I have a rottie-lab mix named Piper. I adopted her when she was 4 years old from the local humane society, so the initial cost of ownership was relatively minimal. she is a sweet dog who loves people, but she has some anxiety issues that prompted extra training (never a bad thing) and an unsuccessful attempt at easing her symptoms with medication. I don't begrudge spending money at the vet for her. I have a line item in my budget for my pet's occasional medical costs. Her food is not that expensive. I realized a long time ago that having a pet is a luxury. My dog is a luxury that I have chosen over other things, like a more expensive car or trendy tech items.
I have a betta fish named CC Sabathafish (after the Yankees pitcher). His biggest cost was a wall mounted clock tank.
I also have a half Yorkie, half Jack Russel terrier mix named Striker. His biggest cost was a $1500 vet emergency that he successfully healed from. He also consistently gets spoiled with treats.
I love having fish because they are so fun to watch when they swim, and I love having dogs because they are so good at giving unconditional love.
We have a dog, a mutt. The greatest cost has been handling his allergies. Having a pet is a great source of companionship, exercise, and stress reduction. He is always happy to see people. When our lab passed away last summer, the house seemed empty. A dog livens up the home.
I have two cats Mikko and Milo, and a dog Max...they are all rescues! Rescues are usually a more frugal option. They biggest expense would be the unexpected vet bills, like when Milo the kitten gets into things he shouldn't. The rest is manageable and easy to plan for in the budget. My favorite thing about them would simply be their companionship. They all have such different little personalities! And Max the dog is fun because I can bring him with me places.
My husband and I are owned by 2 black cats adopted from our local Animal Shelter. Claire is the oldest and was almost full adult when she came to us and was very helpful in training Rylee, who was still in the kitten stage when she came to us. They sometimes have a love/hate relationship but still will be found sleeping right next to each other very often. My husband chose Rylee and I chose Claire and strangely enough, Rylee seems to prefer my husbands company and Claire prefers mine although they both came into our home on the same day. These are the most recent adoption of black cats. We have shared our home with 4 other black cats over the years...Merlin, Shadow, Ebony (Beezer) and Maverick. We hope others will consider adopting black cats as well. They have all been excellent pets.
Ummm... I actually don't think Chesapeake should be first... It is too close to the coast, meaning hurricanes. But I live in Erie, and it is the safest place I have heard of. Never seen a wild fire. the closest a hurricane has gotten to us is just the very outside. rarely an earthquake. the lake protects us a lot.
YES!!! I have 3 dogs (a jack russell, a spaniel/dachshund mix, and a jack russell/chihuahua mix), 9 cats of my own, and 1 foster cat. At one point we had 16 cats, but now we're down to the 9. I also foster cats whenever it is needed for the no-kill shelter that I volunteer at nearby. They are all a blessing, even when they're ornery!
I have two dogs, a Maltese and a mini dachshund. They bring so much love and joy into my life. I have stage 4 bilateral lung cancer and they seem to know when I feel bad and want to be close to me. Snow, the Maltese, is a character. Every night when we go out for our last walk, he turns around in a circle at least six times, sometimes more, each time licking my hand as he passes it, before I can hook up his leash. I got Jr, the mini dachshund, the week after my Mom was buried with the Christmas money she had given me. His muzzle is turning white now but he still loves to play and be loved on. Yes, there are many costs in owning pets but it is well worth it when you see those little bright eyes full of love and wagging tails when you walk in the door. It doesn't matter if you've been gone 5 seconds, 5 minutes, 5 hours, or 5 days, they are just as excited to see you!
I have a greyhound. She's 4 years old. The single greatest expense that I've had for her so far has been her pet insurance premium. I love having her around for the sheer entertainment value. She's so weird.
Do you have pets? What kinds of animals are they? What has been the greatest cost of pet ownership for you? What do you enjoy most about having animal friends?
We have three dogs. One is a labradoodle, one is a border collie mix and the third is a chihuahua terrier mix. The doodle has cost us the most with her grooming, and vet expenses for things like ear infections and cheat grass removal. We take her on trails often and the seed heads bury themselves in her curly hair and eventually into her skin. They all have distinct personalities and we enjoy their interactions with each other. We call it "watching dog tv" which we have access to 24 hours a day.
We used to have cats. We adopted kittens when our children were young. Over the years, we have spent a lot of money on vet bills. After we lost Zoey, our last cat friend, we decided not take in another pet because we are retiring and cutting expenses. Now we enjoy our grandchildren and their cats.
I have a rottie-lab mix named Piper. I adopted her when she was 4 years old from the local humane society, so the initial cost of ownership was relatively minimal. she is a sweet dog who loves people, but she has some anxiety issues that prompted extra training (never a bad thing) and an unsuccessful attempt at easing her symptoms with medication. I don't begrudge spending money at the vet for her. I have a line item in my budget for my pet's occasional medical costs. Her food is not that expensive. I realized a long time ago that having a pet is a luxury. My dog is a luxury that I have chosen over other things, like a more expensive car or trendy tech items.
a stray cat adopted us five years ago... he's super affectionate and friendly and follows us around the house like a dog would.
