Oh, man....

osso, when you adopt a dog from the county animal shelter, they spay them
and vaccinate them, plus you have a free exam with a veterinarian of your
choice. So for the first year you won't have the veterinarian expenses.
Then there is pet insurance that cost very little per month and you pay only
a small fraction when going to the vet. Sure there is food and water to
dispense, but it's not overly expensive either.

There are so many dogs in shelters, any home will be better for them then
the shelter.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

I've heard (I believe it is Angell Animal Medical in the Boston area) that will either charge you a lower amount or completely pay for some emergency or out of the ordinary circumstances if you cannot afford it. I might be worth checking into if that is your one concern.

1 Reply

Well, osso?

I'm interested to know how you're thinking about this today.

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I'd pitch in some money to buy the dog some food.

There are probably charity sites out there, or doggy food banks.

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@maporsche,

doggy food banks? If not then perhaps they're should be, don'tcha think?

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@tsarstepan,

tsarstepan wrote:

doggy food banks? If not then perhaps they're should be, don'tcha think?

Oh there are.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ei=lfncSrCVK4e2M9zEkOgN&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CAoQBSgA&q=doggie+food+banks&spell=1

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@ehBeth,

Thanks, ehBeth. I don't know if I could do that, but will think on it.

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@CalamityJane,

I never looked into pet insurance (busy as I was spending money for dog food).
I should study that, though I have trouble paying my own expenses, much less pet insurance. My first vet exam with Pacco was not free, but that was back in 2000; that all may vary now.

It's a dilemma. I can't imagine returning a dog of mine to a shelter. Pacco was so joyous on his walk out the shelter door in the northern california rain... I still remember the thrill of putting him in the car and taking him home.

Expenses can rack up as dogs age..

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@Linkat,

That's interesting, Link.

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@tsarstepan,

doggy food banks, I can see that...

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@ossobuco,

Ack! Not looking!

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I decided not to put my two bob's worth into the discussion yesterday, osso. I wouldn't have been of much use anyway, because I'm totally biased. I can't bear to see the desperation of animals in these shelters, either. Animals in such circumstances just break my heart. I can hardly stand to look.
I'd probably say that any good home, even an impoverished one (rather like my own Wink

) is preferable. You make the necessary adjustments & they give you such joy back! And a home without a resident animal seems an unnatural state of affairs!
But (sigh) I know (& agree) that these decisions must be made responsibly. Providing a critter with food is probably the least of the problem. It's the unforeseen serious ailments (if you're really unlucky) that require vet visit after vet visit ..... ongoing expensive medication or treatment. You want to be in a position to to be able to provide for the necessary care, when or if the situation arises.
I do understand your dilemma. It's a difficult decision, alright.

1 Reply

@msolga,

You nailed it, msolga.

Well, littlek had years of cat vet bills/medication bills, as an example.

I think of Roberta, who just plain loves animals, as we all know, and has sworn off for financial reasons.

It's a crunch, since at least in the short run, the animals would benefit from the caring.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

Quote:

It's a crunch, since at least in the short run, the animals would benefit from the caring.

Or, if you're lucky, osso, it could be the long run. The trouble is, you just can't know in advance. Sigh.

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@maporsche,

Didn't mean to ignore you, map. You're the one who brought up doggy food banks.

There even may be helper organizations that people donate to - I'll have to check that out - but I'm sure they have to be wary, if they exist, to avoid free loaders.

1 Reply

@maporsche,

Quote:

I'd pitch in some money to buy the dog some food.

I thought it was very kind & generous of you to offer, maporsche.

Do you have pets of your own?

2 Replies

@msolga,

He does, he does. Show us, maporsche...

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@ossobuco,

I had a feeling this was the case! Smile

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@msolga,

Two Labs (a yellow & a black), despite the occassional annoyance, they are great and everyone should be able to have a pet, especially when times are as tough as it sounds like they are.

I would think that just about anything would be better than being put to sleep. I'd adopt more dogs if I wasn't moving to a smaller place.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

The link I posted about Abq pet fostering - to the left there is a link for donors.

Further up the same page - a link to http://www.cabq.gov/pets/news ... then to

Quote:

Mayor Martin J. Chávez announced a food bank for pets that will help low-income owners of dogs and cats in Albuquerque; a partnership between the Mayor, PETCO Foundation, The Storehouse food pantry in downtown Albuquerque and Albuquerque Animal Welfare. Pet food will be offered at The Storehouse, 106 Broadway SE, a food pantry that has provided free food supplies to low-income households for nearly 40 years. “Lately, media accounts have demonstrated that many families have been faced with either paying for such things as prescription medicines or food for their pets,” says Mayor Chavez. “Now, thanks to the generosity and efforts of the community, people have another way of finding help during hard times. This couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, given the national economic downturn.”

PETCO Foundation has agreed to contribute about two tons of pet food per month for distribution to qualified clients of The Storehouse.

Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department will be seeking additional supplies through a community food drive to benefit the Storehouse program and other potential charitable uses. Pet food can be donated at city animal shelters. Jeanine L. Patterson, R.N., director of Albuquerque Animal Welfare says “This program just underscores our mission to find permanent, loving homes for pets. It also reinforces that our pets are lifelong members of the family, even if it requires a little help during hard times.”

The City of Albuquerque already provides pet food for the dogs and cats of homebound seniors, as part of a nutrition program that offers home-delivered meals to senior citizens. The program uses donated food and operates in partnership with Animal Humane New Mexico.

http://www.cabq.gov/pets/news/copy_of_new-food-bank-in-albuquerque-to-help-low-income-owners-of-dogs-and-cats/

1 Reply

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