I know what your saying. If someone else said they'd spent what I spent on the dog I'd be incredulous. There's people starving and your spending a grand and a half on a ****ing dog, then I see the **** people spend their money on and really think **** it. You can probably list the **** in your house that you don't really need, all that money could of been used better, but where does it end?
I've had a lot more love from my dogs than from some members of my own (wider) family. You can trust dogs a lot more than you can trust some people. Our dog gets treated like a dog, no human food etc. well disciplined and knows who's boss (most of the time). If she needed a procedure that cost a couple of grand, I wouldn't think twice. We recently reviewed our monthly charitable donations. Now that they all want direct debits, it can add up without you noticing. Our charitable donations have become our luxury spend as in can we afford them. The one that we were certain we were keeping was the Dogs Trust. We also sponsor a young boy called Beltran in Bolivia. I've always thought that if you can be kind to animals and people then you're on the right track in life.
One of our dogs got her knee rebuilt this year. That was ludicrously expensive. Only 3 years old so she's got a lot of life left in her.
Nice if you've the option. If my dog got a £250 bill (£50 atm!!!) I'd have a decision to make as paying that would severely affect my kids diets!
Of course. We're in a position now where our lads are married and we live very frugally - neither drinks nor smokes and we don't go on foreign holidays at all, in fact we haven't been on holiday anywhere for quite a few years. We don't eat out or go to theatres or anything like that. We don't need new clothes very often, in fact the coat I wear most is 25 years old. You, on the other hand have a family to look after with all that entails - growing boys whose clothes fit them for 5 minutes and who eat you out of house and home. I only spoke from my point of view as to affordability of looking after a dog. When we couldn't afford it, we didn't have one. Owning a pet means some hard decisions along the way and we all do the best we can.
I get what you are saying totally. Was there such bills for pets in the olden days? 70s, 80s 90s? There was a time a pup could be gotten free and that was that and at best a cast was what you'd have to get. The whole world seems a mass consumer industry to me. All our dogs were fine. None to a point of being ever allowed in the house by my mother mind. Not one. Best she allowed was one cat that was it. She was mad for getting bones off the butcher though, **** me when I think about the **** she'd bring home for whichever dog. Never had a big bill for vets.
Exactly. Everyone's position is different and that massively effects properties. I've had a dog for as long as I can remember, plus it helps the youngest with his autism too. However, the current one is getting on a bit now (11yrs) and I'm determined I'm not having another for a while once his day comes; I want a bit of freedom so I can enjoy the little time I've got left with the kids before they fly the nest. When you've got pets, you can't just disappear for a few days or for the weekend for example.
The whole dog as a fashion accessory does my head in to be honest. All mine have been rescue with all the fun that it brings. I expect there was vets bills, but similar to nower days if you can't afford them your ****ed, same as everything really. It's funny but regardless of how much money people have there is always something new to spend it on.
Dogs are family, they are children you need to look after and care for and are totally dependant on you. I have had several throughout my life and they have all been very special to me. The one i let down was the first, a little jack russel bitch. I got home from work one night for my ex to tell me she had sneaked out the door while the ex was talking to someone and bit a little girl on the face. We took her to the vets because the ex said she had phoned them and they said once she had bit she would do it again (we had 3 kids) so i bowed down and took her. I passed her over to a nurse and she trotted off tail wagging, 10 mins later the nurse came back with a lead and collar and handed it to me saying "she's gone". I will never forgive myself for not being with her at the end and have never let a dog down since when the time came. To make things worse the girls grandmother came round later that night and said about 7 children had surrounded her patting and stroking (she was a really nervous dog) and that she had actually scratched the girl with a claw and it would be gone in a week (the ex said scarred for life), when i told her she was gone she cried on my door step.
Sorry to hear that. That's terrible. Not nearly as tragic as your story, but my daughter had three rats (just one now). Her friend came over one day and the mother brought a few smaller children too uninvited and let them in the house to see the rats (without asking us if it's OK first)... Those younger kids went wild running all over the house and the mother wasn't controlling them. One of the kids that came over actually bit my other daughter. Anyhow... One of the little kids went in my youngest daughters bedrooms and saw the rats and wanted to hold them. She was told no, leave them alone. (They're friendly to us, but scared of strangers). When no one was looking she slipped back into my daughter's room again opened the cage and grabbed a rat and got bit. (None of the rats have bit anyone before or after, I suspect this girl was just rough and hurt the rat... These rats love snuggling with people they know). She had to go to hospital for the bite, not sure exactly what they had to do. I imagine stitches at the least. Hospital actually called us and asked a bunch of questions about the rats (I guess to confirm no diseases). We felt for sure there would be some instructions from the state to have the rat put down and worried about getting sued (this is America after all). Fortunately never heard more about it. That family was barred from coming back to our house, but didn't need to bar them. My daughter's friend was told she wasn't allowed to speak to my daughter any more because my wife gave the mother a telling off for not controlling her children and letting them run riot unattended in our house.
Thing with all of this. Dogs, cats, rats.. doesn't matter. They are not children. They are animals. I have to say deigo your story is very sad and you were really misled. Animals will bite. End of. It's the difference massively between dangerous dogs for example and a little scared nip. It's massive. Control of animals is crucial. I know cos I was about 7 or something and stood on a dogs foot, just slid onto it and the thing bit my face and needed stitches in eyebrow. Wasn't the dogs fault. It was hurt. Blame the person there. Savage aggressive animals are different. And this is different to vet bills. Animals are animals, humans are humans. Yes they are wonderful.
Trouble is too many people treat animals on the same level as humans.Let them on the beds ,licking their face,giving them human food etc. Friends missus caught a bacterial disease in her brain which affected her nervous system from dog mites, didn't help she let her dogs sleep with her in bed. They are NOT children!
https://www.everydayhealth.com/pictures/10-diseases-your-pets-could-give-you/ Toxoplasmosis from when they fart on your pillow. madness.
We had 4 cats 4 years ago, but now down to just one. One had a brain tumour, removed and then it came back. One had hyperthyroidism and then a tumour in her abdomen One had diabetes (insulin injected twice a day) and then liver failure. Down to the last one (the oldest one) who i find to be a complete pain in the arse. I'm a dog person. Wife is a vet and brought them all home as rescues. Even with insurance and her doing all the physical work (not the brain surgery or radio-iodine treatment for the hyperthyroid) it still cost a lot of money to look after them.
