https://www.tikpaws.com/en/Pet-Ownershi ... n3898.html
The amount Americans spend on pets is quite disturbing to me. Having said that, we spend more on our pets than what I ever thought I would.
Vote and discuss.
Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
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A wee little man can’t say, I’m sorry. A big man owns his mistakes and apologizes.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
Re: Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
We have a dog, and I have no idea how much we spend on dog food per year. What I do know is that the dog gets enough table scraps and odd bits of random people food that we are throwing out that she really doesn’t like dog food all that much. So I wouldn’t think we spend more than a couple hundred dollars a year on dog food, if that. The most our dog ever cost us was over the time she had a litter of pups, and we made more than enough from the sale of the pups to cover the expenses.
1 x
Re: Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
Other. We have no pets. Except a stray cat we feed occasionally to entice it to sleep on the porch. That has solved the mice problem inside the house.
2 x
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JohnL
- Posts: 2790
- Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2024 1:40 pm
- Location: The Bionic Hillbilly
- Affiliation: Free Will Baptist
Re: Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
We have dogs and cats. Their annual visits are about $850 a year.
Table scraps are a major part of their diets. Especially sweet potatoes.
The two dogs love gristle from the meats.
The cats enjoy leftover tuna and chicken. At one point the children had 12 cats and 3 dogs. As they aged and passed away we said no more visits to the animal shelter. Then last year two stray cats adopted us. They just showed up at the house and my wife said they needed to stay. Okay.
We're down to 4 cats and two dogs now. I'm sure if more strays show up at our house they'll be added to the furry crew. Sometimes we can find homes for them. Sometimes they move in and stay like an out of work relative but they earn their keep with rodents caught and strangers at the door put on notice with some very aggressive barking.
Table scraps are a major part of their diets. Especially sweet potatoes.
The two dogs love gristle from the meats.
The cats enjoy leftover tuna and chicken. At one point the children had 12 cats and 3 dogs. As they aged and passed away we said no more visits to the animal shelter. Then last year two stray cats adopted us. They just showed up at the house and my wife said they needed to stay. Okay.
We're down to 4 cats and two dogs now. I'm sure if more strays show up at our house they'll be added to the furry crew. Sometimes we can find homes for them. Sometimes they move in and stay like an out of work relative but they earn their keep with rodents caught and strangers at the door put on notice with some very aggressive barking.
0 x
Free Will Baptist <-> Anabaptist
”Try hard not to offend. Try harder not to be offended.” Robert Martz
”Try hard not to offend. Try harder not to be offended.” Robert Martz
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ohio jones
- Posts: 2354
- Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2024 6:03 pm
- Affiliation: Rosedale Network
Re: Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
One of our children demanded we have a cat. Now eight years later that child has gotten married and it isn't feasible for the couple to have a cat due to where they live. We are stuck with the cat, and I have a love hate relationship with the cat. She is beautiful, fun to watch and to pet. And she takes care of the mice. But I hate that Sunday mornings before we go to church, we must make sure we do not have a slew of cat hair hanging on us. I have cut out the back of the sofa (where no one sees) and used the fabric to hand stich and cover up where the cat clawed through the fabric on a matching stuffed chair. I got her a scratching post, but no, she refused to use it and continued using the stuffed chair for a scratching post. I suggested re-homing the cat (nice name for giving her away) and the married adult child was absolutely horrified that I even suggested something such an awful thing, (sigh).
2 x
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JimFoxvog
- Posts: 1013
- Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2024 1:02 pm
- Location: Tiskilwa, Illinois, USA
- Affiliation: MC-USA
- Contact:
Re: Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
No pets. My wife doesn't like cats (they scratch and bite); I don't like dogs (they stink and bite). I'm allergic to both. And we agree that they are a big waste of money that could be used to help people.
0 x
Re: Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
Other.
When I was at home in Oklahoma, we nearly always had a dog. They never cost more than the table scraps. They roamed freely, and one especially would sometimes go on 'expeditions' where he would be away for several weeks at a time. Once he was shot in the head, but it just grazed him. The guilty party came over to confess, claiming that he had only intended to scare him away. (We always suspected that the intent was otherwise.) He offered to pay for treatment, but we had already put some salve on the wound, and told the man to forget it - he'll live. On one occasion the dog came back after an extended away-trip with a lady friend. She stuck around and never attempted to return home. What happened with that dog is a horrible memory. The last time our dog left home he never returned. We suspected that he was shot by someone, perhaps far away. (He had seen his mother intentionally hit by a man in a pickup, and he stayed off of the road, and was always careful when crossing.)
