Does anyone have any details about the average cost of owning a dog per year?

I dont know, but I guess you'd have to have average costs per size (toy, small, med, large, giant)

Apparently the average annual cost is £502 (google search!)

My costs are (for large breed senior and giant breed puppy)
iro £850 per annum for food
£500 per annum for insurance
iro £150 per annum routine treatment (i.e. vacs, flea and wormer)

So that's already £750 (per dog) without even taking into consideration:
Insurance excesses
Toys
Bedding
Grooming
Training classes
Treats

Eeeeek.............glass of chardonnay please!!

I ve just done a quick tally up and also came to about 750pa. With no extras or vets excesses. I would personally round up to about £1000 and hope the oh doesnt look at this !

PS Pass the chardonnay this way please

ive decided not to tally it up! :)  dont think i could cope...

Multiply that by 12.. and pass the *case* of Chardonnay.

I dont drink, but now seems like a good time to start :-P

furryfriends, your post was a whole 57 minutes later, did you really think there would be any left???!!

If you love your dog like everyone on here does, dogs are very expensive. Beds, treats, toys, leads, collars, food, friends for your dog, vets bills, part time working so your dog doesnt destroy your house or if you work fulltime the money you make goes on repairing your house once your dogs been left all day! poo bags, vaccum for pet hair, groomers fees. Secure garden gate and fenceposts. Cleaning solutions for slobber on walls or accidents in house. Clothes to walk the dogs in, waterproofs and wellies. Not to mention insurance and if any accidents happen. Oh and of course the cost of the dog in the first place.

Louise

And don't forget to factor in the costs of holidays ....with or without your four legged (dear) friend :)

Oh yes

I pay SIL as a live in sitter, no kennel would feed them barf or gain my trust or give them the attention they need and as a worrier my holiday would be ruined. Plus she is trained up several weeks before we go so she knows what to do.

I've not had a holiday in 2 years because I don't trust anyone enough to look after the mob!  Do you think your SIL would also come to my place? - could she cope with parrots, donkeys, ponys, rabbits and chickens, as well as the dogs!!???

we dont have donkeys or ponys but we have a rabbit and a degu lol. Some should consider it a profession. Ones that dont have any attachments, kids and those men folk we hang around with.

I live in hope !!

Me, its about $455 a year, for one dog.  That is just the food for a year, licensing, and vaccines.  What do I really spend???  No clue!  But some would say far to much!!!!   But I wouldnt have it any other way!

And that's without the money I spent on grooming equipment (£300 on scissors alone...sigh), over £500 on crates for home and for the car, unknown amounts spent on endlessly replacing bedding, toys and gundog bits...actually, no wonder I feel I'm running to stay out of the poorhouse, and that's with just two dogs. I may have to sell a child.

Sounds like heaven--I bet I'm not the only one on here who thinks so! I miss my parrot every day, he was a better conversationalist and a lot more attractive than many people I've met. I paid my son a weeks' wage to come home last month to house sit and look after my dog (there was only one then) and hens while I spent 5 days away, I couldn't take him to kennels--it's all I can do sometimes to leave him at home for a couple of hours, we go almost everywhere together :-) that's me spoilt to death

Thanks all.  I've already got 3 GSDs and wouldn't attempt to add up what we spend but this is for a friend who is considering getting a dog

You should also consider how much money you save.  Since having dogs I no longer have smart / expensive clothes,  go out as much, take holidays abroad or buy expensive furniture.  Dogs provide company, entertainment, exercise, etc. - things which we all need and would have to leave the house / spend money on if we didn't have our dogs.

Very true--I've also saved on the cost of a paper shredder and running costs, and I never need to buy a hot water bottle, either.

>I dont drink, but now seems like a good time to start 

Are you sure you can afford it! 

I'd hate to think what my parents pend a year on the dogs, myself alone spends £100 + year on just the grooming of a handful of setters!  Thats just one small part of the cost I take!  

Just checked and apparently I spent almost £500 on entry fees for one dog last year OMG that can't be right!! :-O

Ok, not doing that again :-P

La la la la la nah nah nah sticks fingers in ears and head in sand. I can't hear you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hadn't realised before - I have so many dogs that it costs me more than I actually earn.