Photo by Amanda Yepiz
The following is a guest post from Kristin of Making Cents out of Life:
During the holidays, one of the most sought after gift on many children’s lists is a new pet. Having never lived without a dog for more than six months myself, I can definitely relate! However, during tough economic times, another mouth to feed and another body to take care of can seem out of reach.
Although owning a pet is a luxury and not a right, a pet can provide companionship. Knowing a few frugal pet tips and tricks, as well as being prepared for a new pet, can make the unattainable luxury of owning a pet much more affordable for some.
As long as you keep in mind that the pet is a part of your family and should be treated with kindness and care — and not like a toy to be taken out and played with only when time permits — any one of the many available animals in shelters as well as the ones sold by reputable breeders may be a perfect fit for your family.
I have a few tips to help you find and afford a pet so that your family can be complete:
Calculate the Costs
First of all, realize the costs associated with the type of pet you’re getting. Large animals require fences, and if you do not have the funds to fence in your yard, or a portion of your yard, you may want to consider a different size or type of pet. Before getting a new pet, you may also try Freecycle or Craigslist.com as a means for acquiring the materials needed for fencing.
If not, and you’re set on a certain pet, put aside a “pet savings account” and price the amount of fencing you need. Once you meet your savings goal, make the fence a DIY project for the family to save on the cost of labor.
Consider Temporary Foster Care
Consider adopting a pet or becoming “foster parents” for animals to save on the cost of getting a pet. Shelters are full, especially this time of year, and really need homes to place certain animals who may be expecting litters or have special needs. Often the foster families get the first shot at adopting the animal at a reduced rate or even free for taking care of the animal’s needs. Call your local shelter or vet’s office for details.
Our area has no actual shelter but there is a veterinarian who takes strays for a fee. Unfortunately most of the animals never find forever homes, so you’d be saving an animal from euthanization and quite possibly finding the perfect new family member.
Check Into Available Help
Many areas have programs available to help with the cost of spaying or neutering your pet. In Alabama, for instance, the SNIP (Spay Neuter Incentive Program) provides deep discounts for the spaying or neutering of already owned pets. Owners must meet certain financial and residential criteria, but this program is in place to provide financial assistance for those who may have no other companionship than their pet but lack the financial resources to take care of “extra” procedures.
Similar programs are in place at many local area shelters and veterinarians’ offices to provide assistance with vaccinations and health care. Often, local vets will allow you to make payments on emergency procedures if they are aware of your financial situation. Nobody wants to see a pet given up and placed in a shelter, so you’d be surprised at the amount of help available.
Cut Coupons to Save Costs
Feed your animal the best you can afford in order to maintain their good health and weight. Those of us who are couponers are aware of the amount of free cat and dog food available on a fairly regular basis. Learn the basics of couponing, and stock up as much as you can when free food is available. Deal Seeking Mom is one of the best places to come to learn how to make the most of your money, and stocking up on pet food is just as important as human food!
We once stocked up on enough dog food that our dogs were fed for six months, which came at a time when I was forced to stop working due to health problems and our income stopped completely for almost that entire time. Without that food, we may have had to give up our dogs. As we consider them our “babies”, and life is unimagineable without them, I’m forever grateful for my couponing knowledge.
These are just a few of the things you can do to cut the costs of pet ownership, especially at such an important time of year.
One final tip is to never surprise someone with a pet if they’re not in the market for one. This happened family that I’m close to, and although the dog is loved, he is an extreme financial hardship due to required medications, surgeries, and special food. Not only does that show why one should never surprise another with a pet; it also shows how researching the kind of pet makes a good fit for your family is both financially and morally responsible.
Remember that owning a pet is a luxury and not a right. I have to resist temptations to add to our “children” every day and not rescue every stray I see. One of these days I hope I no longer see strays to rescue; responsible pet ownership helps, and finding frugal ways to help one own a pet will hopefully lead us in that direction.
Kristin Thompson is searching to find her niche in the world of blogging and has found her passion in helping people save money on medical care and other necessities. Born a paraplegic, she now works with companies to promote products and services that benefit her readers and their families. Find more money saving tips and ideas for economical daily living at Making Cents out of Life.
Becky
Thanks for sharing.. I had 5 dogs @ 1 point cause I could afford them and they needed homes @ the time. Then i got divorced and could no longer afford to keep all of them. It broke my children’s heart to have to get rid of some of them. I still have 2 of them and they are not cheap.. And mine are less than 10lbs!! Food samples and freebies are great unless you have an inside dog that can only eat one thing..
There are ALOT of things to consider when getting a dog so please do your research and remember that a pet is alot like a child.. If you can’t afford your kid’s Dr bill, odds are you can’t afford a dog’s vet bill..
Melissa
Great article. It is an important reminder that although they are cute and lovable, pets are a big responsiblity (and cost). Just like you we stocked up on cat food on the cheap and have been using it for the last 2 months; we have at least 4 months left.
