Most of us have preferences for dogs, cats or other pets, but many times we cannot afford the pet we desire as there are quite a few expenses associated. Is this something you consider at the time when you are getting a pet or you go ahead anyway and find a way to support it?
In the USA, a dog would normally cost around 15 USD a month to feed when using cheap food that he/she probably hates and around 24 dollars a month to feed him something he/she likes. If you have more than one dog or cat, then the price gets higher. However, generally speaking, it's not a lot to feed a few dogs and cats, even if you happen to be a low-income person. Note, on the other hand, I think babies and children are much more expensive. For instance, look at the cost of plastic diapers.
I became a dog lover when we had our first dog in 1996. We do not buy dogs and we only rely on gifts and offers. But there are times that we decline gift dogs particularly the big breed because they are expensive to maintain. At present we have 3 dogs, 1 medium size and 2 small size which are moderate in expenses.
Haha, I love how you compare the cost for a dog and babies, lol, impossible to compare I'd say as babies are very expensive. As for expenses with pets, it's not just the food we are talking about, as we have veterinarian expenses as well and these can be really high. And like @Alexandoy says, a big breed dog eats a lot!
The problem with the expense of having pets is the responsibility of maintaining their inoculations if you are on a low income. Here in the UK, there is a body that will give your pet the care that it needs if you are on a low income or benefits. They only allow one pet to be registered with them though, so if you have more than one, you just have to hope that the other pet you have stays healthy. I have two dogs and they don't cost me too much to keep. They are healthy, thanks to God and not too fussy with their food. I give them cheap healthy treats like carrots and apples but they are definitely cheaper than babies.
It doesn't really cost me too much to maintain a pet. I struggle with the attention factor. I don't have a lot of time on my hands so my current pets have become estranged to me. Of course they pay attention to my mother but they treat me like I'm a stranger haha!
