You’ve decided to get a dog, you’ve chosen your breed and now you’re asking… can I afford it?

I’m nearly three years into this dog ownership malarkey and honestly- I cannot afford it. But there’s no going back now, and I’d do anything for the hound that doesn’t appreciate me, doesn’t contribute financially and doesn’t help around the house…so I make it work. When I bought Clover there were so many additional dog related expenses that I hadn’t considered and unless you like the idea of sleep for dinner… I’d suggest that you consider them.

So- how much do dogs cost? Let’s break it down.

1) The cost of the dog itself
Obviously, depending on the breed, this will vary. We paid £400 cash for our family Spaniel but Clover was a stupid amount due to it being lockdown (yes, my own fault for buying her then- I know!). The price of a dog also probably varies depending on where you live. Clover and I live near Oxford so, you know- silly prices. I think realistically you can expect to pay anywhere between £600 right up into the thousands for a dog these days. And this initial up front cost is only the beginning…

2)The cost of the initial set up
After I paid the deposit for Clover, I rushed straight to Pets at Home in excitement to start buying her everything she would need. Upon getting to the till with my arms full of basic essentials, I don’t know what drained more quickly- my excitement or my bank balance. Easily £150 done in my first shop. You need food, toys, treats, a bed, some blankets, a collar/harness, a lead, puppy training pads, a food bowl, a drink bowl, dog poo bags, dog grooming items and so on. Also additional things such as play pens will be needed if you don’t have an enclosed area to keep the puppy in at night. Below is a photo of the contents of my first shopping trip before Clover even came home. Not included in the photo is the food, harness, lead or the coat that I bought her (it was November!).

3) The cost of insurance and/or vet bills
An obvious one I know. Given that Clover is a French Bulldog, the insurance premium is around £100 a month for an insurance which is even remotely worth having (read the small print!). So many insurance policies don’t cover certain illnesses or situations so please be prepared to pay lots of money for one which adequately covers you and your dog. Alternatively, set money aside into savings each month to spend on your dogs vet bills when you need to. Clover has her annual checks and booster jabs which come in at around £50. She also has flea and worming tablets once every 3 months which are around £30 for both. So that’s already £170 per year on really basic dog care. Plus the cost of the dog initially, plus the cost of your insurance… can you see it starting to add up far too quickly already?!

4) The cost of food
Clover’s dry food is a vet approved one and it costs £10.00 for a bag which lasts around 2 weeks. £20.00 a month on dry biscuits. The best bit about this is that Clover won’t eat the dry biscuits on their own so I have to coat them in a topper, or grate cheese over them. The topper costs around £30 for two months worth. So that £15 a month roughly on topper plus the £20 for the biscuits. That’s £420 a year on dog food, plus the £170 for the basic dog health care above- £590.00 a year. Shall we continue?

5) The cost of treats and extras
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t help myself out with this one. I’ve really tried to cut down on this and be a bit more sensible. I am not joking when I say I used to spend almost half my monthly wage in Pets at Home. Now I try to stick to things that Clover really needs, and the odd treat for her. Clover doesn’t like the 99p gravy bones (that would involve making my life easier and cheaper and Clover has made it clear she’s not a fan of doing either). I used to get fancy treats but since the cost of absolutely everything has gone up I simply can’t afford to do so anymore. I buy whatever is on offer.

A monthly Pets at Home shop (not including the food or topper) is in the region of £30.00. This includes everyday walking treats, poo bags and some ridiculously overpriced chews which keep Clover occupied for most the evening and, quite frankly, there are days when I would pay anything for those few hours of peace. You have to pick your battles! Also, make allowances for collars/harnesses breaking or just getting old and the cost of the occasional new lead. Your puppy will also grow quickly so don’t buy the most expensive coats/harnesses/collars because even I can see that’s not sensible spending. So let’s add that £30.00 a month to our running annual total. That’s £360.00 a year. Plus the £590 for the things mentioned above- £950 a year.

6) The cost of day care and/or dog walkers
I’m afraid this is the biggie. If you are lucky to have friends or family near you who can look after the dog whilst you are at work then that’s great. I unfortunately do not have that luxury. I work from home two days a week which helps with the cost. Clover spends one day a week at day care all day and then has a dog walker come in to take her either for a few hours, or for a walk, depending on the day. I mean it when I say I would be lost without these dog helpers. I genuinely do not know what I would do if they could no longer look after Clover. One of Clover’s day care/walkers is more like family to me these days… but they come at a price.

On an average week I am spending around £7 on care for Clover whilst I am in the office. That’s £280 a month, which is £3,360 per year on care alone. I’ve suddenly become nauseous at that realisation. I think I’ve probably been trying to block that cost out… seems like were all learning something today doesn’t it?! Also- not to make things worse but that cost only increases if you need care whilst you go on holiday… not that you can now afford a holiday because you have a dog instead. The cost of day care (with no holiday care) added to the above running total of £950 brings us to £4310.00 per year. Jeepers.

Naturally, this exact figure will depend on your exact scenario. You may not have to pay for a walker, or your dog may eat dry biscuits with no topper and just generally not be a spoilt brat (unlike Clover!)… but this just to give you a rough guide. On the other hand, it might be more than the figure above if you have to pay for a dog walker every day or if your dog has needs such as allergies which require a certain type of expensive food. You may also choose to pay for training classes for your dog, or your dog may require regular grooming. So, take the above figure as a starting point and either add or deduct from it to give you a general idea of cost. Either way, I think we can all agree… NOT CHEAP.

I’ve cut out a lot of crap that I used to buy for Clover. I could probably cut out a lot more…and I will if it comes to it and my electric bill keeps going up. But for now, I continue to sensibly treat Clover to as much as I can and give her the best life possible. In return she gives me love, affection and makes me feel like the luckiest dog owner in the world… oh wait, no. She does none of those things. Looks like I’m just bleeding money for no reason then…

Not put off by the cost? Head over to my ‘top tips before getting a dog’ page for further things to consider before you commit to buying you pooch.

Alternatively, you can head to my ‘dog ownership topics that nobody warned me about’ page for the topics which I had to find out about the hard way…

OR, go to my ‘ruff reality blog’ for real time diary entries which provide an insight into everyday life as a dog owner.