Doggone It, I Didn’t Want To Do This Video

I love dogs. LOVE. But with the amount of money I’ve seen some people spending on their dogs recently, it’s clear more need to be careful when making the decision whether or not to get one.

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I love dogs. LOVE them. On “Dragons’ Den”, I think I said yes to every dog-related pitch. King Rico is my soulmate.  So I’m truly not kidding when I admit that it’s killing me to share this thought: People, especially some younger people in their 20s and 30s, have to think through more carefully the purchase of a dog.

Why do I say that? The spending summaries I’m seeing are screaming it at me. Dogs are very expensive. Yes, they’re also adorable. They’re great companions. They’re part of the family. But they’re very expensive. People argue, “Fine, Dave, dogs are expensive to own. But we’ll budget for the costs and cut back elsewhere.

You’re the one who always says we can overspend in one area as long as we reduce our spending in others.” Hey, true, I do say that. And I stand by it. But darn—the problem here is the can’t-budget-for costs that are really hitting people nowadays. Unanticipated vet bills. Medical-care costs for dogs have absolutely risen significantly faster than the inflation rate.

And with better diagnostic equipment, recommended procedure rates are also rising. Hey, that’s great—dogs are getting more advanced care. But, wow, can it add up. Some recent examples people have shared have really hit me. Bills that have set back their finances in a big way. Look, times are tight. Inflation just ran hot.

Housing costs are up. For a lot of people, again, especially younger people, these medical bills are too much by any common-sense measure. But, of course, we’re all going to do the surgery and pay. It’s our dog! I would! Every time. So, you say, what about pet insurance? Absolutely. Look into it. But it’s not free,

obviously. Now it does fix your costs… theoretically. I say theoretically because there are a lot of policy exclusions, breed-specific policy exclusions, and I’m also hearing more and more about claim disputes. Do your research here. Look, again, I love dogs. Like love. But be careful here. Think all this through before you make the decision to get one.

And do not @ me for this video. I hated doing it.