A few questions before I buy a dog

mayvic

First off I'm a new poster so...hi!
I'm in my early twenties, living in Dublin, have owned dogs as a child (well, one of them is still alive but he's really my parents') and contemplating getting a dog but I have quite a few questions.
First and foremost, whats the average yearly cost of a dog? I know it completely depends on what type of dog you have and how well you care for them/ how much they require. All going to plan I would like to get a small terrier type, probably a mixed or rescue if possible (though I'm not sure I'm not sure as I'd prefer a pup) as I don't really want to support backyard breeding and don't intend showing.
So basically including food and vets, how much should I expect?

Now I'd prefer a male dog so I'd like to neuter him. How much does this cost? Is there a less drastic way of doing it? Like the way you'd give a human "the snip", something about castration doesn't sit right with me...but I guess if it's the only option it's what I'll do.

What sort of procedure is there for moving country with the dog and how do I go about it? Are there different regulations for all over the world?

How do you even pick a dog? The ones I had as a kid I picked 'cause they were the cutest but is there any good way of judging a pups personality before you take them on?
....ok so I had a few more questions but I've gone blank I will get back if remember. I guess that's enough for now anyway!

Galway K9

Its gonna sound irresponsible and immature but just go to your local pounhe d and the dog you fall for is the one. 8 years with mine and never looked back.

Dont worry about cost as your love for him/her will sort that

To pick a pup/dog there is temperment testing but the way i mentioned above is best.

Ollie182

Hi there! Lovely to hear youre getting a doggie, I would recommend the DSPCA or for whatever area you live, heres a link for a few tips before you adopt : http://www.dspca.ie/dspca/BeforeYouGetADog
And also, there is a base fee for adopting, for a cat its €80 Im not sure about a dog. Included in that is most (if not all) vaccinations, neutering/spaying and a microchip installed. As far as I know these are all relevant for cats, Im sure its the same with dogs too. As for choosing, every dogs personality is different so just head to the shelter after the bank holiday weekend and pick up a few dogs and see what feels good

kylith

You can budget about €40 for 15kg food, if you get a terrier that'll last about 2 months. Insurance will cost about €60 per year. I don't know about neutering I'm afraid, my dogs were adopted as adults from rescue so were neutered when I got them.

Neutering male dogs, afaik, isn't that intrusive. It probably isn't impossible to give a dog a vasectomy, but it would still mean that he was affected by his hormones, i.e. that he'd want to mate, would want to stray after females and would still be able to go through with the act, even though nothing would come of it, it would also mean that he was still suseptible to the various cancers that affect unneutered dogs, and would generally be counterproductive.

cjf

There are loads of young male pups looking for good homes and terrier mixes are a rescue special so you will have loads to choose from! I adopted from www.dogsindistress.org have my terrier mix nearly 2 years now and she is the best!! Neutering is not big deal at all for the male dogs my current foster dog was neutered last week and he has 2 tiny stitches and was ready tail wagging when I picked him up from the vet!!

As for the cost of getting and keeping a dog there is a minimum donation of €150 when adopting from dogs in distress which covers vacs, microchipping, worming and neutering the dog plus any other medical care they received while in foster.

Pet insurance will be approx €15 per month (basing that on me paying 30 for my 2) worming approx 11 every three months, annual booster and check up approx 70. Plus worth remembering that if you do bring dog to vet if they are sick you will have to pay excess which is approx 60 and insurance will cover the rest.

Food depends on size of dog I go through 15kgs every 2 weeks for my 2 so 15kg bag of a good dog food may last small terrier 5/6 weeks. I feed royal canin which is approx 65 for 15kg bag.

Plus toys and bedding and initial costs like a crate, bed, lead, collar etc it does mount up!!

As for taking your dog abroad every country has specific criteria so you will need to research this but if you planning to go away for year or two get g dog may not be best thing many countries require dogs to be quarantined for up to 6 months which is not a happy time for the dog!!

Best of luck on you search for your new dog!!

Zapperzy

When I adopted my dog I paid a €100 donation which included neutering, vaccination and a microchip.
If you were to buy a dog excluding the purchase cost of the dog you'd be talking a lot more than €100 for all that, microchiping is about €35-50, for booster vacc's I pay €35 so I'd imagine the initial vacc would be about double that (you need 2 lots 2 weeks apart), then neutering goes by weight but for a small terrier size male Im guessing it would be under €100 (this varies big time between different practices depending on what sort of anaesthetic they use and what sort of aftercare you get, some include the 7-10 day check up in this price others don't, others add on an extra charge for buster collars). If you are on benefits you may be eligible for the dog's trust €20 neutering voucher (you would have to ring around though because they are like gold dust to get).

The first trip to the petshop you could easily spend >€60 on beds, collars, leads, toys etc but that's really up to you. I personally go on a bit of a spending spree when it comes to my pets but you could easily find ways of cutting down on those sort of costs, like for a pup until they are over the chewing phase don't spend big money on beds, a cardboard box with cheap fleecy blankets from penneys will suffice.

