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Budget Friendly Tips for Pet Owners · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Hello, and welcome to the Talking FACS Podcast, where we share news you need
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  to know to strengthen your family, your community, and our state.
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  I am your host, Mindy McCulley, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support
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  with Family and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
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  We are housed in the Marti-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment.
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  Today, I am talking to Kristen Jowers, our Extension Specialist for OneOp. Welcome, Kristen.
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  Thanks, Mindy. It's great to be back on the podcast. So before we get started
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  talking about our topic at hand, why don't you tell me just a little bit about OneOp?
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  Yes, so I'm a program coordinator for OneOp, and OneOp is a virtual professional
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  development platform and community for providers who work with military families.
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  We provide virtual and open access resources and free continuing education credits every week.
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  My role specifically at OneOp is
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  to partner with the Department of Defense Office of Financial Readiness to identify
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  webinar topics and extension subject matter experts to collaborate on webinars
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  and courses and blogs and lots of other great resources.
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  Today, we are going to be talking about financial considerations for pet ownerships.
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  And I'm really excited about this conversation.
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  Yes, I'm so excited to talk about it today too.
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  Do you have any pets at home, Mindy? I have a 14-year-old border collie named Molly. Molly.
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  I feel like sometimes I remember the names of the pets in my neighborhood,
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  but I don't necessarily remember all of my neighbors' names.
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  I also have a dog. He's seven years old and he's a basset hound named Copper.
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  And we rescued him five years ago this month and he's the love of my life.
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  And as a first time pet owner, I just quickly realized there are so many costs
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  associated with pet ownership.
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  And so I wrote a blog about it earlier this year, kind of talking about the
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  financial considerations for military families considering pet ownership and
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  talking about the new pet transportation allowance.
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  So I'm excited to share with you more about that today.
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  I think that's a great idea and we have the holidays coming up and so some people
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  might be thinking about giving a pet as a gift and maybe they might want to
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  rethink that as they hear about the cost that we're going to outline today so
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  what do you say to those people?
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  Yes. I think like when you think about major purchases, it's easy to think about
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  buying a house or paying for college or even purchasing new appliances for your home.
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  And oftentimes people don't think about pets as a big financial decision, but they are.
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  So between like kind of those one-time expenses in the first year of getting
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  a pet and then those recurring expenses like grooming and vetting,
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  those costs, they have to be accounted for somewhere in the budget.
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  And so most pet owners consider their pets to be a part of their family,
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  which means that they've got to be a part of the family's budget.
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  So when we are considering getting a pet, what are some of those upfront expenses
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  that we have to think about?
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  The ASPCA estimates the first year of pet ownership to range between $1,000
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  and $3,000 just in the first year.
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  So that includes the pet purchase costs or adoption fees and vaccinations.
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  And then subsequent years after that first year can run between $800 a year and $875 per year.
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  And that really doesn't even include some added expenses if you have health
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  insurance for your pet or, and that comes at a premium as well,
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  but may provide additional cost savings in the future.
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  But for pets like Molly, who lived to be 14 years, and some pets live even longer
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  than that, those expenses can really add up.
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  Oh, yes. And different breeds of animals have different health challenges.
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  And so those can even be more expensive.
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  So can you tell about some of those first-time or one-time expenses for new pet owners? Yeah.
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  A lot of new pet owners will need to purchase things like food bowls.
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  Depending on the pet, maybe bathroom training pads, a collar,
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  a leash, a crate, bed, toys.
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  If you're like me, I had to even invest in a fence for fencing in part of my yard.
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  Many pet owners will also need to consider and cover the cost of spaying or neutering their pet.
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  And local shelters or rescue organizations may have discounted days for spay and neuter services.
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  I've also seen some free vaccination days at certain times of the year at our local pet rescue.
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  And then, of course, there are lots of recurring expenses. So what are those
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  expenses that our pet owners need to consider? The first thing that comes to
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  mind, Mindy, and I can say this with certainty, is that your pet will need food.
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  Yes, and lots of food, probably.
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  And if your dog's anything like mine, sometimes you have to change the food
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  and it's like a whole fun, not very fun game.
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  Exactly. And so those regular expenses are going to vary from pet to pet.
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  And as you mentioned earlier, different breeds, different types of animals are
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  going to have different expenses.
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  So for example, some animal breeds might require grooming or training or even
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  certain types of medication.
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  I recommend researching the specific type of pet that you're planning to get
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  or even the type of pet that you already have.
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  And that can help kind of identify some of those special needs for your specific animal or breed.
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  As I mentioned earlier, my dog Copper is a basset hound.
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  He's got really long ears, and they're so cute, but they also drag around the
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  yard, and they are always in need of a really good cleaning.
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  And Molly's older sister was
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  a German Shepherd, or as my husband liked to call her, a German shedder.
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  And so we had to do lots and lots of
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  grooming to make sure we didn't have hair everywhere. It's like glitter.
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  Exactly. It goes everywhere. Exactly right. As you mentioned,
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  researching those specific breeds helps to know what to expect.
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  But is there other research that people can do to prepare for their new family member?
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  Yes. And I recommend calling around to get an idea of the costs associated for
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  those routine expenses.
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  So calling like a local groomer, calling the vet's office and learning about
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  those vaccination costs, researching how much it's going to cost to spay or
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  neuter the pet. And that can really help.
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  Having an idea of what those regular care costs are going to be can be helpful
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  as you're kind of constructing and designing your monthly spending plan to make
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  sure to include your new family members' expenses in the plan.
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  Extension agents are also a really great resource and can connect you with pet
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  resources within your community and can help assist in researching those expenses
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  that are pretty regular,
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  everything from food costs to vetting and grooming costs as well.
