Would you get a puppy if...?

Question

your 13 year old daughter gave this to you
Prices for puppy things
Nutro Natural Choice Treats Lamb & Rice Sticks for Dog
$2.27 to $3.97

Purina Puppy Chow Complete Nutrition Formula
$7.99 to $19.99

Stink Free Instantly! Pet Urine-Odor Romover
$9.97
Natural Chemistry De Flea Pet Shampoo
$7.47
Toys can be found at the dollar store we can asume about $5.50
beds are optional so here are some cheap prices
Lectro Kennel Heated Pad Cover
$6.97 to $10.79

Will need two bowls
PETCO Skid Stop Bowl
$2.97 to $5.97
Petmate Pet Escorts Portable Kennels
$14.39
Pet Tags Lost Pet Recovery System
$4.97
Aspen Pet Single Ply Nylon Dog and Cat Collars
$2.47
Aspen Pet Single Ply Nylon Dog and Cat Leashes
$2.97 to $3.47
Pet Gold Puppy Training Pads
$2.97


The initial shots, worming, checkup, etc for a puppy will run $175-$200 for several visits.

Total cost
3.97 + 10.00 + 9.97 + 7.47 + 5.50 + 7.97 + 3.50 + 3.50 + 14.39 + 4.97 + 2.47 + 3.00 + 2.97 = $79.68
Statement
After I crunched the numbers, I did the math to see if this dog is in my price range. If I continue to get an allounce of $40.00 a month with taking out december (for christmas presents), I will have over this amount by January 2008. If I can keep my room and Lawsons room clean by the time it is up to your standards by the time the puppies are ready to leave their mother. Also If I help around the house and keep my grades up I could have a puppy. i know that puppy's requier alot of attention I promise to put this puppy on my top priorities list.

she is verry responciable and weknow where we can get a free chihauhau puppy (family friend)

Answer 1

Purina Dog chow is not considered a good diet, which may lead to more vet visits.

I know the vets in our area it would be much more for vet visits and getting the dog fixed.

What is there is an emergency or a health problem, who is going to pay for that.

Puppies are a 10+ year commitment. What is going to happen to the dog when your daughter goes to college, etc...

Answer 2

When I got my first dog, I was just 13. I got money for my birthday, and all the stuff I bought for her was over $100. That was just for a collar, leash, shampoo, brushes, a few toys, bowls and a few other things. It did not include food, a crate or any other big things.

I do not have to be 100% financially responsible for my dogs. i don't pay vet or food bills.

Remember that a puppy will need obedience school, which starts at $100 a course. Spaying or neutering will be $150 or more depending on size and vet. Don't forget about emergency vet bills. Most cities require licencing.

Although you are well intentioned, and are willing to contribute to start up costs, a dog is expensive. Unless you have a source of steady income, then you wil need your parents help to afford a puppy.

A puppy also takes lots of time. If someone is home during the day to play with the puppy and let it outside. If you are at school all day, the puppy will be alone for 7 or more hours a day.

If you think you can handle the responsibility of a puppy, and you have the support of your parents, then go for it. If not the wait until you are.

Answer 3

You sound like a very mature 13 year old. However your parents know you a lot better then people on the internet. They know what you are capable of and how responsible you are. Your plan sounds good but your parenst are ultimately responsible for the dog. The dog still would need to be fixed and money saved for emergency vet trips. Talk to your parents , about why you want a dog and the responsibility involved. Suggest adopting a dog, this will be cheaper and the dog will already be UTD on shots, and fixed. Look on www.petfinder.com
Dont rush, show your parents that you are willing to take care of a dog. If your parents say no, accept that and keep doing all chores and doing good at school. Then bring the topic up again but dont whine and beg this shows your immature. I hope you get a pup, maybe your family could foster dogs for a local animal shelter or you could volunteer there.

