How much is that doggie in the window?  That all depends on the breed, health, size and grooming schedule.  Don’t forget about the flee & tick prevention and the heartworm prevention.  It’s Spring already and the ticks are out in full force.  One of mine had 2 ticks already!!

I have 5 dogs.   The first dog we purchased from a breeder and the other 4 are rescue dogs.

To satisfy my curiosity I added up all the receipts I saved throughout the 9 years that I have had  just one of my dogs, Marcus.   Marcus, had a grand total of $6,000 over 9 years, which didn’t include food, toys, crates, sweaters, dog sitting (on occasion)  or training.  That was just the basic care of vet bills, dog licenses, flee & tick meds, and grooming.   If you add the food, toys, etc, I would estimate that would add another $600.  Grand total just over $770 a year.  Keep in mind, and thank the lord, he is HEALTHY along with my other 4 dogs and a rescue cat.  I then multiplied that by the 9 years =’s $6,930.  Add in the other 4 dogs for a grand total of over $20,000 in 9 years.  Not too bad.  I know some people with only 1 or 2 dogs that spent thousands and thousands of dollars on them due an illness or accident.

From the research I did, the average cost of owning a dog is around $1,000 a year.  The first year could be as high as $1,200.  Cost of owning a pet

Other expenses to consider are fencing and gates.  I have a least 5 gates in my house to keep the dogs out of rooms they should be in.  I love the Regalo gates.  They are sturdy, reliable and good looking  Gates

Lastly, do not forget about the invisible fence or a real fence.  The fence I purchased and had installed came from GMH Fence company.  http://gmhfence.com/  They did an amazing job installing it.  I decided to get a chain link fence with the vinyl coating to prevent rust.   My dogs are small so I purchased the 4 foot to save some money.  If I had to do it again, I’d get the 6 foot fence.  From my recollection the fence was around $1,200.  It covers about 600 feet of my yard.

It’s so important to have a fence as it help to deep predators away from your dog.  It won’t stop them but it does help. How much is that doggie in the window?