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  Well, and we do have these great best friends with us, but they do come with
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  a little added housing costs.
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  So what are those expenses that we need to think about?
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  I'm glad you brought that up, Mindy. I think sometimes folks will maybe be living
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  somewhere and then get a pet maybe in the middle of a lease.
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  And so it's important to kind of think about if you're renting,
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  some property managers or the homeowner might require a pet deposit.
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  Those can range between $200 and $500 up front.
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  And a lot of times that pet deposit is non-refundable.
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  Some property managers or landlords might even require a monthly pet rent.
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  And that rent can range between $25 and $100 per month on top of the regular cost of rent.
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  So you'll need to consider that in your housing costs. And then you'll also
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  want to consider where your pet is going to kind of live or be when you're traveling.
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  So some hotels or vacation rentals, they may allow pets to come with you,
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  but then they might have pet fees that you'll want to budget for when you're out of town.
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  Or if you leave town and you leave your pet behind, you'll have to also kind
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  of consider boarding fees or pet sitting fees so that your pet is taken care of in your absence.
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  And I might mention that, as I've said before, we had a German Shepherd previously
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  and our home insurance required us to pay a little extra each premium payment
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  because of having that large dog.
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  And if we would not have had a fenced-in yard, we would have had to pay even more.
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  Keep that in mind when you're doing your research.
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  They are beautiful dogs, but they do come with a cost.
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  You have mentioned lots and lots about expenses, but are there some ways that
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  we can save on our pet expenses?
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  So pet ownership can provide opportunities to practice some cost-saving strategies
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  that are transferable to other areas of spending.
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  So for example, learning do-it-yourself
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  skills or DIY skills can help save money on grooming expenses.
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  I remember watching online video tutorials for learning how to brush a dog's teeth.
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  I've even gone so far as to purchase a longer hose for my shower head so that
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  I could wash my dog and give him baths at home.
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  Another idea is to compare costs across various stores.
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  So especially when you're thinking about food for your pet or other pet essentials.
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  Comparing things at different stores can help you to make sure that you're getting the best deal.
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  So you'll want to keep an eye out, especially if you're considering getting
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  a pet, you'll want to keep an eye out and start looking for sales and utilizing
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  coupons and really consider what things you can find secondhand.
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  In my kind of example, getting a crate from a family member,
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  but you could also lean into the community kind of free and for sale spaces.
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  Maybe you have a neighborhood group online that you could ask around on for
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  some of those pet items as well.
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  And saving for routine vet care and unexpected expenses in a pet emergency fund
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  can also teach short and long-term savings.
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  I think those are great ideas. And so what are some benefits for families who
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  have a pet or are considering getting a pet?
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  When you get a pet, there's an opportunity
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  to negotiate chores and responsibilities as it relates to the pet.
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  So for example, who's going to clean the litter box or who is going to walk
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  the dog or who is going to clean up.
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  The pet messes, but having an animal also has a lot to teach families about resource management.
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  For families with kids, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau illustrates
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  age-appropriate responsibilities related to pet ownership.
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  So, for example, kids ages three to five could practice financial goal setting
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  to save for a special treat or toy for the pet.
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  School-aged children and preteens can get involved too.
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  Teens that are or children ages 6 through 12 could be in charge of putting the
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  pet's food down at the same time as the family's mealtime.
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  And a teenager could be tasked with comparison shopping to find deals on pet food, treats, and toys.
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  But in addition to teaching financial responsibility, pet ownership can also
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  provide routine physical activity, promote family mealtimes,
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  and serve as a furry companion.
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  Researchers have been really interested in looking at the human-animal bond
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  and how pets can benefit our communities and our health.
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  And what we've learned is that pets have an opportunity to teach us a lot,
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  from loyalty to resilience and even a little bit about bereavement.
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  Now, I know that you work in the military family support space.
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  Are there special considerations for military pet owners?
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  The unconditional love and emotional support from a family pet can be especially
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  valuable to members of the military and their families.
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  Children missing a deployed parent may find comfort in a furry friend.
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  After moving to a new duty station, a pet can make a new house or neighborhood feel like home.
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  Even taking the dog out for a walk or to the local park can be an avenue to
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  make new friends in a new community.
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  And when one member of a couple is deployed, a military spouse may enjoy the company of a pet.
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  But as we've talked about today, pets are a major purchase and there are challenges.
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  A lot of important considerations for all families to consider before getting
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  a pet, and the same is true for military families, and especially for military
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  families who have pets and are facing a permanent change of station move.
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  So, the new pet transportation allowance went into effect earlier this year on January 1st, 2024.
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  And that transportation allowance reimburses military families $550 for moves
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  within the continental United States and reimburses them for transportation
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  expenses related to the pet up to $2,000 for moves outside of the continental U.S.
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  So I'll include a link in the show notes to find out more about this new benefit,
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  which makes moves easier for military families with a pet.
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  All throughout November, we are celebrating National Veteran and Military Families Month.
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  If you're a professional who works with military families, we invite you to
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  join us in the one-op community of practice to strengthen the impact you have
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  with the families you serve.
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  We just wrapped up our Military Family Readiness Academy series on the topic
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  of economic readiness and military family well-being.
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  The Academy course was co-authored by the University of Kentucky's very own Dr.
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  Nicole Huff. So if you're a professional who works with military families,
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  we invite you to check it out. And I will include a link in the show notes to that as well.
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  This is all great information, Kristen. And so I thank you so much for sharing it.
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  Yes, thanks, Mindy. And if you're just tuning in, you've been listening to Talking
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  FACS, and you can find us wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.
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  Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition,
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  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program or contact your local extension
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  agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
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  We build strong families. We build Kentucky. It starts with us.
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  Music.