It is the question that every child will ask at some point. And we all know what will follow that question too. The child will go on and on about how he or she will take such good care of it. You know, the child will feed it, take it for walks, and bathe it and so on. Well first of all, the child never ends up taking care of the pet once the initial thrill wears off. Then there are the major expenses associated with pet ownership.

The first thing you have to do after getting your new puppy is to buy all kinds of stuff. Of course there are the obvious things like a food bowl, water bowl, collar and leash. But any pet owner knows that those items are just scraping the surface. How about the cost of putting up a fence? And now that you just paid for a brand new fence, you need to pay someone to install that PetSafe dog door! Do you think you’re done shilling out money there? Bad news: you’re not!

Let’s take a trip to the vet. These professionals went to medical school just like doctors, so you can expect that they will want to be paid like doctors. You are going to pay for things like rabies shots, distemper shots, and while you’re in the spending mood you might as well have one of those microchips implanted in case your new puppy escapes. While you are there you will also get sold Advantage flea control or maybe K9 Advantix for dogs. And since heartworms would be a nightmare, you better get something for that too.

So you have had your dog for a while now, and it’s time for you and the family to go visit the grandparents. Well you can’t take your dog, so it will need to be boarded. What does this all entail? Well let’s start by heading back to your vet for a Bordetella shot. After all, you don’t want your dog to get kennel cough, and the kennel that you will be paying handsomely to take care of your dog will require it.

So is it even worth it to get a puppy? Well millions of dog owners would agree that it is absolutely worth it. Every time you come home from a tough day at work and your dog is so excited to see you that it is practically wagging its tail off you get rewarded. And a dog’s love for its master is truly unconditional. So perhaps it really is worth it, but that’s up to each individual to decide.