I’ve been seriously considering this question for a few weeks now and was wanting to ask a question of you fine folks out in internet land to see if this is really feasible. I really want to know if it’s reasonable (to the dog, and me) to have a dog. I’m a college student living in an apartment with two roomates. I want something that’s fairly large (lab-ish) that’ll be able to hang w/ me on the trials and the occasional mtn bike ride. I’m not really worried about being able to spend time with him (or her), but was wondering the true cost of having a dog.
Things like: vet bills, vaccinations, general yearly expeditures due to owning an animal. Also, how much time should be expected to house train so he can live inside? The initial cost of the dog would be insignificant as I’m looking at getting something from the local animal shelter.
Any info would be a huge help to see if this is really a possibility.
Quick question. Does your apartment have a yard the dog could be left in?
You could figure out the cost of your dogs food requirements by pricing the dog food you would buy and dividing the total amount by theserving size reccomendations for a dog of a lab’s size (then multiply by cost of the food).
Pet bills come and go, but you really need to figure out the cost of heartworm meds (I don’t know off the top of my head), and the add initial vaccinations and annual rabies shots (although there is a trend to doing this every other year in some places).
All in all, dogs are great, but they bring responsibilities (I imagine it is like 1/10th of a child and that’s still a lot). If you are getting a larger dog that would want to be active then you need to allow it to get its kicks during the day or you will run into trouble the first time you fail to uphold your “I will walk it everyday” promise. Of course I imagine you are pretty active if you are on the site
How often would you have to leave town, will the roommates helps, etc. Things to think about.
If money is a problem i would go for insurance. It would really suck if your pet got a treatable ailment and you couldn’t afford to treat it. If you get insurance at least you’ll know you can take care of it. The vet bill can really add up especially with an older dog.
I have two dogs and it can be tough. I’m probably more caring than most pet owners - My dogs take priority over most everything else. I took responsibility for their lives and happiness and I take both things seriously. Sometimes it sucks as I have to cut training days short so that they’re not inside for hours and hours.
House training can be tough if you’re not around alot. You can’t fault a dog for shitting in the house (nor can you train it not to) if you’re not there to let it out when it needs to go.
Cost can vary. I have one dog that’s had quite a bit of health problems - about $3,500 worth in the last three years. My other dog has never cost me a dime (except for the dog food). You just never know.
I’d say, assuming good health, you’ll spend $1,000 per year on food, exams, vaccinations, toys, et cetera. Anyone at the animal shelter can probably give you some good advice, too.
Easiest way to save money off the top…go to the local animal shelter. You would be surpirsed/horrified at the dogs (and other animals) that are in need of a home. I got my dog (a mix) at the LAS and he is a great dog…smart, healthy, happy and extremely loyal You’ll see pure breds, mixes, small dogs, big dogs, whatever you want. It cost about $60 to adopt him, and he left there with a clean bill of health and a free vet check-up after 60 days.
I guess I should have finished reading you post…sorry. I’ve spent a couple of grand on my dog in the last 2 1/2 years, between vet bills (nothing too major), food, shots, and boarding (I travel a little for work).
I love my dog and wouldn’t trade her for anything, but getting her was a HUGE lifestyle change for me. She has to be a big priority, and that does mean cutting other things (including training) short sometimes.
I chose her breed because she can run long distances and handle heat. No hip problems. Labs are not the best running partners if you do long distances - they are very nice dogs, but can overheat more easily than other breeds and some are prone to hip problems.
Most dogs are not made to keep up with mountain biking…you really want to watch how much you are wearing them down and always go where there is plenty of water…that’s a problem in my neck of the woods so I have to carry water for da mutt. Also training them to watch for other bikers, etc. It’s easy to think you’ll take a dog with you everywhere, but sometimes it doesn’t work that well.
Short version: cost is actually the least of the concerns I think…in general, a healthy dog is not that expensive once you get through the puppy stage/training, and a lot of that can be avoided by going through your local shelter. But the lifestyle changes are big big big. And apartments are not the best place for dogs who need to run.
i have a 10 year old yellow lab that i love as much as anything in the world. but i remember in college when friends got dogs, they weren’t ready to make the committment necessary to keep a dog healthy and happy. dogs need a lot of time, attention, walks, discipline, training, etc. cost is the least of it.
i don’t know why you want to get a dog only to have him live outside. my advice, is wait until you’re out of school and have the time and energy to devote to him. it’s only fair.
thanks for the info, from what it looks like, it doesn’t seem to be as simple as i thought. to answer ephford’s question, my apt doesn’t have a yard/play area where i could leave the dog while i’m at class. i would imagine that it would definetly be a lifestyle change, but a good one. i’d definetly have to make the dog a priority. on the other hand, it seems like it’d be an awesome lifestyle change to have a constant running partner who would drag my ass out of bed on days i dont wanna run. as far as leaving town, most of the places i go revolve around being outside, and i’m hoping the dog would come w/ me (climbing, mtn biking, hiking, etc.) so that wouldn’t be a problem.
