Where do you get the money to pay for your dog's food and veterinary treatment?

Question

After reading some people's answers on here - it seems that if you work, you shouldn't keep a dog. At all.

It's "cruel".

I work full time and have a dog. Where I live, we have to pay money for dog food, veterinary care. The only way I've found to bring in money is to have a job.

So, this is a question to all you 'responsible' dog owners. You know, the ones who don't work.

Where does the money come from to pay for your dog's food and veterinary treatment?

Is dog food and veterinary care free where you live?

Greekman - they ***did*** have an answer to my question. They reported this question and got it removed.

Credit where it's due to the Customer Care team - they saw that I'd violated no guidelines and reinstated it.

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Pawstimes - If you don't mind me asking - What job do you do? How can you pay for your mortgage/bills etc if you only work 3hr days? You must be on a FANTASTIC hourly rate.

I think what you say is certainly true for SOME dogs. Some dogs certainly wouldn't cope with being left for more than 4 hours. Some would panic the moment you left the room, others can last far longer. From my experience it varies from dog to dog how well they cope with being left.

BTW - I'm not slating you - I appreciate you taking the time to answer. Thank you.

Answer 1

OK, for the *other* side of the story.

I do not claim that working people should not have dogs. I work, have family responsibilities, take university courses, ... So does my husband (well, not the university courses, as he's taking a break before starting his doctorate).

However, I think when someone posts about getting a dog (especially when they are inexperienced dog owners), they should get a clear understanding of what *could* go wrong.

Yes, some dogs are blessed able to sleep peacefully while their humans are away for 8-10 hours. Many others are not. Then what happens to that dog when it develops unpleasant behaviours? Is the owner prepared to PAY to fix a problem they have created? Or will they claim it's just a "bad" dog and "get rid of it"?

Also, it's not a choice between single (or a couple) working people OR an unemployed person. I find it rather offensive to make that claim just because someone doesn't agree with you. Dogs also live in homes where the humans:
(a) have different schedules and share responsibility for the dogs
(b) are retired
(c) work from home
(d) have flexible work schedules

Answer 2

I guess I'm a really bad owner too. I work and yes I leave my dog alone (unless you count the company of cats). I have to or one I'd go crazy and two I couldn't afford to keep my beloved pets. I could give the fish flake I suppose and only keep cold water fish with no lights or filters and I could perhaps just let the cats out to hunt oh and the frogs could maybe be found a home in a pond somewhere but in this country they'd freeze to death! All my pets get 'real' food which for cats & dog is cheaper but for fish and frogs isn't and I can't persuade the Vet to give me free treatments so........
I am lucky now as I do only work at the longest a 4-5 hour shift and am backwards and forwards all day and have a 3 day break (I work the week-ends) but in the past I've had to work 8 hour shifts and look after a family! I've always found time to exercise and train my dogs. Willow goes to the beach every day for at least one hour! They receive the best care and I pay pet insurance so that emergencies are covered and I've never come home to a wrecked house or been reported for having a dog constantly barking. I've also passed three different rescue society's house and Vet checks so if working makes me a BAD or irresponsible owner guess what............... I'm going to carry on being one!
I even commited the SIN of telling someone what was the best dog to get when you DO work! (Bet I got a lot of thumbs down on that one) I'd rather see a dog looked after even if left alone several hours than see a healthy dog euthanised!

Answer 3

I work 8 hours a day at an apartment complex. Soon I'll be moving there, so I can see my dog on lunches sometimes (I hope 2-3 times a week, some days are just BUSY). We'll also be up by the dog parks we both love, and so I hope to walk her a lot.

Anyway, my pay isn't great, but as a young single woman with a dog, I don't have a lot to support. I don't skimp on my dog's health even when money's tight, I just buy her the tennis ball she likes better than the expensive kong toys. :) Everyone wins. Her vet treatment comes from there too. Basically, although she wants me to be a stay-at-home dog mom, I can't. If I was, I'd be even more of a sit-around person than I am now. Good question - I was wondering a few things about these people who think working folks are cruel and selfish by keeping dogs, namely what kinds of people they think SHOULD own dogs, and where non-working people get the money for the dogs.

