilled lives even though they were home alone or in two's for the whole day. When i was home the were the centre of my life and they had quality time with me. I don't think it's about the number of hours spent with the dog that's important but the quality of the time spent. Lots of people spend all day at home with their dogs and barely acknowledge their existence.
Do I consider ongoing costs when getting a dog, no not really just as if I'd added up how much having kids would have cost would I ever had taken the plunge, probably not. Some things require a leap of faith.

I agree Trouble, leaving dogs alone it all depends on the dogs, I do wonder sometimes when my two are fast asleep if I really need to be here all day LOL

Actually instead of spending one thousand pounds sterling to take your pet to the UK, I would, and did, give that amount of money to someone who needed it it.

What gives you, Tang, the right to start a thread that makes you sound out that you are so special and so much better than anyone else.