Juneau grows bolder by the hour. On Tuesday she chewed a zipper off a pillow on the living-room sofa. Me and my daughter Annie were scheming to blame it on the cats, so to keep Juneau in my wife’s good graces. But on Wednesday, Juneau chewed a candle to bits and a leaf off a plant, so the Juneaugate coverup is unraveling.
Factoring in above-mentioned domestic destruction, the cost of owning Juneau is approaching $1,000 in 24 days since she melted us with her frightened eyes.
A rundown:
$425 — Cost of adopting Juneau from the Northeast Animal Shelter
$77 — Crate for Juneau to hide and sleep in
$20 - Pink sweater to keep Juneau from shivering when we take her outside
$29 — Blue jacket to put over pink sweater because Juneau still was shivering when we took her outside (perhaps it was related to fright, not Fahrenheit).
$14.99 - Musher's Secret wax to protect Juneau's paws from road salt
$21 — Big bag of dog food. Juneau only eats if nobody is watching, but she does eat.
$85.25 — Juneau’s first checkup at the vet. The vet's first words, “Hmmm. What do we have here?” The doc thought Juneau looked like an Italian greyhound/beagle mix. We suspect Jack Russell Terrier.
$94.25 — My share of the cost to have Juneau spayed. We opted not to inject the $90 ID chip into Juneau. But I am having second thoughts. She looks capable of running away fast.
$160 — Cost to enroll Juneau in Canine University. Her first class is Feb. 2. I’ll keep you posted.
Total cost: $926.49, plus damages.
Pet ownership is a huge responsibility.
Thankfully, Juneau is cute. The new tires for my car will just have to wait.
Dave,
I want to share your story with everyone who walks into our shelter. Not only is it very well written, it is also inspiring. I want to create my own for my three shelter pets at home. Thank you for loving Juneau so much and for sharing all of your experiences with him. I am going to pass the link along to everyone I know. I love that you mentioned some of our other dogs...... if they should only be so lucky to find someone as wonderful as you.
Cindi Hudson
NEAS staff
Posted by Cindi Hudson | February 13, 2009 6:27 AM
Posted on February 13, 2009 06:27
I just discovered this area after reading your first entry about Juneau in the Sun. I have't laughed so hard a quite a while. Please continue to let us know what is happening. . I have a 2 1/2 yr old shelter cat (Buddy) from the Lowell Humane Society that my husband brought home last March after I lost my 14 yr old Smoky to a heart condition. He is nicknamed, the wild child , the flash and Mischief for various and assorted reasons - but I would not trade him in for anything. I believe that Juneau will bring you love, joy and companioship for many a year to come. Keep those stories coming.
Posted by Joan Huot | January 26, 2009 5:51 PM
Posted on January 26, 2009 17:51
Hello again Dave,
I am enjoying the "dog blog", and have just snorted my drink out my nose while reading "The Cost of Dog Ownership." I can relate to the domestic destruction expenses, although I haven't tallied ours. Aiko has shown a preferrence for slippers and stuffed animals so far. In fact he seems to prefer them to the many toys that have been purchased for him that are actually meant for chewing! The one exception is a buffalo squeaky toy purchased from a drugstore in desperation. I think it was made by Milkbone, but the tag is long gone. We have named the buffalo "Woobie", and he carries it everywhere with him. He actually seems to nurse on it to soothe himself (don't tell any of the dogs in the neighborhood please, we are working on building a strong reputation).
As far as the other expenses go, I can proudly endorse the Lowell Humane Society for their all inclusive package. The cost of adopting Aiko was $250 which INCLUDED neutering, first round of vaccinations and microchipping. I think it is even less expensive to adopt an adult dog. Puppy class was $60 at Nevins Farm. Behaviour level I will be around $200 I think. First vet visit was reasonably priced under $100 with a three month flea treatment and heartworm prescription. I know this sounds like it's heading towards a Mastercard slogan: "Adding a new member to the family: priceless".
Keep up the great stories!
Molly
mother of Aiko (pound puppy) aged 6+mos and Eek (cat) aged 18, also of Chloe aged 16 who will I'm sure be embarrassed that I've posted this!
Posted by Molly | January 23, 2009 5:47 PM
Posted on January 23, 2009 17:47
We just microchipped our 5 month old Jack Russell Terrier. The cost was $42.00 and the enrollment cost $14.99. We did it when she was being spayed. I'm not sure if the $90 you quoted involved anything else, but it seems a little high.
Posted by Bernadette | January 22, 2009 12:50 PM
Posted on January 22, 2009 12:50
I'd love to see more photo's of the little guy!
I lost my 15-year old jack russell last summer and couldn't stand the silence in the house, so I adopted a 3-yr old cairn/westie terrier mix in October. His owners had lost their home. He moved right in and took over the house. Loves to sit on the back of the sofa and watch the neighborhood. It feels like he's been with me forever. Luckily he was trained, so I didn't have to go through the grueling puppy stage!
Posted by Judy | January 22, 2009 11:46 AM
Posted on January 22, 2009 11:46