linus and lucy in monetary terms

there is lots that i am and have been thinking about, but, for now, i'll note one comparatively minor part of our life: dog costs.

i thought pre-dogs that dogs were low(er) maintenance, our print/line-item budget barely regarding them. actually, they weren't a line in our budget for 4 months. because they were free to us?

no.

because for those months, we pulled money from other budget categories. why? we didn't know about their costs.

therefore, i thought i'd record their medical costs for those wondering.

key

b = boy
g = girl
m = month

b/g 1 m exams/2 vaccinations each/2 dewormings
b/g 2 m exams/2 vaccination boosters each/2 dewormings/g broken leg x-ray/ g bandage
g 2 m broken leg exam/removal of bandage/bandage cost
b/g 2.5 m exams/2 vaccination boosters each/2 dewormings/2 nail trims
b/g 6.5 m neuter/spay/2 rabies vaccinations


these costs added, our dogs, just medically, through their first 6 months, have cost $680.82. add to this food, kennel(s), accessories. boy, have we learned!

just this last week, jon and i were talking about their costs and we decided that people could get by paying less, but if owners want to take proper (in my book) care of their pets, these costs are necessary.

some thoughts on these costs

don't pay (in our case, $7.50 per dog) for nail trimmings! buy a trimmer at a store and do it yourself!

spaying a female costs more because they perform a historectomy! i did not know this before.

cost aside, we love our pups, linus and lucy, know that God entrusted them to us to steward and care for and to prepare us, in part, for children(, though they are not children!). they are worth the costs to us.