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Comment by Caitlin Randolph on December 4, 2013 at 3:40am

Oh yeah, just read comments. 4,000 seems a bit more accurate actually...

Comment by Caitlin Randolph on December 4, 2013 at 3:39am

Actually not as pricey as I would expect!!

Comment by rae on March 22, 2013 at 11:05am

so, because i suffer from an extreme case of OCD (obsessive corgi disorder) i have every, last penny we have spent on our puppy accounted for.  there exists — perhaps — a spreadsheet with a tab for the following (including associated costs): food, treats, toys, apparel, grooming, equipment, supplies, misc. (misc. covers books, training, vet, etc.)

and a summary sheet. we started buying stuff for our corg about a year before we physically brought him home...

the summary is about here right now:

considering that i have ANOTHER spreadsheet that logs all training, bedtimes, meals, walks, car trips & potty breaks...i can see myself doing this for future years, too. of course, we've only had our corg about a month +. and a lot of those expenses are first year only. i will be interested to see what it looks like as the years roll out.

but also, we LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE machete and consider him priceless, so i'm not even flinching at any of that. GIVE ALL THE CORG ALL THE MONIES!

(note: costs above do not include all the personal corgi swag i have acquired :p)

Comment by Curt, Griffin and Violet on March 12, 2013 at 6:53pm

One more comment on this very nice thread. I'd say your expenses are about right, though the gate prices are probably off a bit! When we got Violet, our new puppy, we ended up getting 4 more gates to keep her where we wanted her. Granted, some gates you can get for $10, but ours totaled probably $150 for the 4 (ones that hang on the wall, are free standing, etc.) It depends upon your needs. Vet costs CAN be extremely high, but in our neck of the woods (Las Vegas), spaying/neutering isn't too bad, maybe $150, if I recall correctly. One thing you may consider is if/when your puppy needs medications for the long term. Griffin needs allergy meds that he takes all years round (capsules daily) and eye drops when needed. Our Lab mix, K.C., who we lost just before Christmas, was on meds for incontinence. Just things to keep in mind!

Comment by Jessica on August 23, 2012 at 5:37pm

Hi there - I did put together a follow up to this blog post back a number of months ago detailing the cost of two dogs... one being a new addition... to try and show how having two pups raises the cost to just the one. The idea of including for the cost of potential injuries wasn't something I felt I could accurately represent here though. My only advise there would be make sure that when planning on getting a dog, a savings account should be opened to account for the unknowns. :)

Comment by Snickmom on August 19, 2012 at 5:27pm

Jessica:

I thought I'd put this out again since we have a couple of discussions going about the cost of surgery for torn cruciate ligaments. I'm glad this great post is in the FAQ, but I thought it might be a good idea to include other costs beyond the first year. The dog food, treats, toys, flea meds and regular check ups and shots go on. Then what if your dog, who is now totally an integrated member of your family has an expensive illness or injury? Can you afford the vet bills? What if you can't? If you are considering getting a puppy, plan for the rest of it's life, too. We are currently looking at about $2,000 for surgery for an ACL tear, which is pretty common and relatively easy to fix. As pets get older, their health issues may get to be more serious and frequent- just like people and cars!

Comment by Gabi Walker on March 22, 2012 at 3:06pm

I just found this. Very helpful. I had very similar costs. The only thing I didn't really pay much for was vet care; I work at a vet's office! He does them "in favor of U2's lead singer" (PRO BONO) ... lol

I did have to pay for Alex's therapy though. I got a discounted rate bec. I'm a Pet Assure member, so my total out-of-pocket vet costs was more like $275. Very helpful chart though. Thanks!

Comment by Jessica on March 14, 2012 at 12:06pm

I'm so happy that people still find this chart helpful!

I also wanted to let you guys know that I'm in the middle of tallying up the "add-on" dog expenses (surprisingly almost as high as puppy start-up costs I have to warn you) and the "maintenance" expenses that I've had with both dogs over the last year. With both of them having been born in the same month a year apart it's easy to see how the numbers end up getting effected!

Comment by Priscilla, CARLY, and Frankie on March 14, 2012 at 11:27am

This pretty much sums it up . these little joys aren't cheap.

Comment by Chelsea and Wyatt on March 14, 2012 at 10:44am

I'm late on this discussion, but your cost estimates are spot on. (Dare I say on the cheaper end of the spectrum!) We've spent at least $3,500 on Wyatt (a large chunk of that was a $1,000 emergency vet visit). Did I mention we haven't got him neutered yet? :) That fun bill will be next month. I think it's a great idea to illuminate prospective puppy buyers to the costs and commitment of owning a puppy; it's an important reality check.

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