Christmas is nearly here and so is the search for the perfect gift. Pets, especially dogs, may be at the very top of some people’s wish lists. I was at the park on the weekend when a woman asked me what it was like to own a dachshund, as her daughter was asking for one for Christmas. I was pretty honest. I’m sure she was expecting me to tell her that they’re the best snugglers, that they never bark, and they’re fine to stay at home by themselves while everyone else is out. The only thing I could confirm is that they really are the best snugglers. I don’t know whether I changed her mind (not that I was trying to), but it gave me the idea to write about my experiences with owning a dog, and things you should consider before adopting one.

the breed

I think most dog people have a favourite breed. But just because you think a dog is cute and admire their attributes, doesn’t mean it’s going to be a good fit for you and your lifestyle. To find out which breed is right for you, you can take the Breed Matcher quiz at DogsAustralia.org.au. It asks questions about your lifestyle, your expectations for grooming, training, food costs, and the dog’s living and sleeping arrangements. This is a good starting point. This isn’t an exact scientific method to find the best breed. 

Once you have a breed in mind, do your research, and take notice of what you find. While not every single dog from the same breed is going to be exactly the same, there are characteristics that will run true across the breed. If a dog has historically been bred for herding livestock, there’s a very good chance that it will be high energy and need a lot of mental stimulation. If a dog has been historically bred for hunting, it’s very likely they will have a high prey drive and be an excellent barker. Don’t think that your dog will be the exception to the rule. For example, when researching dachshunds, I found that they are prone to separation anxiety, they bark a lot, they are very affectionate, and they are stubborn and tough to toilet train. Every single one of these things is true for Harry, as well as a lot of other dachshunds that I know. 

adopting versus shopping

There are a number of places you can procure a dog. Of course, I want to promote adopting a dog in need, but depending on your lifestyle, adopting might not always be appropriate. Before I got Harry, I looked into adopting a dog through a local shelter and was told that I wouldn’t be a favourable candidate for a rescue dog. I live in an apartment, so the dog wouldn’t have immediate access to an area they can run freely in, not all dogs have experience with leashes, and may not be able to be left on their own. Not all rescue dogs come with complications, but it is something you may need to be prepared for. However, buying a dog through a breeder can also present its own challenges, but puppies can be a bit more adaptable than older dogs.

time

Oh boy, do dogs take up a lot of time. I really was not prepared for this. Having a happy, satisfied, well behaved dog will take a lot of time. Not just in the early days, but throughout their whole life, which may be between 8 to 18 years. When you first bring your dog home, you really do need to put in the time to train them so that everyone in your home is happy. When I first got Harry, my whole life, for that period, was training him. I would take him for a short walk a couple of times a day, take him to the toilet every half hour, do basic training like sit and stay, take him to the toilet again, play with him, feed him, snuggle with him, take him to the toilet again, socialise at the park, clean up after him, take him to the toilet again. Plus service my day job and every other part of being a person. Not having a baby, I don’t have a point of reference, but it almost felt what I would expect having a toddler would be like. Constantly chasing them around, making sure they’re not getting into too much trouble or eating anything that may make them sick, or making too much of a mess. 

Then there’s the ongoing time you spend with your dog. Taking them for a walk, or to the park, hanging out with them, keeping up their training, feeding them, cleaning them, taking them to the vet, making songs up about them…nope, just me? If you don’t put in that time, you will have a poorly behaved, bored, under-stimulated dog, and they will go looking for stimulation, which may result in chewed up shoes, destroyed furniture and unhappy neighbours. 

But we do it because we love it. Spending time with Harry is one of my favourite ways to spend my day, but it does take up a lot of time. 

your lifestyle

You will be bringing your dog into your life, so you need consider how your new family member will integrate into the way you live. If you’re someone who likes to take frequent weekends away, can you bring your dog along with you? Are you willing to take less holidays if you can’t? If you work long hours in the office, how will your dog react to this, or are they a good candidate for doggy daycare? What type of home do you have? Do you have hobbies or time commitments that are dog friendly and can include your dog, or will they be left at home? If you and/or your family spend a lot of time away from home, participating in activities that don’t allow for doggy inclusion, maybe a dog isn’t the best option for you right now. Please remember that a dog really is a member of the family, not a supplementary entertainment device.

expense

Let me tell you, owning a dog is not a cheap proposition. I don’t think that comes as a shock. But what may be shocking is just how big an expense they may be. 

Firstly, the cost of adopting a dog can be significant. If you are adopting a dog from a shelter, you could be looking at a cost of anywhere from $100 up to $1200. If you are getting a dog from a breeder, it could set you back anything from $1000 to $15,000, depending on the breed. 

Secondly, the ongoing expense. This is the real shocker. To give you an idea, I budget about $850 a month for my dog. Harry does live a pretty luxurious life but let me break down my expenses.

food – $100 per month

I budget about $100 for food. I feed Harry the Ivory Coat Holistic Nutrition line and the Providore Food dog line. The Ivory Coat kibble is around $115 for 18kg, which lasts about 5 months for a 7.5kg dog. I also get the wet food in bulk, buying 12 cans, which lasts about a month, for $60. I also bulk buy the Providore dog treats, which is about $85, and lasts a few months.  There are cheaper dog food brands around, but I’ve fed Harry these brands his whole life and he has had no health issues (let’s keep those fingers crossed), his coat is shiny and smooth, and he likes the taste. But depending on the size of your dog and the quality of the food, you are probably looking at a similar cost.

