Thinking of Getting A Doggo? - Financial Wellness Center

July 6, 2022Kayla Kidd

Have you ever thought of getting a dog in college? Dogs make loyal companions throughout the years, but have you thought about how much they cost? Typically college students tend to have more of a low-maintenance pet like a fish. They are easy to take care of and don’t cost as much as a dog. If you are thinking about getting a dog you might want to budget how much you spend during the school year. A dog can cost you anywhere from $1,500 to $9,900 per year. Depending on the dog size you would roughly spend about $140 each month. However, that doesn’t include vet bills, pet care, and grooming cost, etc.

You would also have to consider where you live. Is it pet friendly? If so, how much extra do you have to pay for pet rent? Most places accept dogs but they also might have a pet restriction where certain breeds are not allowed in. However, service dogs are allowed everywhere and a landlord cannot refuse to rent to you if you have a service or companion animal. If you already live in an apartment and your lease says no pets, you can ask for a reasonable accommodation to keep the animal.

Buying a dog can cost anywhere from $500 up to $1,000, while on the other hand adopting one can range from $50 to $200. There are animal shelters that you can adopt dogs from, it could be the first step when looking for a dog because some can get pretty expensive. There are some resources that can help with some of your dogs' needs. Pet Crew Pet Pantry is an organization that gives people who need dog food or cat food for their pets for free. You can also donate to them if you are wanting to give back.