Regarding #4: Of course I check the dates on stuff I buy, but I also remove lids and check seals to be sure they're intact.
I grew up on salmon fritters (i.e., patties). At 52, I am rediscovering canned salmon. These are excellent ideas!
I have a betta fish named CC Sabathafish (after the Yankees pitcher). His biggest cost was a wall mounted clock tank.
I also have a half Yorkie, half Jack Russel terrier mix named Striker. His biggest cost was a $1500 vet emergency that he successfully healed from. He also consistently gets spoiled with treats.
I love having fish because they are so fun to watch when they swim, and I love having dogs because they are so good at giving unconditional love.
We have a dog, a mutt. The greatest cost has been handling his allergies. Having a pet is a great source of companionship, exercise, and stress reduction. He is always happy to see people. When our lab passed away last summer, the house seemed empty. A dog livens up the home.
I have 4 Dachshunds: Chas., Nelson, Riley and then Miles who was my Hurricane Sandy foster failure.
I have 3 cats - they are all girls and love to play together. Food and vet bills can be high but they provide a lot of love and fun.
I have a cat.
I have two cats Mikko and Milo, and a dog Max...they are all rescues! Rescues are usually a more frugal option. They biggest expense would be the unexpected vet bills, like when Milo the kitten gets into things he shouldn't. The rest is manageable and easy to plan for in the budget. My favorite thing about them would simply be their companionship. They all have such different little personalities! And Max the dog is fun because I can bring him with me places.
We have two dogs: Lola is an Italian Greyhound and Mia is a Terrier-Chihuahua mix. They're both low maintenance and sweet as can be.
My husband and I are owned by 2 black cats adopted from our local Animal Shelter. Claire is the oldest and was almost full adult when she came to us and was very helpful in training Rylee, who was still in the kitten stage when she came to us. They sometimes have a love/hate relationship but still will be found sleeping right next to each other very often. My husband chose Rylee and I chose Claire and strangely enough, Rylee seems to prefer my husbands company and Claire prefers mine although they both came into our home on the same day. These are the most recent adoption of black cats. We have shared our home with 4 other black cats over the years...Merlin, Shadow, Ebony (Beezer) and Maverick. We hope others will consider adopting black cats as well. They have all been excellent pets.
I have two rescued cats and a guinea pig. They can be a bit of work but the furry cuddles are worth it :)
No, we don't want to be tied down right now but would love to get a dog after we have kids and they are old enough to help out a bit with pet care!
No pets for me! I enjoy animals, but not the maintenance and cost of having one. Maybe one day when I have a family we would get a pet, but not now.
Ummm... I actually don't think Chesapeake should be first... It is too close to the coast, meaning hurricanes. But I live in Erie, and it is the safest place I have heard of. Never seen a wild fire. the closest a hurricane has gotten to us is just the very outside. rarely an earthquake. the lake protects us a lot.
YES!!! I have 3 dogs (a jack russell, a spaniel/dachshund mix, and a jack russell/chihuahua mix), 9 cats of my own, and 1 foster cat. At one point we had 16 cats, but now we're down to the 9. I also foster cats whenever it is needed for the no-kill shelter that I volunteer at nearby. They are all a blessing, even when they're ornery!
I have 2 Cavalier King Charles spaniels. They are great lap dogs.
I have two dogs, a Maltese and a mini dachshund. They bring so much love and joy into my life. I have stage 4 bilateral lung cancer and they seem to know when I feel bad and want to be close to me. Snow, the Maltese, is a character. Every night when we go out for our last walk, he turns around in a circle at least six times, sometimes more, each time licking my hand as he passes it, before I can hook up his leash. I got Jr, the mini dachshund, the week after my Mom was buried with the Christmas money she had given me. His muzzle is turning white now but he still loves to play and be loved on. Yes, there are many costs in owning pets but it is well worth it when you see those little bright eyes full of love and wagging tails when you walk in the door. It doesn't matter if you've been gone 5 seconds, 5 minutes, 5 hours, or 5 days, they are just as excited to see you!
I have 2 Australian sheepdogs and they are just pure joy.
I have a greyhound. She's 4 years old. The single greatest expense that I've had for her so far has been her pet insurance premium. I love having her around for the sheer entertainment value. She's so weird.
I have 3 amazing cats, Jasper, Chase, & K.C. They are great friends and bring much love and happiness into my life.
Do you have pets? What kinds of animals are they? What has been the greatest cost of pet ownership for you? What do you enjoy most about having animal friends?
We have three dogs. One is a labradoodle, one is a border collie mix and the third is a chihuahua terrier mix. The doodle has cost us the most with her grooming, and vet expenses for things like ear infections and cheat grass removal. We take her on trails often and the seed heads bury themselves in her curly hair and eventually into her skin. They all have distinct personalities and we enjoy their interactions with each other. We call it "watching dog tv" which we have access to 24 hours a day.
I LOVE my dog. I don't think I would be able to not have a pet; they are just too much a part of my life.
We used to have cats. We adopted kittens when our children were young. Over the years, we have spent a lot of money on vet bills. After we lost Zoey, our last cat friend, we decided not take in another pet because we are retiring and cutting expenses. Now we enjoy our grandchildren and their cats.