Weddings can be expensive. There is the cost of a venue, the cost of hosting your guests, the cost of a honeymoon perhaps. It all adds up. One area a lot of people forget about, however, is pet-related expenses. These are not just minor, one-off expenses we are talking about. If you are already a pet owner you will know just how costly some these expenses can be. Some newlyweds, though, have no idea what they are letting themselves in for when they decide to buy their first dog shortly after getting hitched. In this article we will explore some of the pet-related expenses newlyweds should consider when they make the decision to buy their first dog.

First, there is the cost of the dog itself. Then there is the potential cost of boarding the dog whilst you jet off on honeymoon or when you go away on holiday in the future perhaps. Or, maybe you will choose to take your beloved pet with you rather than leaving the poor thing in a boarding kennel. In that case, you will perhaps have to foot the bill for inoculations, quarantine, flight costs, and so on.

Then there is the cost of pet insurance. The cost of feeding your dog, buying various treats and toys. Pet-related expenses soon add up. Now, of course, for some people pets are part of the family and so the costs involved are largely irrelevant. For a lot of newlywed couples, however, money is often tight and so, if they are not already dog owners, they should perhaps consider their financial position before making the decision to buy a dog.

They should consider all the pet-related expenses that they will have to finance over the next few years or so and decide whether they can actually afford a dog. Let’s take a closer look at what some of these expenses actually are:

Let’s start by taking a look at some of the more obvious expenses:

• The cost of the dog itself
• The cost of leashes, harnesses, and muzzles
• The cost of a beds and kennels
• The cost of toys and treats
• The cost of food

Now, let’s take a look at some of the less obvious costs:

• The cost of dog vitamins and dog supplements
• The cost of microchipping
• The cost of inoculations
• The cost of insurance
• Medical costs not covered by insurance
• Boarding costs when going away

Pet-related expenses like the ones listed above are easy to overlook but they all add up.

If you have just got married and, like a lot of couples, been a bit extravagant with your finances in order to make your wedding day special, it is worth working out a budget and seeing if you can actually afford a dog at this early stage of your marriage. If you can, that’s fine, but if it is going to leave you in an even more financially precarious position then it may well be worth waiting until such a time that you are in a better financial position.

Sandra Thomas

Sandra Thomas is an event coordinator and runs her own business with her husband Charles. They have been married for ten years and have three children.

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