Cost of dog ownership 909

    There are a lot of things you need to consider before getting a puppy. You will be doing some research into the costs of buying and raising a puppy. You will also have to research what specific breed you wish to select. Different kinds of dogs have different needs for their proper care. This project will have 4 parts.:

 

1.       Make a table in Microsoft Word showing actual items needed to buy and raise your puppy. Give the quantity of items you will need, their prices and where you will get them (be specific)

Cost Areas to cover (you need to cover each of these)

Ø      cost of puppy itself (consider adoption v. buying, purebred v. mutt)

Ø      training(including house breaking, classes and books/videos for you)

Ø      vet/medicine

Ø      license

Ø      collar/leash/other wearable items

Ø      grooming (if needed)

Ø      food (monthly cost)

Ø      feeding utensils/water bowls

Ø      toys

Ø      housing/bedding

Ø      any other items that would be needed

 

 2. Write at least one paragraph on “Other things to think about”.  This     would include:

         You need to think about other things regarding raising your puppy that may not involve a cost. For example, find out about the dog’s temperament (how it acts), how much space it needs, whether it is easily trained, how well it gets along with other animals, how it gets along with children, whether it needs to be groomed regularly, whether it is susceptible to genetic problems, etc.

 

3.     Following the table you should write at least a one page persuasive letter to your parents/guardians explaining why you should have a puppy, why you chose this kind of dog, why you need each of the items in your budget, and how you will earn money to pay the expenses.

4.     Include a bibliography of where you found your prices and information (name of site, web address of site, date downloaded)

 

Suggested resources:

*Dog breed selector  http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-breeds/dog-breeds.aspx?cm_mmc=Google-_-Keywords-_-dog breeds-_-NA  Information on specific breeds, their needs, good and bad points

*“Selecting a dog breed” http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/selecting-a-dog.html  General info on selecting a dog and information by breed (good and bad points of the breed)

*Cost of owning a dog

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1671&aid=1543 General idea of range of costs to raise a dog (not specific prices)

*How to select a puppy that’s right for you http://www.dogchannel.com/ready-for-dogs/dog-evaluation/article_2158.aspx  Article on choosing a puppy, what to think about before getting the puppy

*“Phouka dog pages” http://www.phouka.com/dogs/dog_cost.html

Has actual costs by category

*“Lifetime costs of dog ownership” http://www.petplace.com/dogs/lifetime-costs-of-dog-ownership/page1.aspx  Overall costs for lifetime of a dog

*“Helping paws” http://www.helpingpaws.org/SponsorADog.htm Costs to sponsor raising a service dog to help handicapped person (over 2 years)

*“Professor’s house” http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/dogs/owning-a-dog.aspx

things to think about when getting dog—no actual costs listed

 *“Petsmart” www.petsmart.com online catalog for specific dog supplies

*Foster and Smith dog supply catalog http://www.drsfostersmith.com/dog-supplies/pr/c/3307

 

 

 These sites are not on your worksheet 

Doggone good stuff www.doggonegoodstuff.com

 

Dog Pound  www.dog-pound.net

 

Dog Toys Direct  www.dogtoysdirect.com

 

Echo Lake www.echolakepetsupplies.com

 

Hearty Pet  www.heartypet.com

 

Perfect Puppy Toys  www.perfectpuppytoys.com

 

Pet Store Unlimited  www.petstoreunlimited.com

 

Puppies and dogs for sale http://www.puppiesanddogsforsale.com/classifieds/puppies_4_sale.asp?Page=3

 

Dog ads http://www.dogsads.com/modules/classifieds/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sample—Cost of buying and raising goat kid

 

area	item	cost	source
Cost of animal	1 crossbred yearling Alpine doe	$100	Sunny Valley
Training	Raising goats book	$15.00	Amazon.com
Vet/medicine	Wormer Tramisol Clostridium vaccine Tetanus shot	$3.00 $3.00 $5.00	Animart
License	No license needed	0
Collar/leash/etc.     Grooming	Collar     Hoof trimmers Grooming Scissors	$8.00     $12.00 $5.00	Farm and Fleet Farm and Fleet
Food (monthly cost)	Purina goat chow Hay—5 bales Minerals	$18.00/50#     $15.00 $2.00	Wright’s Feed Mill Roenneburg farm
Water bowls	Five gallon pail—already own	0
toys	Wooden spool—scrap lumber	$10.00	Ridgeway Lumber
Housing/bedding	Straw     3 Livestock panels Barn—already own	$25.00     $39.00     $0	Roenneburg farm Farm and Fleet
Other items	Breeding to buck(fall)	$25.00	Sunny Valley Farm
total		$284

 

Other things to think about:

   Goats are pretty social animals, so one goat by itself may get lonely. However, they do seem to like cats, and my goat can have the barn cats as friends until she has her own kids next spring. Goats are very intelligent, and can open gate latches and turn on lights. So, I will have to be careful when closing the barn doors. I will have to put safety covers on the light switches. Goats are very friendly to people if they are handled a lot when they are young, so I need to spend a lot of time grooming and playing with her. They also chew on wood if they are bored or don’t have enough mineral, so I will have to make sure I have a mineral block for her to use. Her hooves will have to be trimmed every few months, and before kidding her udder and tail region should be trimmed.

 

Sample letter to parents/guardian

Dear folks,

   I would like to buy a female goat or doeling to raise. I can buy one at Sunny Valley Farm near Portage. I would like to buy a crossbred Alpine doe since I only want it as a pet, not to show. The cost of the doeling is $100. Since I don’t know a lot about raising goats, I need to learn more. I am going to buy a book called Raising Dairy Goats for 15.00 from Amazon. I want to make sure that my goat is healthy, so I will have to give it worm medicine and Clostridium vaccinations.

   My goat has to have a good sturdy collar—a dog collar will do, so I can lead her around. Goat hooves grow continuously so they need to be trimmed with special hoof trimmers, and her belly and flank hair will have to be trimmed with scissors in summer so she doesn’t get too warm.

   Goats need both grain and hay. Purina goat chow is a complete mix that will keep several months without spoiling. She will eat about a pound and a half a day, so a bag will last over a month. I will get good third crop grass-alfalfa hay for her. Goats only eat about 2 or 3 pounds of hay a day. My goat will also need a dairy mineral mix to provide phosphorus and calcium. I already have a 5 gallon bucket for her water. She will only drink about a gallon a day.

   Luckily we already have space in the barn for her pen. I would need the livestock panels to build a small outside pen. Goats need sun and fresh air. Inside I will use straw for bedding because goats can become allergic to sawdust.

   When my goat is about seven months old, I will take her up to Sunny Valley to be bred by a buck, or male goat. That means she will have to stay there about 10-12 days to make sure she is bred. That will cost $25.00.

   I am definitely responsible enough to raise a goat. I will be using money from babysitting and selling my wooden goat carvings on eBay to cover all the expenses. Please let me have a goat.

 

Your “kid”

Me

Bibliography

“Raising dairy goat kids” www.goatsarefun.com Sept. 21, 2009

“Cost of goat supplies” www.capricornn.com/supplies