Can you AFFORD to get a dog?

I am not asking if you can afford to BUY the dog in the first place - but whether you can afford the ongoing costs of owning a dog, many of which will be unknown and unquantifiable in the beginning - especially if the dog turns out to have chronic health problems that require regular medication. Or if the dog is involved in an accident requiring thousands of pounds for surgery if you have no insurance.

Even such expense as paying out for secure fencing to keep your dog from escaping your premises.

Or to pay for a dog walker to come in if you have to leave the dog alone all day.

All these are problems I've read people posting about on Dogsey due to the OP not having sufficient funds to sort them out quickly (or at all in some cases).

Here in Cyprus we get a lot of dogs abandoned because their 'owners' (I use the word loosely) cannot afford to fly them back to the UK with them when they decide to leave.

I think it's irresponsible to take on a dog if you haven't factored some or all of the above eventualities in. Especially the cost of INSURANCE if you do not have sufficient money to spend on the dog should it become necessary.

I don't health insure my dog. But I can afford to pay for anything she might need without causing hardship to me.

One of the expenses I have to factor in is the cost of TRAVEL with the dog and the cost of having her BOARDED. Boarding - probably between 500 and 700 a year. Travel - well just double that for even one return trip.

But then I think it's irresponsible to get a dog FIRST if you intend to have children soon and are not sure at all if they will get on OK. Or even to get a dog that would have to be given up if you and your partner split because neither of you can keep it on your own.

In the past I've waited YEARS before taking on another dog for some reason or another as outlined above - much as I would have loved to have one.

Adding to say that I suppose really this is a more important question for anyone THINKING of getting a dog. But there would be less problems for people who already own them if they had given more thought to some of these expenses in the first place.

Instead of just how much it costs to buy the dog and then the ongoing cost of feeding the dog.

As regarding being able to afford to insure a dog - it's obvious from some postings that it is often the poorer people who cannot afford the insurance - and they are the ones who will most need the safety cushion should anything happen.

In fact I'm surprised some govt dept hasn't come up with the idea of making it compulsory to have insurance for a dog if you own one. Some sort of annual fee even. If only to cover damages caused should your dog damage property or injure someone. After all, you aren't allowed to own and drive a car without insuring it. Nor even watch a TV if you haven't paid a license fee to do so!

Not really even had to put the purchase of Betty on our credit card, but circumstances change so no knowing whether we would ever be able to or if things will improve. When we got our first dog we were doing OK a year later we were living in a car homeless with him, no way of knowing what is round the corner so we just do things and cope if they go wrong. No dog has ever suffered because we can't afford fancy stuff and home made toys and things have always been more popular than shop bought, vet fees we put on a credit card and pay for ASAP.

I had to wait 7 years to have a dog again because my situation didn't allow me to. Now, I can afford a dog.
She's insured but not for chronic illnesses and treatments. I would have to rethink my options if that ever happened. I've never had a dog with chronic problems before and think that most of it can be prevented with taking good care of your dog, feeding the right food, keeping her fit and healthy and mentally sane.
I don't intend to have kids anytime soon and won't be moving country again.
So, even though you never know what's going to happen in your life, I have my dog's wellbeing and happiness at my heart and whatever life throws to me, I'll deal with it.

Oh and as for that licence fee.. It's quite a common thing on the continent. We had to pay dog taxes but in return there are free poo bag dispensers everywhere

I do not have veterinary insurance for my dog because it is only very recently that such insurance has been available here - too late for Pereg - but I am lucky in that I can afford all her medical bills, plus have a Vet who will take payments if necessary for an exceptionally large bill.

I also have an addition to my home contents policy which covers her should she get out and cause an accident, or should she bite somebody on my yard or in my home.

She also has an official licence, which is more than most dogs here do.

If it because necessary, I wouldn't think twice about selling/pawning my electrics and collectables for my dogs

Well you'd hope I could afford it as I have 6 and did have 7 until this summer. I do have deep pockets and a credit card with a very high limit but my lot don't cost me much except for food. I don't have insurance, although I do insure each dog for the first year they live with me till I get a handle on their health, I've never claimed. The last claim made was way back in the early '80's and that was a small claim which was pretty much when I stopped insuring.
The only time in my whole life I have been dogless was two weeks when Syd was already booked to come home at 8 weeks and my current dog Tyler my Prt upped and died quite unexpectedly and I was like a little lost soul. I would never be dogless from choice.
There was a time when I was 17 and found myself an orphan and needed to fend for myself and struggled with two jobs and just about managed to feed myself and my younger brother but I held on to the family dog and put his needs before my own. I simply couldn't have lost him too so lived on toast for weeks on end. You do what you have to and things improved and were on the up pretty quickly. I got better jobs, I got a mortgage at 18 and never looked back.
My kids grew up never knowing life without a dog, my eldest got his own as soon as he left home and was able, although things didn't work out well and Diesel is here with me. My youngest will get his own as soon as he is able, both he and his girlfriend would love a dog of their own.
Yes those with less disposable income are the most in need of insurance and should make it a priority but no I don't think it should be compulsory. For me it would be a very large monthly bill that would be a total waste of money. Apart from jabs etc Rio is the only one who goes to the vet, the problem incidently caused by spaying is now ongoing but she's only seen annually. Syd never went till he developed bone cancer, Diesel only went for a blocked saliva duct.Frankie caught his side on a nail and had to be stitched back together. Milan has never been, tucson has never been and nor has phoenix. Even with insurance you need to find the excess everytime.

Yeah I can afford my 3 but only because they're insured,
Don't get me wrong I'd re mortgage my house if I had to but I'd prefer not too

Kiara's cruciate op about £2k
In Bailey's short 5 yrs he cost Pet Plan £10k give or take

No way have I got that kind of money hanging around.

I can afford the day to day costs, just the big bills I like to insure against.

Pretty much summed up perfectly for me.
In my case, they don't go without anything they need but aren't lavished with anything they don't. Roughly translated; they are fed a good quality diet, get what I class as the best vetrinary care (well I would, my family have used the same practise for thirty years now) when they require it (though I don't annually vaccinate), beds, toys, quality and comfortable collar and lead etc and in the case of greyface the trips to the groomers to be clipped. They don't however have, as some of my friends hounds do, designer dog beds, toys that look really nice but last a second, collars that are beautiful but not practical, trips to the groomers just to be bathed n have some grooming spray plonked on, and so forth.
I actually don't find dogs as expensive as many seem to claim, I honestly don't know anyone else who does in day to day life either and I'm surrounded by a very run of the mill working class surrounding of people so it's not down to income. I think nowdays it's easy tog et caught up in the marketting of a niche market-breed specific diets, designer dog wear etc.