Hidden Costs of Getting a Dog

So, you've decided to buy or adopt a dog. Chances are you've already looked at some of the big expenses: adoption fees, first vet bills, dog food, and, if you rent your home, pet fees or deposits. But owning a dog can come with a bunch of extra expenses that you might not know you'll have to cover-especially if you're getting a puppy. I learned this the hard way when I adopted my dog and then had to face all kinds of expenses I didn't initially anticipate. Here are some hidden costs of adopting a dog or puppy:

Toys and Chewable Treats

I knew that dogs needed bones and toys to chew on, but I factored those into my "food and treats" budget and estimated that they'd cost about ten dollars a month. I couldn't have been more wrong! Most dogs, especially puppies, have a strong desire to chew and will need lots and lots of things to gnaw on. My pup can chew a ten-dollar ham bone to bits in just a few hours. Long-lasting bones and other treats can run in the range of ten or twenty dollars a week, even conservatively. Fortunately, not all dogs want to chew everything within sight, but for those that do, you'll need to expect to pay a pretty penny for good things to chew.

New Shoes, Toys, Underwear…

Again, not all dogs are chewers, but those that are can really burn a hole in your budget. I've finally trained my dog to stop chewing things that aren't distinctly "hers," but until she learned the difference between mine and thine, she destroyed four pairs of shoes (each of which cost over $50 originally), about twenty pairs of panties (my dog is a pervert), and at least $150 worth of my daughter's toys (which look deceivingly like dog toys to a pup). Unless your dog's already been trained not to chew, you're going to need to spend a lot of money replacing the things you treasure.

Carpet Cleaning (or Replacement!) 
Even in the absolute best of circumstances, you can expect it to take a few weeks to potty-train a puppy and you can expect a few accidents from an already-trained adult dog. Take these expenses into account, because they're not cheap. Carpet cleaning products can cost hundreds of dollars over the course of several months if your pooch has repeated accidents (not at all uncommon among previously abused or neglected dogs, who may have behavioral or emotional problems). You may need to pay over a hundred dollars to rent a steam-cleaner if the stench of urine sinks into the under-layers of your carpet, and you may even need your carpet replaced entirely if it gets bad enough. Be ready to spend more money than you may initially expect to keep your floors clean.

Emergency Vet Bills

So, maybe you've already accounted for the cost of spaying or neutering, your dog's first shots, flea prevention, and heartworm medicine… But do you have money set aside in case your new dog suddenly becomes very sick or suffers a serious injury? A friend of mine had to shell out two grand to cover emergency treatment for his dog for a snake bite, just a few months after adopting him. Few people can tuck away thousands of dollars before adopting a dog, but you need to at least have some kind of back-up plan to cover this hidden cost of getting a dog.

It's not news that pets aren't free. Even those that are "free to a good home" tend to cost a lot of money in the long run. But, before you buy or adopt, make sure you can cover not only the standard fees you'd expect for a new pet, but also the hidden costs that may spring up unexpectedly.