parasite prevention – $15 per month

When living on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, it is strongly recommended that you have your dog on some parasite prevention regime. There are paralysis ticks, there are rats, there are worms. I even heard from a neighbour that there is a doggy daycare in the area that had a flea problem (thankfully not Harry’s daycare). All of these are expensive to treat should your furry best friend encounter one of these nasties. Harry got a tick a few months ago, but because he takes the monthly NexGard Spectra tablet, the tick dried up and died, with no ill-effect to him whatsoever. In fact, I didn’t even know it was a tick until someone pointed it out. I buy a six-pack of these tablets at $90, bringing the cost to $15 a month.

daycare – $600 per month

Harry isn’t the type of dog that loves spending time on his own. To keep everyone happy, Harry, and my neighbours, he spends the day playing with his friends at doggy daycare. He absolutely loves it. They take such good care of him. I am updated throughout the day with photos and a newsletter, and the best part, I don’t feel guilty for leaving him at home when I know he doesn’t like being on his own. I also know that when my Building Manager calls me, it’s not because Harry is being a nuisance. But this does come at a cost. A cost that a lot of people may not be prepared to spend. And if you’re lucky enough to have a dog that is happy to spend time by themselves, sleeping in the sun all day, that’s great. But if your dog has any form of anxiety around being left alone, this is something to consider. 

veterinary care – $50 per month

I put $50 a month into a sink account to cover any vet trips Harry may need. Like I said before, Harry is a pretty healthy little dog, but he still does need the occasional trip to the vet. He has his annual check up and vaccinations, which sits at between $150-200. He also got desexed this year, which came in at around $600. He then had a couple of complications following his desexing, none of which were major, thankfully, but still left me a $1200 bill for some simple diagnostics. Just this year, he has also had a couple of trips to the vet following a confrontation at the park with another dachshund, and a chocolate chip cookie misadventure. I do have pet insurance, so that does keep the expenses down, but it doesn’t make them non-existent.

pet insurance – $80 per month

I’m sure we’ve all heard the horror stories of dogs costing tens of thousands of dollars after an emergency trip to the vet on a weekend. This is the precise reason I have pet insurance. Harry’s breed is prone to back issues, which has been known to cost owners up to $25,000. And even if you have this money available to you, it’s quite a chunk of change to have to fork out unexpectedly.

dog sitter – $50 per month

I am lucky to know people who would be willing to look after Harry if I needed, as you might too, but it’s also a good idea to put a little money aside each month for a professional pet sitter. Your family and friends may not always be available to look after your pooch, so having a little money set aside can be helpful. For my recent trip to New Zealand, a pet sitter Harry knows quite well looked after him for ten days, which set me back $660. This did include 24-hour care, all the walks and playtime he could handle, as well as his food. This is probably considered cheap, so if you are someone who takes a lot of overseas trips, this is what you could be spending.

incidentals – $50 per month

I set aside $50 a month for Adhoc doggy expenses which could include doggy poop bags, dog behavioural training, nail clipping, a new toy, anything that I don’t have covered in the above categories. Harry struggled with separation anxiety for a while, and to get some help with this, I went to a local trainer. The trainer charged $175 for two hours of training. Then there was the puppy school Harry attended when I first got him, which was around $400. If you live in an apartment and your dog doesn’t have access to the outside at all times, you might need to get a puppy pads or a grass mat, which can be $15 and $150 per month, respectively.

behavioural issues

As much as we would like to hope that our dogs will be perfect little angels, there can be times when their undesirable behaviour turns from a minor inconvenience to a potential rehoming situation. These behaviours can put our family members, ourselves and the dog itself at risk of physical harm, they can alienate our neighbours and friends, and can make our lives increasingly unpleasant. Rectifying these issues can take up sizable expense and time. We don’t want to give up on our dogs, we want to support them, but this can be stressful. Going back to Harry’s separation anxiety issues, this was a stressful period for me as well. There was a neighbour who seemed particularly affected by this, and instead of coming to me directly, they reported the barking to the Building Manager, who then issued me with a complaint. However, with some work, some tears, and a bit of professional help, we were able to overcome this. But it does take work.

grooming

While I have a dog that requires minimal grooming, I am still aware of the expense grooming can incur. For some breeds, grooming isn’t an optional task, it must be done for the dog’s comfort and health. Some breeds may only need a quick wash, dry, nail clip and ear clean, some may need a full-blown undercoat removal, or a shave down and shape. This is a task you could take on yourself. I had a friend with a Pomeranian, Gigi, who took great pride in grooming her every day, putting ribbons in her fur, and brushing out her coat to make her look like a teddy bear. This did take a considerable amount of time. If you’re not prepared to perfect the art of dog grooming yourself, you will be looking at professional grooming services. In my local area, these services vary by size and breed, ranging from $65 for a quick wash and dry for a small short haired dog, all the way up to $200+ for a large long haired dog. It can also be hard to get in to see a groomer at short notice, having to be at the whim of cancellations to get an appointment.

This may sound as though I’ve just written a laundry list of all the things that bug me about owning a dog, but most of these are things that I didn’t consider when I got Harry. I had no idea that dogs take this much time, how expensive they could be, and restrictive to my spontaneous weekends away. I thought he would be a breeze to train, that toileting would be a simple jaunt down the stairs and that he would be a quiet, snuggly little creature to spend my spare time with. It didn’t work out like that. So when things didn’t go according to my delusional plan, I put more and more pressure on myself to make him perfect, and the first few months of dog ownership were some of the most demanding months of my life. I think I cried every day, some days out of frustration, some days out of fear that he may die in 15 years, some days out of pride because he made a friend, and some days because I was just so tired. I actually felt like I was going crazy. 

But I really do love my dog. He is one of the best things in my life. I changed so much of my life for him, but it has made it better. I have more friends now because of him, I spend way more time outdoors, and I have a cuddle buddy anytime I want. 

This information is not to scare you, but to prepare you for some of what may come, should you go ahead and adopt that furry little monster. There may be times you regret it, but you will never be loved more than when you have a dog.

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