Answer 4

Your stuff is way cheaper then over here.. Our collars are approx $5 At EVERY petstore.. Leashes range from $9 - $30.. Bowls range from $5-30. and training pads are $20 sold at a cheap supermarket. Though your flea shampoo is about the same. & Yes I would buy, because well.. they are needed you need to expect the unexpected before you get a dog.. Don't forget brushes & ear sollution

Here's a list YOU NEED :

1. A crate - google why, theres only several reasons but very signifangant*
2. Flea & reg dog comp or human brush
3. ONE type of dog food - good quality : Wellness, Canidae, Timberwolf, & Innova
4. 2 Toys or more - perferrably kong toy
5. Dog pads - somewhat optional
6. Ear sollution
7. KWIK stop
8. Flea shampoo & regular shampoo
9. Toothpaste
10. Odar/ stain remover
11. Nylon collar & leash.. best not to have flexi leash

OPTIONAL stuff :

1. Toothbrush made for dogs
2. Treats
3. Dog reppellent spray
4. Bitter apple spray
5. Dog bed
6. Flea remover - frontline
7. Conditioner

Answer 5

I think it's a pretty good effort. There are a lot of other things to consider such as walks, attention, feedings, training, clases, where dog will be during school and such.

I would discuss it over about that those. I would also consider getting a dog around a year old since she still is in school and you won't have to worry about potty training and chewing. Also talk about getting a dog from a rescue or shelter. It'd be teaching to save a life! A dog is a big responsiblility and everyone should be in favor of getting a dog. Also consider the ages of siblings. Really research the breeds that she is interested. When you go to a rescue or shelter, they are usually pretty good at screening dogs and telling all about them.

She is showing responsibility and showing commitment to getting a dog. I would also look at how she sticks with things and if she gives things up easy. Dogs are a lot of fun to have and I know that I've enjoyed them. I've trained my own dogs since I was 10 years old. My whole family is envolved in dog agility and it's been a lot of hard work but I've learned so much.

I have it to where I can take my dogs with me to college. I have a commitment to my dogs and I will continue having dogs for the rest of my life. Some aren't as lucky.

I wouldn't feed Purina. The Cosco Kirkland brand is good for dogs and it's cheaper. We've had great luck with it. We have healthy dogs with great coats.

Answer 6

Does she realize chihuahuas are often one person dogs. Even if she picks the pup out it may turn to another family member.
Does she realize depending on size of the chihuahua they can often have sugar drops causing seizures and additional medication and vet bills.
Does he know that chihuahuas have very brittle bones and cannot be left up on furniture or sometimes a small pup even jumping off your lap while setting on the floor can break a leg.
Does she know they have a tendancy for lexating petelas which often require surgery which can be over a couple hundred dollars.
Is she or her family ready for this??
If you have studied on the breed as a family and really know what you are getting into then yes.
Do realize if taken proper care of the chihuahua can live 15 years or longer. Does she plan on going to college and is there someone to take care of the dog while she's in college. Also don't forget about the dating seen and extra activities as seh becomes a teenager. does seh really realize the responsability of taking on a living animal for teh next 15-20 years??