Answer 4

This is a good question....why do people fee that if you work an 8 hour day you shouldn't own a dog?? Your right...where do you get the money to pay for vet, groomer,quality dog food...ect. Some of the answers say that most people are in a relationshipp where someone dosen't work..so does that mean us that don't have a significant other can't enjoy the companionship of a dog?? I have read some of the answers to questions like this and I am a little offended by them and choose to go to another question because I know I would get a thumbs down saying it's okay to own a dog and work full time. I do, however, think about this and want my dogs to be happy and not loney. I have two dogs, so they can keep each other company while I'm gone and if I am gone too long, I will have a friend come by and let them outside. When I am home, I spend a lot of time with them and I also spend quality time with them on the weekends. Who says a dog needs to have human contact all day every day? Sure..I would love to work part time or be in a relationship that could share many responsibilities such as owning a dog...but I dont' because I need to work to live. Plus...I am not one of these poeple who get on here and say I can't afford a vet. I can because I work.
I am lucky to some extent because I have an older son who now gets home from school mid afternoon and my dogs aren't alone all day. But before that, they were.

Thanks for the question, Terrier...it gave me a chance to vent!! ;)

Answer 5

You know, I am shocked at how many people truly believe that you cannot have a job and have a dog at the same time. I am fortunate enough to work from home, but I can tell you that even though I am home during the day, the dogs sleep 95% of the time. When I am done working, we go for a long walk and play, but during the day I am busy, so it isn't much different than if I was gone, and whether I am there or not, dogs do just fine being left alone during the day.
Dogs are in fact social animals, but as long as they have a good amount of socializing and excercising, they can adjust perfectly well to being left alone during the day.
When I used to work out of the house, I brought my dog along on a cool day and left her in the car while I worked for a few hours. The windows were down, and she was just fine. A coworker told me that I was cruel to leave her in the car because "She would get BORED!" I asked my coworker when the last time was that she saw a dog read a book or watch a movie. Dogs sit there, that's what they do!
Some people do not understand that dogs do require a good amount of socialization and excercise, but they are animals that sleep 18+ hours a day! Provided that they are walked and played once you get home, a dog can do wonderfully in a home where their owner works. They are perfectly capable of entertaining themselves while you are gone.

Answer 6

I'm with you. But I do understand the other view too. If you are gone 14 hours a day or travel a lot, why have a dog?

I'm lucky, my husband and I work opposite days, so there is always someone at home with the dogs and the kids. But even when we worked the same days, I had a job that was close enough to home that I came here during my 1 hour lunch break, popped some leftovers in the microwave and took the girls out for their potty walks.

It's only cruel imo, if your dog is more of a lawn ornament (a moving gnome) than a member of your family. The girls are never alone for more than about 4 hours.

Answer 7

Not sure what 1,400 is in US money, but I really don't have a problem if people want to help pay vet bills. I wouldn't have gotten such a dog if living on a fixed income. I would have gotten one I could afford to feed and not kill myself trying to keep it fed. I don't think they should require pet insurance, because most of the time it's a rip off. I don't like putting a ton of requirements on potential pet owners, because there are too many already for a lot of shelters. Like requiring a big yard. Sorry, but small dogs don't require big yards, especially if they go to the dog park every day.

Answer 8

If only stay-at-home people had dogs....
- The euthanasia rate for shelters/rescue groups would be off the charts!
- The quality of purebred dogs would plummet! It takes money to breed/raise/train/show dogs responsibly. How is some unemployed person supposed to come up with the money to do this?
- Vets/kennels/daycares/groomers/petsitters and the list goes on.. would be going out of business left and right. Look at how that would effect the economy. The pet business is a multi-billion dollar industry. When they no longer make money.. they no longer spend money.

My question would be... Why do these people have children? They claim it's cruel not to spend time with your dog. Yet they day after day send kids to school/daycare/babysitters etc.. and only see their children for short times in the morning and a couple hours in the evening. How does that work? I guess people shouldn't have children, or own dogs.

Answer 9

I have 3 working adults and 2 children in our home. At most, my dogs are alone for 3-4 hours. I work full time and have a second part time job, and college. My fiance works full time and goes to college and my father works full time. Thankfully our schedules overlap nicely. My fiance starts at 6am, me no where before 9 am and dad is usually noon or 3. Fiance gets home by 3 or 4, me whenever and dad whenever (it varies). I used to be all alone with my big dogs and then they were home 8 hours without me being home. My dad would come let them out or I would come home on my break for them ( I worked 6 blocks away) if I could. If not, they did fine. I couldnt afford my menagerie of animals without a job.

Answer 10

GREAT QUESTION!! Yesterday I got 13 thumbs down for answering a question just like this one where everyone said that if you own a dog you cannot work.
These people must all all be independently wealthy or live in fantasy world. I am not sure they know what a dog is or what a dog does all day while they work.
Dogs sleep 90% of the time, wether you are home or at work.
I have no idea how people are able to support themselves or their dogs. I know I have a job and I have dogs as well, I just don't humanize them. Hope I helped!!!

ADD: I do not think that the bunny huggers will have an answer to this question for you. Most will not agree with your post and the rest will have no logical explanation for their beliefs!!!