Yeah, i would have to agree. In college your life can change on a dime. I’ve seen so many college kids abandon their pets because they have so much going on, plus money is always a problem. Would you be prepared to spend a couple thousand on a pet operation if it got sick or got into an accident? If money gets tight and you don’t have a job when you finish college what are you going to do?
Don’t get a right dog now. Wait until you’ve graduated and have a house with a fenced in backyard but be still willing to run with the dog every single day. IMO, many pet owners don’t deserve the privilege of ownership.
Glad you’re looking at the local pound. Give abandoned animals a chance. I got my pure bred black lab and three cats from the pound.
so the general consensus seems to be that it’s probably not a good idea to have a large dog stay in the house most of the day. Mr Tibbs, since you seem to be an awesome dog lover, can he stay in your velvet room? It seems like a dog would be a good addition!
You have gotten a lot of excellent advice and it sounds like you will have a great relationship with your dog when the time comes. I think the local shelter is an excellent idea. We have 4 dogs 1st was a black lab now 115 lbs and not sloppy fat one from a shelter and the other two starving off the street. the smallest one 75-80lbs. Frontline and heartgard for this crew is around $300 for 3mo rabies is 60-80 annually. Our lab tore a cruchiate(sp) ligament required surg $2400 so yes the healthiest can have expensive bills. When yoiu get your dog it will be one of the happiest times in your life which will grow with time. I get teary eyed when I think of any thing happening to any of our family and yes they sleep with us.
I love my dogs, two yellow labs, but if I had then in college it would have been murder! First of all I couldn’t asfford to fed myself let alone a bottomles pit like a lab. Don’t even think puppy here my friend. Perhaps you could foster a dog for a while to see what it really takes. Offer to take care of a friends dog for a week as a test run. Dogshit does not clean itself up either. I shell out $80/month for insurance for the two dogs. Paid for itself 33X over when one of them got cancer at three years old. Still cost me $2500 of my own money, would have been $5500 without insurance. It also costs about $650 to get a plactic squeeker from a toy out of dogs stomach, don’t ask how I know!!! Food for a large breed dog will run you about $60/month if you buy a decent quality kibble, not that corn filler crap at the supermarket.
Take the task of dog ownership like you would parenthood. Once it happens you are responsible for it for life, or you are not fit to be a dog owner. I got one of my dogs as a resuce because the family bought this cute puppy that grew into a 79 pound terror (in their eyes). Six months of consisant training (my wife and I train dogs on the side) and he was presentalbe, but no angel.
Don’t get me wrong, I love these pups like they were my kids. They are currently passed out at my feet as I type this message. If I were you I’d wait. You have your whole life ahead of you, go on spontaneous 4 day roadtrips with friends, sleep in until noon (dogs will be sure you NEVER do that again) and get a dog when your lifestyle permits it and will allow you to have some space for him to run and play. A lab in an aparment is a perscription for chewing due to pure boredom.
Good luck, you will know when you are truely ready. Then enjoy it!
so the general consensus seems to be that it’s probably not a good idea to have a large dog stay in the house most of the day.
Of course that isn’t ideal, *but *unless you are rich and have a dogwalker come in everyday, or work from home or some other equally desirable job, poor poochie is going to be in the house for 9+ hours everyday once you get out of school too. We got our lab when I was still in Grad school and that was, in myopinion, the best time we could have ever gotten him. My schedule was flexible enough to properly house train him (3 pees, and 1 poop, EVER), I got to make sure he learned “all the rules” and got to work a ton on obedience stuff with him. Now maybe I was/am a bit more flippant toward school being my number one priority than others (because it wasn’t) but I can’t imagine a time in my life when I had *more *time than then.
Our lab (Lance) is the most important thing in my wife and I’s life (no kids still) and I’ think it is awesome that you are considering a shelter dog, but more importantly that you want to take him all those places with you after you get him. Our dog goes just about everywhere with us. If you look hard enough there are always pet -freindly B&B’s or low-end hotels everywhere. we’ve been up and down and all through New England with never a problem.
Financial things would be the biggest drawback for a college student, in my opinion. You’ve got food at about $35/6 weeks for something like Nutro or Science Diet or Iams (I think some people are giving some unbelievablly high estimates on that - 40 lbs of food should last for longer than 30 days, I guess unless you have a REALLY big dog). Someone mentioned heartworm/flea stuff at a couple hundred/year or so. We have a short flea season up here so we’re at about $150-$175/year there, and then $75 or so for annual vet fees/shots. We also have pet insurance at $19.99/month that covers something like 80% of any accidental injury. Like I said, he’s really important to us and no vet bill would be too high, so that is a nice buffer.
