OES Monthly Budget/Expenses
I was wondering if anyone might be willing to help me estimate the basic monthly cost of owning an OES? I intend to get pet insurance and feed him good food--not the beaks and sawdust stuff. Obviously I want him on heartworm protection and a flea treatment. I will learn to do the grooming myself so I am not factoring in any outside grooming. I know unexpected costs come up but a good basic budget would be extremely helpful. I figure this is the place to ask because...you all sure do love sheepdogs. Thank you so much! |
|
|
| Welcome to the forum! I'm trying to figure out what I am seeing in your avatar.. is it half human half sheepdog?
Edit: I looked it up on that wackypetia and it says Quote: [Sir Didymus is] a chivalrous fox who rides a sheepdog and guards a bridge to uphold a meaningless sacred oath Is that you? Welcome! You are hereby released from your oath so that you may post on the forum!I think the estimate that I put out there was over $1200 a year. I'll see if I can find it..... Aha! Here it is: Ron wrote: we should ALL think twice before we enter into a 15 year, $20,000 commitment*.
*A puppy can cost $1500, plus: vet trips twice a year ($200) food $40/month ($480) grooming $75 every 2 months ($450) toys ($50) $1180 x 15 years = $17,700 + $1,500 = $19,200 I estimated it at about $100 a month without pet insurance, and without any mishaps or medical issues at all. Others told me my estimate was too low, as I didn't account for grooming supplies, shampoos, collars, leashes, a crate or two, home repairs (! LOL) Plus our vet bills are more like $100 PLUS any medicines, so they usually wind up being $200 each just with the Program or Sentinel or whatever it is we give now. Then a bout of diarrhea or a skin infection costs about $300 with the visit, the tests and the anibiotics , and ear infection is less because the meds are cheap, relatively. So, I'd budget $150 or $200 a month plus the insurance, but I'm conservative. |
| I agree, at least plan on 150-200 a month.... if all goes well. If you don't do grooming yourself, that can cost an additional 50-150 a month. |
| Plus an obedience training cource or two. Might not be an annual cost, but should be factored in somewhere.
They can run from $100 to $250 for an 8 week cource. Postive reinforcement of cource. 
And some books on dog behavior. The one book I think every dog owner should read is Culture Clash (Paperback), by Jean Donaldson. ....puppy or adult owners. And for new puppy owners Before & After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy & Well-Behaved Dog (Hardcover), by Ian Dunbar |
| Even if you are doing the grooming yourself you need all the tools and shampoos so you'll have to factor that in too. |
| This is all very helpful! Thank you very much! Oh course these answers are leading to more questions but they are helpful none the less!
And to answer the question about my avatar image: Until I get an OES of my own, I chose to put a still image from one of my favorite movies, Labyrinth. Sir Didymus is a character in the movie who has a Sheepdog named Ambrosius as a steed. A highly recommended film for those of you who haven't seen it! |
Maxmm wrote: Even if you are doing the grooming yourself you need all the tools and shampoos so you'll have to factor that in too.
I take Patch to the feed store to bathe her - they have a great set up including a ramp that leads to a raised tub, grooming tables with hair dryers, and all kinds of shampoos and conditioners. They even have ear cleaner with cotton balls and poochie parfum. I take her to hte feed store at least once a month, but I also take her to the groomer at least twice a year if not more - that will cost about $75 plus tip each trip. Another cost is membership to our local dog park. I've never calculated the cost owning this great breed, but I can certainly say whatever it is, is well worth every penny. |
I'd say get a sheepie as compared to surveys that estimate the cost of raising a child from birth to adulthood the is supposedly around 250,000.
Egads! If I had known that before I think I would have stuck to furballs and not had my two boys. Marianne and the boys (includes 9 furballs and two uprights) Gosh suddenly I feel like a rich person...or would that be poor person? |
| My thoughts on this, if you have to ask how much, you don't need a sheepie.
I know it is good to have a plan, but there are so many things that come your way when you take care of a sheepdog, things that you have never imagined or planned on. You said that you will do your own grooming, well you need all the tools and they are expensive. If you keep him in full coat, can you give him a bath and dry him? In order to dry an oes in full coat you have to hand dry him, brush and try, otherwise he will be matted. Will you have the time to brush your dog EVERY DAY, because that is what you have to do. In a hot and humid climate he will mat within a day. I know, I have two in full coat and we brush every day, if we have rain and they get wet, I have to dry them right away or they mat. The life span of an oes is 12-14 years can you commit to this. If you plan on keeping him in a short cut, a pair of good clippers cost around $200. and you have to know what you are doing. oes are hight maintenance dogs and not for everyone. There is lots of commitment on your part. Then the medical bills, Pet insurance will not take care of everything. I worked as a vet tech and I know how much things cost, just the basic medical care has gone up the roof. I would think hard before getting a sheepdog. They are the most beautiful dogs ever, but they need lots of care. But on the other hand, an oes not taken care off is the saddest thing I have ever seen. They come to our rescue just pitiful looking all matted, because someone saw a cute pup and a back yard breeder sold it without letting them know about the breed. Months later the dog is to much to handle and they dump them like poor Marcus that Wynette just picked up. ` |
ingrids sheepies wrote: My thoughts on this, if you have to ask how much, you don't need a sheepie.
I disagree. I think it is GREAT that someone is asking about the potential cost of the dog before they get one. To me, that is being responsible. It is a fact in the world that you need money to live off of, and a person knows how much they make and can afford to spend on 'luxury items.' I think it shows that the person realizes that they are a special breed and might require more effort, both financially and physically, to keep happy and healthy. If the people on the forum said, oh, sheepies cost $5 a month, or if we said sheepies cost $500 a month, we don't know what they had imagined in their head as the potential cost. They could be thinking that a sheepie costs $1000 a month and so $500 would be easily doable. |
Are they expensive? All relative. I agree with the 1200-1500/yr per dog. Compare that with Golf, fishing, hunting, going to the season games of your favorite team - all of which are at best occasional pursuits that can cost many times that of a Sheepie, and not give you 24/7 companionship, loyalty, fun, excitement, and sheepie kisses. And you don't have to change diapers, solve math problems for them, worry about what they'll do to the family car, or who they'll bring home! A great deal at many times the cost. Go for it!  |
ingrids sheepies wrote: My thoughts on this, if you have to ask how much, you don't need a sheepie.`
You are right Ingrid! I should be embarrased for even asking. As Dorian Gray states in the classic novel by Oscar Wilde, "A gentleman never knows exactly how much money he has in his checking account." I have painted myself to be most ungentlemanly. I stand ashamed and, as my avatar states, shaved. (That classic novel is 'The Picture of Dorian Grey,' by the way.) |
| Jasper usually costs us about $60/month. This is pretty much just food and treats. I groom him myself (we had him groomed by a groomer once and will never do it again - lol), so that's a savings. His vet expenses are $150/year for vaccinations, and I buy his flea medications (k-9 advantix) and heartguard for around another $100 every 6 months. That's all the expenses we have so far, so we're looking at... $970/year on average for him. He's still a baby though (will be 2 in December), so we haven't run into any health problems that might run his monthly expenses up. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|