How to raise a dog in college
Raising a dog is a really big responsibility. Before you decide to purchase, you need to consider many issues. The two biggest issues on raising a dog is having time and money. Unlike cats, dogs need more attention. They need to be walked, taken outside to do their business and played with. They also need to see a vet multiple times a year. If you think you can handle all that then lastly you need to deal with the issue of what you are going to do with the dog during breaks and holidays as well as when you go on vacation.
Raising a dog is so beneficial and I absolutely love my dogs to death but sometimes it really is a burden. You don't want to get a dog and end up having to give him/her away because you aren't able to care for him/her.
Here are some helpful tips that I have learned since raising a dog in college....
Adopt from an animal shelter
Not only is it cheaper to buy a dog from the shelter rather than pet stores and breeders, it also saves a life. Most city shelters are kill shelters meaning that if the animal doesn’t get adopted within a certain amount of time they have to put the animal down. The Dallas animal shelter has over 600,000 dogs waiting to be adopted everyday.
When an animal is in the shelter, they get vaccines and neutering/spayed (which saves you money from having to do that in the future)
Certain days of the year animal shelters have free adoption day
I adopted Avery at an animal shelter
Low cost vaccines
Many vets offer discounted vaccinations on certain days and times of the week. This could save you hundreds of dollars.
Certain organizations offer low cost vaccines. I take my dogs to the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection. This is one of the biggest organizations in the dfw metroplex with many different locations
Stella got spayed at the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection
Buy food in bulk
Nutrition is a big part of keeping your animal healthy so the only way I would try to save money on food is by buying in bulk. You can always separate it to keep the food from getting contaminated or stale.
Brands I like are:
Dogsitting
When you go on vacation what are you going to do with your pup? What I like to do is work out a deal with a friend or family member where you watch each others dogs while you are out of town. Quid pro quo (this could save you a minimum of $35 a day from dropping your animal at dog boarding)