I have two relatively large dogs - a yellow lab and a chesepeake bay retriever. I would disagree with the comments about needing a yard. My dogs are very unhappy if left outside by themselves and even when they are let out in the backyard (we have a very large dog friendly backyard) will go and do their business and then want to come back in - unless we are outside with them. They sleep most of the day when we are at work/out and then we go play together (walks/runs/frisbee in park).
with most of the retriever breeds, as long as they are getting their daily exercise then the size of your place isn’t very important. Crate training is the easiest way to housebreak a dog, imho and also protects the furniture etc. from teething puppies when you are out. My chessie loves his crate so much that it is a permanent fixture in our rec room. We don’t close the door anymore but when we come home he will be sitting in his crate waiting to be allowed out and when he gets scared by something (terrified of hair dryers and bbq tongs - no fear of lawnmower, go figure) he runs for the safety of his crate.
In short, I have always had a dog even throughout school. My dogs are very well-behaved and have excellent manners (I can leave a steak on the floor and it won’t be touched as long as I am awake in the house - when I leave or go to sleep I think there is something like a five minute rule they live by).
As long as you are responsible, do your homework and remember that they are a companion but that you are in charge no matter what, I see no issues with getting a dog in school. Make sure your roomates will support your efforts though.
I will chime in on this since I am a dog lover too. Personally, I would say college is a bad time to make this decision
We currently have 3 (a black lab, yellow lab/great dane mix, lab/ chow mix) In addition I have had a number of dogs and most of my life have had more than one dog at a time. I love my dogs and we too have spent a great deal of money on vet bills in two cases for cancer and a heart defect . That can be really tough and something you need to be aware of. Mostly, the cost is budgetable and steady, but you can get a suprise.
Our dogs stay inside during the day for a number of reasons including we have had dogs in our area who have been poisened (and I don’t live in a bad area either) we don’t want them to bark during the day since our chow is protective, I had a dog taken from my back yard (pure breed black lab) and we don’t want them to somehow get loose. I had an experience in the last month where we found a dog that hat been hit by a truck and the driver left. We came on the accident with two guys standing over the dog as it was dying. One guy on a motorcycle who couldn’t do anything and the other a old man who didn’t care apparently. Many people drove by. We picked the dog up (with two of our dogs in the car) and I sat with this dog on my lap to the emergeny hospital. She died in my lap. Princess was just a puppy about 18 months and had tags on. Apparently, she had jumped the fence. Their other dog barked as we put her in the car to drive away. That experience killed me so I do everything to avoid it. We left a message for the people that we took their dog to the vet since they were not home. I can’t imagine coming home to that message and then one from the vet saying she died. sorry for the ramble
Anyway, they are great but are life time commitments. We have kept dogs most would have given back, beleive me, but we love them all. They are social they want to be with you and spend time with you, not stare at your backyard fence all day. We take ours everywhere we can.
On a last note, as someone who has purchased expensive labs and adopted from shelters I would say adopt if you are just looking for a pet. There are tons of breed specifc rescue groups and tons of shelters, check out petfinder.com but most important is be 100% sure you are ready, read about dogs and training, ask questions and take your time.
I have two lab-mixes that I got at the pound and i love them to death. But I am married and own a house and have a back yard and can get to dog-parks pretty regularly. If I had had these dogs in college it would NOT have been a good thing.
The lifestyle change cannot be overstated - think “CHILDREN.”
You cannot go out and get drunk and forget to come home. You cannot just take off for the weekend. If you do you have to kennel which is easily one of the pricier things with dogs.
Vet bills vary depending on the dog. One of my dogs is totally healthy and costs about 350-450 a year for a visit and some heartworm and flea meds monthly. The other dog inevitably eats a shoe or some wood-filler and pukes a lot (welcome to lab-world) and has to be checked out. If it goes on for a while and you don’t know what she ate you pay for the x-ray and possibly even more, in the range of 1000 per visit (happened twice). Finally, my sister adopted a Greyhound with tons of issues and it probably costs her $2000 per year every year for the vet.
Cost is one issue, but it is not as important a consideration as what type of care/love/attention you will REALISTICALLY be able to give the dog.
That said, lots of people do it. Just be fair to the dog. If the dog is going to be in the Apt. from 7AM until 6PM, then get a quick walk before you and the roommates go out with friends or go study - then that pretty much sucks for the dog - especially a lab.
Also, think about an older dog. You can see their personality already and you probably do not have to worry about training and housebreaking.
Whatever time and effort requirement you think there will be - DOUBLE OR TRIPLE IT. Then if you still think it is a good idea that you can take on - GO FOR IT! There are tons of great dogs out there that need homes.
