Ninety percent of people believe that owning a dog will cost less than £10,000 over the course of their pet’s lifetime, according to a survey by YouGov.
However, with everything from food to flea and worming treatments to take into account, in reality a dog is likely to cost its owner between £16,000 - £31,000 depending on its size and breed.
In September my parents purchased their first puppy (she’s called Molly and is a cross between a King Charles Cavalier and a Miniature Poodle) and in the months that have followed, the cost of owning a dog has come as somewhat of a surprise to me. I mean, I knew it’d be expensive, but there are so many more ongoing costs that I’d never considered before.
Let’s look at the costs required and the various ways you can reduce the amount you spend on your pet:
How much does a dog cost?
When buying a dog or puppy, you have two main options:
Buy a puppy from a responsible breeder
The cost of buying a dog can vary significantly as it’s completely up to the breeder how much they charge. If you live in Manchester and you’d like to buy a Cavapoo puppy, you’ll be looking at anything from £300 to £900! Don’t always assume the cheapest dog is the best option.
If you’re going to buy a dog from a breeder, I can’t emphasise how important it is to choose a breeder that is responsible and knows exactly what they’re doing. Responsible breeders will have a lot of costs to consider when deciding on how much to charge. After all, they will have had to feed and care for the puppy until it’s old enough to go to a forever home. They should also have paid for the puppy to have its first set of injections.
If you buy a dog from an irresponsible breeder, you run the risk of buying a dog that could have a serious illness. You’re also contributing to an industry that severely mistreats dogs and puppies. To find out more ,take a look at this post I wrote a few months ago about our search for a puppy. We went to visit one breeder who, on reflection, we now believe had purchased the puppy from a puppy farm.
Rescue a dog or puppy
Rescue dogs are usually much cheaper to buy than those purchased from a breeder. You’ll often be charged a ‘rehoming fee’ which will depend on the rescue centre you select and the services they offer. If you rescue a dog from Battersea Dogs’ Home, for example, you’ll be charged a rehoming fee of £135 for dogs over the age of six months and £165 for puppies under the age of six months.
Depending on the home you choose, the dog may already be microchipped, vaccinated, and may have a collar, identification tag and lead too. In some cases the animal will have also been neutered.
Some rescue centres will also include pet insurance for a certain period of time to cover your pet in the event of any accidents or illnesses.
Have a good chat with the people who work in the rescue centre so you can find the perfect dog for your circumstances.
Equipment
I’d recommend purchasing the most essential pieces of dog equipment before you collect your new pet. You’ll need a crate, water bowl, food bowl, lead, collar, toys and poop scoop bags.
You’ll probably want to use separate towels for your dog. Rather than buying new ones for your dog, use some scruffy old towels you own already.
If you just buy the essentials and you’re careful not to go overboard, equipment costs are likely to be up to £200.
Shop around for the best deal and be sure to keep an eye out for discounts and promotional offers.
Health
Insurance
If your pet falls ill or is in an accident, the cost of vet bills can be significant. It can be worth purchasing pet insurance to protect yourself from large costs. However, most claims will require you to pay an excess fee. Be sure to check the insurance policy to make sure you’re covered for a wide range of issues that could occur. It could be worth looking for a pet insurer that does a ‘for life’ policy - this means you will be covered even if a condition arises in the future. Other policies could see your annual insurance costs rise in the event of any sudden issues.
Vaccines
Vaccines are essential. If you’ve bought your dog from a breeder, the dog should have had its first set of injections before you take it home at 8 weeks or older.
You will need to take a puppy for further vaccinations though, and it can cost between £20 to £50 to get your pet vaccinated. You can often save money by asking your vet if they do vaccinations for life.
Worming and flea treatments
Dogs require regular flea and worming treatments. The vets can do these treatments for you or you can buy the necessary products over-the-counter or online. One could argue that Bob Martin is the most well-known brand for flea and worming treatments and it has a wide range of products to help protect your pet from fleas, ticks and mites.
While the Bob Martin website may at first glance seem like your typical online pet retailer, you can in fact order prescription medicine for your pet through the site too. After getting a prescription from your vet, simply place the order through Bob Martin and it’ll be dispatched right away.
Food
Food is one of the biggest pet ownership costs to take into account. The amount you spend will depend on the size of your dog and the type of food it eats. Food will usually cost between £15-£20 a month.
Switch to supermarket-branded foods to cut costs. Often, the ingredients are very similar to those used in more well known brands such as Pedigree.
Make sure you’re not overfeeding your pet. Research the recommended daily allowance and split this into two or three servings for different points in the day.
Buy food in bulk. Like human food, it’s often cheaper to buy your dog food in bulk. However, there’s no need to fill your cupboards with boxes and boxes of the same foods. It’s not uncommon for dogs to get bored of eating the same food after a while. This could leave you with boxes of foods they won’t touch.
Elaine Pendlebury, senior veterinary surgeon at the PDSA says: “By bulk-buying and cutting back on food, treats, toys and other little extras, you could save as much as £500 a year for a Labrador-sized dog.”
Hygiene
There’s no doubt about it, dogs can get pretty filthy. Bathing your dog after each walk is simply not practical. So I’d recommend purchasing some wipes to clean your dog’s feet when they come in from outside.
You’ll need shampoo to wash your dog’s fur and, depending on the breed of your dog, you may need a brush and comb to groom your them.
If you choose to trim your pet’s fur yourself, you may want to buy specialist scissors. However, you might decide to let an expert do this for you. Professional grooming costs will of course depend on where you go and the style you choose.
My dog Molly has a ‘puppy cut’ at a dog grooming place every few months and this costs £25. You may be able to save money by choosing a mobile dog groomer or going to a dog grooming academy where people are learning how to be groomers.
Other
Microchipping
From April all dogs in the UK must be microchipped. This process tends to cost between £15-£20.
Have I missed anything? If so, let me know in the comments below!
