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Hey, so I'm starting grad school soon, and I figured to keep myself from going batshit insane from studying 60+ hours a week, I might get a dog.
Does anyone here have a dog and know how much it costs to keep one in terms of $/month?
I understand that one time fees for buying the dog are different from continual monthly fees. Like, the one time fees would be for shots and licensing and actually buying it and looking around. The continuous fees I suppose would be for food and insurance.
I have no idea how much of this costs. I ideally want a dog that is as low maintenance and costs as little as possible. So, a breed that doesn't get sick, doesn't need to run a lot, doesn't eat a lot.
basically, something for me to talk to so it's not like i'm talking to myself all the time.
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Valhalla18444 Posts
if you're living in a dorm or apartment get a cat instead
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Canada9720 Posts
i think cats and dogs cost the same, more or less, to upkeep. a larger dog will eat more than a cat, but even then most dogs are fed twice or three times a day at most. the big difference in cost is how much time you have to put in. you can't ignore a dog and let it do it's own thing - it'll fuck your place up. you have to get it exercise, let it out to shit and piss, and generally just care of it.
cats are a lot less hassle, but i'd argue you get the affection that you put into an animal. i find dogs to be much more loving animals, but this is personal preference.
given your situation a cat probably makes more sense
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is awesome32278 Posts
Don't get a dog if you are not able to walk him, take it out to piss, etc...
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Hong Kong20321 Posts
cats are the shit
dogs are just too hyper and run around and destroy things.
;o
no idea how much it costs though sorry cuoldn't help 
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man that sucks.
i really like dogs more cause they are cooler to hang out with. they are like, totally chill, like if they were a person, you could grab a beer with them and smoke pot and shoot the shit.
i guess i'll have to go with a cat, but dunno, hanging out with a cat feels retarded. ugh
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On February 26 2009 23:10 Polyphasic wrote:
So, a breed that doesn't get sick, doesn't need to run a lot, doesn't eat a lot.
Pretty much every breed will satisfy your needs, as long as it's DEAD.
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I have two dogs that were given to me which already had their shots and registry already done for me. What really happened was the owners couldn't take care of them so I just took them in. I keep them in my backyard though. Food alone for the dogs run me about 8-15(30-40 lbs) bucks a week depending on the brand of dog food. I usually buy the dog food at some wholesale discount grocery store though which consist of pretty descent dog food.
In your case since you will be studying you might wanna get some type of toy dog (chihuahua,scottish terrier,mini pincher,etc) since you can easily give the dog attention and not worry about walking it everyday. I have a small toy dog and a pitbull which they entertain each other well enough but I still have to give them attention. Just don't be that person that neglects to give the dog attention, shelter, and food.
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On February 26 2009 23:10 Polyphasic wrote:
Does anyone here have a dog and know how much it costs to keep one in terms of $/month?
Obviously depends on the size of the dog but you should find the cost of those things (I am not living in the US so I can't tell you how would it cost in dollars, I can only tell what needs money. That's because I am a vet):
- once in a lifetime castration. I do believe it's free of charge at the Animal shelters in the US. Or maybe it depends on the state.
- annual animal tax if the dog is not neutered, I have no idea how much that is.
- annual vaccination - I do believe in the US it is around $60-80. Divided by 12 gives is $5-7 per month
- every 2 months you have to give the dog anti worm pills. The usual dose is a pill per 10 kg body weight. Each pill cost like $4 in Bulgaria. I am talking about the best pills by Bayer. So for 30 kg dog it's 3 pills for 2 months. That makes it 1,5 pill per month which costs $6.
- every month you have to use anti flea/anti tick medicines such as Frontline or Fort Dodge's ProMeris. In Bulgaria ProMeris for a 25 kg dog costs $15.
- food expenses - those can vary but I think not more than $40 per month.
Total of: $5-7 vaccination + $6 for internal parasites + $15 for external parasites + $40 for food = $66-68 per month IMO without the annual tax.
All of this is IMO and shows how I would care for a dog. You cna skip the antiparasite drugs and not buy them so it will be cheaper. But from what I know in the US even a simple flea allergy treatment will cost you like $400-500.
That's it. Take care.
ps: get a cat!
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Damn that guy sure did sum everything up together. I do feed mine anti-worm pills which aren't much every couple of months but instead of the antiflea/tick stuff I just bath mine with a $20 dollar dog shampoo every couple of weeks. You really don't need to sign your dog up for everything on that list but it is recommended(i don't do it though).
Now that I think about it I spend more money then I think on my dogs. I don't even pay attention to the cost b/c I <3 them so much. They are my babies.
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I would seriously consider adopting a dog instead of purchasing one from a breeder or pet shop. Not only is it cheaper and more humane, but also, house breaking a puppy is very time intensive. They will be pissing and shitting all over your house, and if you don't yell at him then take him for a walk /right/ after it happens, he will never get the message.
i don't know how serious hym was about the cat.. but its true cats are generally less time consuming, so that's also something you should consider..
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I'd just like to add that you cannot skimp your dog on the worm pills, because even during winter they can get them. We forgot to give my German Shepherd his pills for a while (like 2 weeks during winter) and he ended up with heart worms, which are nasty fuckers.
If I could guess how much a dog would cost and put it into a monetary value, I'd say something to the effect of 100 a month + 500 or so set aside for any vet bills that may occur if your dog does something dumb like eat a salt map.
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Dogs cost you a lot more time. Seriously, if you don't take him for a walk 3 times a day for at least half an hour, he will turn into an irritating, chewing, biting thing. Dogs need a lot more attention.
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Get a guinea pig instead? It's much cheaper.
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doesn't sound liek you have time for a dog. research some breeds. smaller ones will need less walks and stuff. smaller dogs usually require less tiem and stuff.
sounds like you should get a cat honestly
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Get a cat for a domestic setting. They are generally more chill and relaxing 90% of the time. Plus they are more intelligent where it matters (when to pee, when to play/when to relax, etc.).
Cats > Dogs
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is awesome32278 Posts
On February 27 2009 00:25 fanatacist wrote:
Get a cat for a domestic setting. They are generally more chill and relaxing 90% of the time. Plus they are more intelligent where it matters (when to pee, when to play/when to relax, etc.).
Cats > Dogs
You have no soul
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On February 26 2009 23:12 FakeSteve[TPR] wrote:
if you're living in a dorm or apartment get a cat instead
amen, get a male cat.. and declaw him, make him a boxer!
i rough-housed with my male cat and trained him to know me
it was awesome.. he hated everyone else that wasn't in the family lol
i miss him now.. :/ ALL cat's aren't boring & for losers
-----
and my cat had this awesome ability to make his back hunched
and run sideways towards me, trying to scare me off if i was walkin towards him down the hallway
it was awesome lol his whole back and tail suddenly POOFS up and gets like a fuzzball lol
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On February 27 2009 00:27 IntoTheWow wrote:Show nested quote +On February 27 2009 00:25 fanatacist wrote:
Get a cat for a domestic setting. They are generally more chill and relaxing 90% of the time. Plus they are more intelligent where it matters (when to pee, when to play/when to relax, etc.).
Cats > Dogs You have no soul
You value blind loyalty and filth over intelligence and cute fuzzywuzzy kitties.
You are a pervert.
Sup quoc, BW?
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5398 Posts
My older brother just got a dog for free.
Within a week it had a huge sore on its face and had to get it cut (removed) from the vet for > $100. Then it continues to shit and piss in front of him instead of a single bark to go out.
Dogs suck unless, like everyone says, you have the time and money to take care of them.
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EPT