Amber H
I love this article because most of us think with our hearts and not our heads when we get a puppy and its a huge expense. We have a great dane and he is one of our kids and just as expensive and people dont realize how much it costs i have had him since august and all his shots heart guard comfortis micro chipped has cost me at least 400.00 and we have one more visit next week until we get a 6 month break. So im glad this topic was shared so people can see the expenses they will have upfront with a new animal to properly care for them and that doesnt even include the food toys cage etc….
m
So happy to see posts like this. I think everyone’s known at least one person who gets ‘throwaway pets.’
It’s depressing and irresponsible. If you have the money for a pet and are certain you’ll be in it for the long haul, please check out your local animal shelter rather than buying from a breeder or pet store.
genie
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/kirkland-signature-dog-food/
This is a good site for comparing dog foods… We used to feed Wellness, which I loved, but budgets have tightened and we found out that Kirkland brand dog food is rated just as high… So far, our critters love it and are doing great on it – and it is a lot cheaper than Purina, even when bought at Costco.
Misty
Great points! Just as a bad, because I’m sure that it’s not a worst, case scenario – We were given a chocolate lab puppy that was thrown away after she had been beaten and abused. She is a true blessing to our family but also a great expense. Our free puppy cost us over $500 the first two months she was in our lives. This got her some food, her first shots, a microchip and it got her fixed. Currently as I write, she is in the emergency hospital with an unknown illness. We are hoping to be able to take her home in the morning. If we can the hospital bill will “only” be $1650. She’s worth every penny, but they won’t be easy to come by pennies. Merry Christmas everyone!
Kristin
Good luck to you Misty! We have been blessed with the continued good health of ours, but we came upon a dog that was thrown out during the summer who had 3 legs. We of course got him and brought him home to find another forever home, but my in-laws were “given” a Pug and bless their hearts he’s cute but they’d be better off had they never been given an animal they don’t need (but love!).
Kristin
Thanks for posting my article, Tara!
One final thought I had, and I do it a lot but forgot to add it in, is to figure out the per-pound price of your dry food before you buy it, and do the same per ouce with wet food. The larger containers are not always the best buys, nor are the smaller ones. Each company is different- for instance the larger bag (after coupon) of Purina that our dogs eat costs only about $.22/lb for the larger bag but costs up to $.55/lb. for the smaller bags depending on where we buy the food. Not everyone can afford Iams or those found in the more expensive areas of the pet store but it really is important to feed your animal the best you can and not to change food after their stomachs get used to a certain food. Ours won’t even touch anything different. They eat Purina Little Bites, and since they weigh 5 lbs. combined it’s affordable, but the vet stressed that we not change it because it affects so many areas of their lives. OK I digress. Just carry a calculator a few times with you until you know what it costs to get the most for your money! Often if you have a new pet, and you tell your vet this, they give you a “new puppy (or kitty) pack” with a free bag of food. Ask on your first visit with your new furbaby.
My blog should be back up and running in January provided some of my health problems have subsided, and I’m so happy!
rebecca
Great article! I think there are animals that are bought as pets that are sometimes an impulse buy too. Clown fish were all the rage after finding Nemo and I’ve heard more than enough stories about cute little bunnies bought around Easter that are “let go” by people that didn’t realize that they would grow to be big rabbits … and that they were never wild animals to begin with! There is much to consider when adding to a family, even when that addition comes with a permanent fur coat!
I am blessed to be a Mom to three fur babies, one of them being a big dog and the other two my dog thinks are squirrels but are actually cats. I am also blessed to know how to coupon and have bought all of their food for tax only.
Both of my cats get ProPlan cat food. When the coupons come out for the free small packets, I buy as many qs as I can and go to Petsmart and order from the manager. Usually they will say they can’t get that many at one time but I am sweet and polite and ask if they can get whatever they can and then eventually each time they order, we’ll fulfill it over time.
My dog eats Chef Michael’s dog food. I bought a years supply last year with the $2/1 coupon for the small bag. Once again, I go to the grocery store that has it on sale for $2 and order a boat load. I got 100 bags this last time and used a $10/$100 Bi-Lo coupon from the Citipass book and even managed to sneak in some extra people food with that coupon! I have all the food stored on top of my cabinets in the laundry room. We joke that if there is an emergency and we need food, we can always steal from the dog! Lol.
Great article! :D
Liz
Kristin, I loved your guest article. My husband and I are waiting to get a dog for a lot of the reasons you mentioned. And as someone who had to leave a doctorate program due to health problems I’m looking forward to reading your blog when it’s back up and running. Perhaps Tara could give us a heads-up?
Leah
Another money saving tip- we have to board our dog every once in awhile when we have to travel to a non dog friendly place. Boarding gets very expensive, so we put up an ad on craiglist and found another family that has the same type of dog. We now watch each others dogs for free and it’s been a great financial help. Not to mention the dogs are happier not sitting in a cage all day at a boarding kennel!
Cayla
I loved your article it is also a wonderful opportunity to encourage others to foster a dog!! Our rescue provides all vetting, front line and heart guard. We just ask the foster parents to provide food!!! We are on petfinder.com in Northern Kentucky, Save Our Shelter Dogs!