Being a pet owner doesn’t have to cost you an arm an a leg. When we first brought Bones into our lives we never had a real responsibility to owning a pet. Sure we had bunnies, and we had fish, but those are pretty easy animals to take care of, although I personally feel they’re a bit more expensive to take care of than a family dog, they do cost more over all.
So when we first got Bones we didn’t know what to expect when it came to taking care of him financially. After having him for a short period we got frugal with how we did things, and I can say owning a dog doesn’t have to be expensive. If you are thinking about bring a dog into your home, but you’re worried about the cost, here are a few frugal tips I can give you to help you make that decision.
Play Time
Bones LOVES to play, while we did go purchase him a few toys when we first got him, over the past year the toys he has received have been toys we were going to sell in a yard sale. So Bones, has gotten the hand me downs from our daughter, and he loves everyone of them! Not only is this the cheap way to go, it gives Bones a lot of different toys to pick from. So if you are deciding to get a family dog, get some of those older toys out for them to play with. However, keep in mind once they become tore to shreds make sure you throw them away so they don’t become harmful to your pet.
Meal Time
If you have been to the store you probably have seen dog food can be pretty expensive based on the brand and how much you get. So we tend to feed Bones what we eat. While he don’t get human food for every meal, he does get a good amount of human food. Not only does this make him happy, but it also gives him the vitamins and all the other things he needs in his diet to stay healthy. When we cook we use a lot of garlic, and Bones loves garlic! Did you know garlic is actually really good for dogs, it’s a natural de-wormer and it keeps the flea, ticks and mosquitoes away.
Training
Training doesn’t have to be difficult. Bones was pretty easy to train, he knows basic commands, and knows when the camera comes out, it’s time for pictures.
However, we brought a new puppy into our family, and he hasn’t been so easy to train. He yelps and barks at everything, almost to the point where a dog bark collar maybe needed soon.
I am more for training with treats, but sometimes other things need to come into play. If I were to get a dog bark collar for Yoda, it would be one that wouldn’t harm him, but one that would teach him.
So don’t let cost be the main factor in your decision to not get a family dog.
About Jammie Morey
definitely making the Hubby read this! me and the girls have been trying to talk him intoletting us get a puppy
I’ve always heard that feeding table food to a dog is a bad thing to do. But I love the idea of using old kid toys instead of buying pet toys.
To my understanding it’s only bad if that is all they get! We actually have a cookbook for dogs we use, and we always make sure they’re not getting foods that are harmful to dogs.
I grew up on a farm, and all the dog ate was leftovers from dinner plus some supplemental dog food. We never had any problems, and as long as you stay away from a few problem foods for dogs I cannot see, why it would be a problem.