£22,000 to keep a dog for its lifetime - is that a realistic figure?

http://money.guardian.co.uk/news_/st...721830,00.html

This article says it will cost on average £22000 to keep a dog for its entire lifetime. Does that sound about right to you? I think my dogs have cost a lot less than that. If my dog lives to be 15 I guess she will have cost me about half that at the most.

Hi Minda I was listening to the same item on the radio this morning..

I think you can save a lot of doggy expense by doing things yourself, grooming etc and looking after your dog correctly in the first place, this can cut down a lot on the bills.

Yes, I read this (but in The Sun, being a Northern Girl LOL )

Apparantly Ozzy will cost me £25,060! Quite how they get those sorts of figures heaven knows, they included average kenneling fees, feed and vet bills, but I think it sounds very high!

It's like everything if you were to sit down and work it out you'd never do it! Only the other day they were costing out weddings, then how much children cost.....if you listened to them you'd never marry, have kids or own any pets!

They also said the average span was 12yrs which I think is incorrect, I would have thought that was on the high side for a Rottie, many don't sadly make it to that age.

blimey no wonder i am always skint ...........

Have to admit i've never thought about it , but i suppose it could be right , when you add up spaying , boosters , worm pills, flea treatments,leads, collars,vet bills,food,over the average life span, and thats not even including buying the pup to start with and as we all know that differs with breeds , but for myself ,when i had my children i never considered what it was going to cost , and even if i had i would have done it anyway and thats the way i feel about my dog too, the returns far out way the out put for me , so im happy to be broke (but i wouldnt mind if vets lowered there prices a bit )

nah.....that would be if you baought everything and spent every thing on them....who goes to the vet for a tiny thing!!!! most of the time we buy cheaper shampoo or source cheaper dog food and we probably dont buy a collar every year like one article suggested!!!! (however after just over a year china is on her 7th lead!!!!

Sounds a lot but if it's true, then it's money well spent

mmmmmmm mmm mm mm sorry,just day dreaming of the nice big house in its own grounds i could be living in,i now have 5 dogs ,think what i could buy, no sorry i dont believe that for a moment,

flippin eck - I've only had Murphy (rescue Rottie for those that dont know him) for 18months and were at £10,000 already (I know I have insurance )