Living in the country, stray cats sometimes settled in nearby, and for all practical purposes, became 'our cats'. As the saying goes, If you have two cats, you will soon have 20. I think that was probably pretty much the case at one time. They were wild, and the only ones we ever caught were the kittens. There was one exception, one that hung around the house more than just for food - one that had been born without a bone in one leg. The dog my younger brother had at that time was friends with that cat, and the cat often slept cuddled up against him.
Our youngest son was given a puppy here in the States, but here in town the law says dogs must be kept on a leash or confined at all times. That is the most horrible thing that can be done to a dog. After he died, we have never had another pet. It seems unfair to me that cats can run wild, but dogs must be kept confined.
When I was at home in Oklahoma, we nearly always had a dog. They never cost more than the table scraps. They roamed freely, and one especially would sometimes go on 'expeditions' where he would be away for several weeks at a time. Once he was shot in the head, but it just grazed him. The guilty party came over to confess, claiming that he had only intended to scare him away. (We always suspected that the intent was otherwise.) He offered to pay for treatment, but we had already put some salve on the wound, and told the man to forget it - he'll live. On one occasion the dog came back after an extended away-trip with a lady friend. She stuck around and never attempted to return home. What happened with that dog is a horrible memory. The last time our dog left home he never returned. We suspected that he was shot by someone, perhaps far away. (He had seen his mother intentionally hit by a man in a pickup, and he stayed off of the road, and was always careful when crossing.)
Living in the country, stray cats sometimes settled in nearby, and for all practical purposes, became 'our cats'. As the saying goes, If you have two cats, you will soon have 20. I think that was probably pretty much the case at one time. They were wild, and the only ones we ever caught were the kittens. There was one exception, one that hung around the house more than just for food - one that had been born without a bone in one leg. The dog my younger brother had at that time was friends with that cat, and the cat often slept cuddled up against him.
Our youngest son was given a puppy here in the States, but here in town the law says dogs must be kept on a leash or confined at all times. That is the most horrible thing that can be done to a dog. After he died, we have never had another pet. It seems unfair to me that cats can run wild, but dogs must be kept confined.
0 x
Re: Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
I agree entirely. As a boy our dogs were allowed to roam as they pleased so it seems inhumane to pen them up. I simply refuse to treat a dog that way.Neto wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2026 8:44 am When I was at home in Oklahoma, we nearly always had a dog. They never cost more than the table scraps. They roamed freely, and one especially would sometimes go on 'expeditions' where he would be away for several weeks at a time...
Our youngest son was given a puppy here in the States, but here in town the law says dogs must be kept on a leash or confined at all times. That is the most horrible thing that can be done to a dog. After he died, we have never had another pet. It seems unfair to me that cats can run wild, but dogs must be kept confined...
0 x
Re: Poll: Pet Ownership and Costs
Wife: On one hand, I agree with this, but on the other hand, living in town, it gets really annoying having obnoxious strays and other peoples dogs coming to our house all the time. At the moment it’s a Doberman which may or may not be owned by the neighbor across the street, and goes onto other properties and barks at people like he’s guarding his territory. The dog has calmed down some and lets me pet him, but is wary of people, which maybe have hurt him, and I have to be really cautious with the children around him.barnhart wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2026 8:50 amI agree entirely. As a boy our dogs were allowed to roam as they pleased so it seems inhumane to pen them up. I simply refuse to treat a dog that way.Neto wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2026 8:44 am When I was at home in Oklahoma, we nearly always had a dog. They never cost more than the table scraps. They roamed freely, and one especially would sometimes go on 'expeditions' where he would be away for several weeks at a time...
Our youngest son was given a puppy here in the States, but here in town the law says dogs must be kept on a leash or confined at all times. That is the most horrible thing that can be done to a dog. After he died, we have never had another pet. It seems unfair to me that cats can run wild, but dogs must be kept confined...
In the past, there were three German Shepherd puppies that were just dumped in our neighborhood, and they were cute, but with three of them, completely unmanageable, and would nip like crazy. Our animal control is useless for the most part, although we finally got them to pick the puppies up because one of them drew blood on my husband which is basically the only reason they would ever come.
We did have another stray that we had adopted, very friendly but he was the type that could not handle been kept inside and was a master of escape from any fence or harness . He’s a country dog at this point with her friends, and seems to be pretty happy.
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