How much time and money does it actually take to own a dog?
Owning a dog requires walking them every single day regardless of the weather, which is a much bigger daily time commitment than having cats. It also involves high long-term expenses like skyrocketing veterinary costs, vaccinations, spaying or neutering, and emergency visits that cost hundreds of dollars just to be seen.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 37.4× more often in r/dogs than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1dogsittingDid this help you?
- 2fostering to see how a dog fits into one's lifestyleDid this help you?
- 3researching breed activity levelsDid this help you?
- 4Planning to leave a job a month or two before nursing school starts in order to get a puppyDid this help you?
- 5Adopting an older or senior cat instead of a kittenDid this help you?
- 6Finding shelter cats explicitly labeled as solo pets who prefer to be the only animalDid this help you?
- 7Providing environmental enrichment like cat tv, window perches, and puzzle toysDid this help you?
- 8Setting aside dedicated playtime and a consistent routine when arriving homeDid this help you?
- 9Surviving on random leftovers from the fridgeDid this help you?
- 10Accepting the high cost as normal and continuing to pamper the petDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’ve never owned a dog, only cats, so I have no clue how much work it is to own a dog - I’ve dogsitted a lot but I know that’s not the full experience. What can I expect?”source ↗
“I catch myself treating him like an absolute baby. Half my salary seems to go toward stocking up his specialized shampoos, healthy treats, and an entire month's supply of fresh chicken and balanced meals.”source ↗
“I will literally plan out his dinners weeks in advance, while I survive on whatever random leftovers are sitting in the fridge.”source ↗
“Whenever I'm having a snack and he hits me with that stare, I don't even hesitate—I just hand it right over to him instead of eating it myself.”source ↗
“If you want a dog you're going to be walking it every single day, rain or shine.”source ↗
“Also veterinary costs are skyrocketing, I would phone around where you live to get an idea of what the first three sets of vaccinations will cost as well as spaying or neutering, and make sure you have money set aside or plan to get pet insurance because things like an emergency visit will run you about $200 to $300 just to be seen.”source ↗
“hi i am planning to get a golden retriever puppy and was curious abt the maintenance it demands. could anyone with a puppy help me out with that.”source ↗
“I’m 26 and ever since I was a literal child I’ve always wanted a dog and wasn’t allowed. Now I’m working a good job and I have the funds for a dog, but I am away from home 9 hours a day.”source ↗
“Literally feel like I’ll never be able to own a dog.”source ↗
“I’m just so bummed out.”source ↗
“Always wanted a cat, but I'm low income, have been all my life, and I'm currently in school so maybe that'll change in a few years....but I won't hold my breath.”source ↗
“someone once told me that because of how social they are, leaving a cat at home for, let's say, 8 hours of work every day, can be detrimental to their mental health. I don't wanna get an animal if I'm just gonna make it depressed because I can't afford a sibling for it.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to raise a puppy when you work full time alone?
- 7Why does my dog police my bedtime?
- 14Can I afford a pet if I'm barely covering rent and food?
- 40Why are teachers expected to be available 24/7?
- 5How to balance college and a new puppy alone
- 14When your family treats household chores like an IT help desk