Answer 7

Congratulations to your new dog! To train the dog to obey instructions you have to be steady. Always use the identical word or phrase and constantly talk within the identical tone of voice. Speak on your traditional voice. Do now not yell. Yelling frightens the dog and won't train him/her a factor. You would possibly suppose that it does, for the reason that simply as an instance say the dog has performed whatever that he/she is not intended to do and also you turn out to be annoyed with Puppy and also you yell "No". The dog will transfer clear of you and you may also suppose that you've got taught him/her whatever and this may not occur once more. Well, you might be part proper. You have taught the dog whatever through yelling at her/him and that's to be terrified of you for the reason that the dog may not have an understanding of why you are yelling. Please talk in a traditional voice or a gentle voice whilst you talk to the dog. In order to train the dog the command "No" first determined what the dog can do and what the dog is not intended to do. Some of that is seen to you and your household. Some might not be when you have youngsters reminiscent of you do not desire the dog at the furnishings for the reason that it (the furnishings) gets soiled and it is going to get puppy hair. After you identify together with your household what's O.K. for the dog to do and what isn't O.K., then all people will have to use the identical phrase or phrases to train the dog. Puppys be taught through repetition. Just maintain at it and beautiful quickly you'll have a best good behaved dog. Also, please don't hit the dog--regardless of a rolled up newspaper. People say that in case you do that the dog or the puppy won't companion it with you however this isn't precise. The dog can see who's conserving that newspaper. If you desire to subject the dog you will have to now not hit or yell. I had a dog that I crate knowledgeable and whilst she might now not obey me after mostly, then I might placed her in her crate for what's known as a "day trip." I might now not placed her within the crate after which placed her in a room through herself--she might have felt deserted. Instead I placed the crate within the room with me and I sat and talked to her till she calmed down after which I instantly permit her out. You would possibly do this. As to instructing the dog to not chunk, and to not bark-- puppys bark--that is traditional however to train her to quit barking, simply talk on your traditional voice and inform her "No" or "Be particularly" or "Hush" or whatever like that. As a long way as trainer her to not chunk, first be definite that the character isn't teasing the puppy. Biting is without doubt one of the approaches that puppies and puppys have of protecting themselves. If the character had now not teased the dog, simply talk on your traditional voice to the dog and inform him/her "No" or "The postman is our pal" or whatever alongside those traces. This will take awhile, however puppies are wise. Keep at it as I stated previous and beautiful quickly you'll have a good-mannered dog. I nearly neglected the final facet of your query. Since the dog is white a few names perhaps Snowball Frosty (male) Also you will have to make a record of names that you simply like and names that go well with the dog. Take a couple of days and watch the dog and you'll discover the dog's character and you may also desire to make a reputation from a attribute that he/she has. For illustration, I had a combined breed terrier. The identify she had whilst I first obtained her used to be entirely irrelevant. I made a record of names that I preferred and I watched the dog and I spotted that she walked like a woman and held her head identical to a woman and so my new dog grew to become Lady.

Answer 8

A puppy is a huge responsibility and cost quite a bit to keep them healthy. You can't have it for a month and start ignoring it just cause you got tired of messing with it.It really is like raising a child and almost as expensive. I think everyone needs a pet though if they will take care of it.

Answer 9

I would appreciate the effort, but there's more than just price when it comes to deciding on whether or not to buy a puppy.

For example, who's going to take care of the puppy when you go to college? That's right- your parents. Whether you like it or not, most of the responsibility will go to your parents, even before you go to college. Before you know it, you'll be busy with school, friends, and boys. The money that you save up for your dog will soon go to movie tickets and other things, and your parents will end up having to pay for everything.

There's no harm in trying- take it to your mother and see what she says.

Answer 10

If my 13 year old daughter put that much effort into researching what goes into dog ownership I would certainly consider it. I might even do some research of my own to see what kind of a compromise I could come up with if I weren't thrilled at the thought of having to deal with a dog for the next 10+ years. Like, for example, adopting an older dog from rescue that is already house trained, up to date on vaccines, and spayed or neutered.

However, there is a lot more to take into consideration. I like dogs, so being stuck with the dog in 5 years when my 13 year old graduates from high school and goes to college or graduates and gets a job but is not yet able to fully financially support herself (let's face it, very few 18 year olds are actually independent from their parents...most of them still rely on their parents for financial aid and support while they go to school or gain their job schools). If I were not a dog person, I might not be so willing to take on the responsibility of a dog in the prime of it's life when my daughter leaves the nest but is not yet ready or able to support herself and a dog. Or even worse, I might agree to letting her get a puppy and then get rid of the dog while she's away at college because I never wanted a dog to begin with and I got tired of dealing with it.

I would also like to point out that Purina foods (especially puppy chow and dog chow) are not good foods and will actually end up costing you more in the long run both in food costs (because you have to feed more of it than a higher-quality food) and vet bills (because it doesn't promote optimum health and can actually contribute to health problems). Also, flea shampoos are generally useless and often dangerous (the ingredient in most of them that is toxic to fleas is also toxic to dogs and can be toxic to humans in large enough doses). Plus, as others have pointed out, this 13 year old has forgotten to factor in the cost of spay/neuter, monthly heartworm and flea preventative, training classes, and emergency vet visits.