Pet Adoption – More Costly Then You Think

This opening paragraph caught my attention:

“People often talk about “adopting” when they refer to pets, but it really is a purchase, as heartless as that may sound.”

Indeed. While animal welfare organisations spend their time promoting pet adoption, little effort is being made to ensure the prospective adopters have the funds to shoulder the lifetime of financial responsibility:

“It could also be cruel to disregard the costs of pet ownership before an adoption, especially if there’s a chance you might not be able to afford the needed health care. The minimum annual cost of owning a medium-size dog is $695, while the first year alone will cost at least $1,580, according to animal welfare group ASPCA. A cat would cost about the same annually, but about $500 less the first year, says ASPCA. The group warns that pet owners should be prepared to pay far more, as this doesn’t include unexpected veterinary bills, boarding or dog walkers. Teeth cleaning alone can cost hundreds of dollars. Retrieving a sock after a dog eats it — far more.

Pet insurance can help with big-ticket medical bills but is costly and won’t cover everything.

“It can be a very expensive proposition to own any animal,” says Lorin Liesenfelt, CEO of Dog Days Adoption Events in Essex, Conn. “But that presence of a companion animal can be magical.”

It sounds strange coming from an animal lover, but sometimes I wish the SPCA would run classes on ‘Why you  shouldn’t own a dog”. Maybe there would be fewer abandoned pets then.