Pricey Puppy

One of the most important things to keep in mind with the purchase of a new dog is all of the stuff they need...along with everything you just can't resist (like these awesome pet pajamas). To begin with, I took Leia to the vet this past weekend. Luckily, the wonderful office I went to didn't charge me for her first exam since she was a rescue. However, she does need one more set of puppy shots. They provided me with a $46.00 estimate but I know these can be more expensive, especially if a puppy hasn't had the first 2 sets of shots. Then I had to purchase flea medication and heart worm preventative. I was able to find 3 applications of Frontline for $25 and a 6-month, generic brand of Heartguard for $17. These rates are very cheap compared to most purchases of these products. Check back for another post on where to find these great discounts! Moving right along, I also strongly believe in crate training your dog before letting them have the run of the house. This helps with potty training, chewing, and overall obedience. In order to accomplish this, you have to purchase a cage... and you'll likely need a size bigger than what's "recommended." I purchased a $43 medium cage from Walmart at first. The cage was recommended for dogs 30-40 lbs. Well, my 16 lb puppy could barely fit in this cage and definitely couldn't stretch out so I went online and purchased a huge crate for $40. Now you can see how this money all adds up to quite an expense and this isn't even including her $115 adoption fee nor her dog food, nail clippers, shampoo, toothbrush, toys, food bowls, collar, leash, name tag... or the $20 blanket she destroyed. Anyway, hopefully you're beginning to see the big picture and all of the cost considerations as they definitely add up. If I had to do it again, I would wait until after Christmas to even look at puppies as I had originally planned but I definitely don't regret my decision to take Leia home. It was definitely worth a few days of having to eat Ramen and cutting back on some personal expenses but it would be nice to wait and ask for some Petsmart giftcards for Christmas. Please stay tuned on where to find some discounted deals and other puppy advice!