A €12 2kg bag of dried food lasts me (for a 7kg small terrier) about 2 months but I also mix in some wet food which costs me about €1 a tray which lasts about 5-6 days. With a rough calculation I think that works out about 40c a day to feed him but I could be wrong. It would work out cheaper buying bigger 7.5kg or 15kg bags of dried food but then you've to think of storage.

I pay €35 a year on yearly booster vacc's and fingers crossed in the 3 years Iv had him he's only had to go to the vets for boosters so no unexpected vet costs, but just yesterday I had to pay €90 to bring my cat to the vets so when something goes wrong vet costs really can shoot up so insurance really is important (off the top of my head allianz, 123.ie and petinsure.ie provide this). It is recommended that dogs be wormed every 3 months, it again depends on the weight of the dog. Flea and tick treatments it depends on the brand how long they last and how much they cost, they recommend you treat all year round but I only treat during the summer months and Iv never had a problem with fleas and only have a problem with ticks during the summer if I leave it a bit long between treatments.

So altogether I would say a basic yearly cost of about €350 but that would be very basic presuming no emergency vet visits are needed, no grooming is needed (I get mine done professionally once a year at €40, the rest of the time I do him myself) and you don't put him into boarding (which in most places is between €10-15 a night for small dogs). In reality I would say my dog probably costs about €500 a year or more if you were to add up every little pigs ear and chew toy.


Female dogs can also be neutered (sorry I wasn't quite sure what you mean when you say 'Now I'd prefer a male dog so I'd like to neuter him') but it is more expensive. If your really concerned about castration you can get little implants, haven't heard of any vets in Ireland doing it yet though, think that may only be an american thing yet!

Look up the pets passport scheme as regards moving country. I have heard of it costing some a few thousand to move their pets to Australia, so if that thought is on your mind it's best to put off getting a dog until you are sure you can afford moving your pet over with you, as it wouldn't really be fair on you or the dog to rehome him in a few years time if you already knew you may have to move over at some stage.

Forgot to add a dog licence is currently €12.70 a year.

Cherry Blossom

Hi OP, I have a small terrier and costs are as follows

2kg bag of Burns dog food (lasts a month) €10
1 x tray of Natures menu (which can be frozen in portions) used for stuffing kongs - the tray lasts a month!! - £1

5 x kongs (because it's easier to do a batch when the contents has to be partially defrosted first) €8 - €10 each roughly

A load of dog treats santa brought at x-mas which are now about half way through €20

1 x plastic dog bed - seldom used :rolleyes: €20

2 x pieces of vet bed and some fleece blankets approx €30

1 x dog crate (much used) €38 lined with an old pillow

Various leads/collars/harness and dog tags approx €30 in first year - bought as needed

Wormer - €2 every few months

Flea treatment - only bought once this year as was only needed once.

Toys etc - spent loads only to discover that the only interesting ones are home made and free :rolleyes:

Grooming equipment - about €50

In short, if you are crate training, don't bother buying a bed as well. Allow around €100 - €150 initially to buy basic things you need. Costs of feeding are around €12-€15 per month - thats a high quality diet. Initial vaccinations and neutering are usually done by the rescue before you get the dog, ring your local vet for annual booster prices. Insurance is around €12 per month. I'd also allow €20 per week for training and socialisation classes, at least to start with.

toadfly

Hi OP,

Its costs us for per month (have two Yorkies);

Food; €12, 7.5kg Burns lasts both of them 10 weeks and cost €30
Vet:Yearly boosters and checkup €45 each, KC vaccine is around €30/40 they always end up going more often than once a year so I'd say €200 per dog would be about right
Insurance: €19 for purebreed and €13 for crossbreed
Treats: doesnt cost much, few € for bag of treats.
Toy: Tilly rips toys up so kong is the only one that has lasted, around €7
Boarding (for holidays): usually a friend minds them, we take her dog when shes away so works well, €12 per night per dog when they do have to be boarded
Training: got trainer out, three personal lessons at €30 each
Grooming: €40 each twice/three times a year
Neutering: €120 for female and €110 for male
Flea/Worm: £25 for 1 year worming and 6 months flea treatment online, much more expensive via local vet
Microchip: €40 each

We spent about €70 when we got second dog for bed/lead & collar. TK Max do good cheap dog beds. Much better quality and half the price of petshop beds.

(Have copied this from old thread!)

cocker5

Hi OP,

Congrats on deciding you want a dog / puppy!! Exciting time ahead

I have a cocker spaniel... here are my approx costs for each year...

Vaccinations €100 each year
Pet Insurance €250 each year (DD €22 per month)
Grooming €65 - 4 times per year (his hair grows really fast :P)
dog food - €55 for 15 kg of burns - 4-5 times per year
treats / toys..... endless.... buy you can get these cheap
kennels / boarding costs €20 per day (i use home stay only - he doesnt react well to normal kennels)
dog walker €20 per day x 2 per week (optional )

initial costs when getting a dog...
vaccinations €150
neutering €150
bed €30 (hard plastic / blanket)
Kennel €200
Leads / collars €50

i buy everything... from food ......to beds .......to toys on www.zooplus.ie

best of luck!!