Welcome to Petty Cash, a series where we find out just how much real people are spending on their pets in a month — from weekly costs and treat budgets to surprise vet visits and next-level splurges. To take part in Petty Cash, submit your monthly pet spends hereopens in a new tab.
Pet name: Cooper, Brooklyn, Lucas, Cowboy
Pet age: Cooper is 14, Brooklyn is seven, Lucas is four, Cowboy is four months
Pet breed: Golden Retriever, Dachshund, Great Dane, Great Dane
Location: Austin, Texas
Household salary: $200,000
Pet parent’s job: Marketing and social media
What’s your gotcha story?
Cooper: Local animal shelter while we were going to school in Nebraska. We walked in “just to look” and left with a four-year-old Golden Retriever with a heart of gold.
Brooklyn: We were at an adoption event and saw a litter of tiny fluffy puppies; we had wanted to get a small dog and she was perfect
Lucas: After losing my soul dog (Apollo, a Great Dane) I knew I wanted another Great Dane. We got Lucas, and he instantly became my best friend.
Cowboy: We were never planning on getting a fourth dog, but I had always wanted a Harlequin Great Dane, and I always wanted to rescue. When I got sent a post with a nine-week-old Great Dane who needed to be rescued. He was aptly-named Bourbon, and I knew he was meant to be ours.
How much did your pet cost?
Cooper: $150; Brooklyn: $300; Lucas: $1,500; Cowboy: $300
How much did you spend on up-front costs for your pets?
Cooper: $300. The others added probably $200 each.
How much do you spend on pet insurance each month?
$250 for two dogs (Cooper is too old/has too many pre-existing conditions to get coverage).
What’s the most you’ve spent on a health emergency for your pets?
Apollo, my soul dog, was diagnosed with cancer at four years old. We spend over $20,000 on his chemo treatments.
What is the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought for your pets?
Aside from the high cost of chemotherapy, we dropped quite a bit on a car for our dogs. Well... we needed a car, but we picked the car we did specifically so the dogs could all comfortably fit. That set us back $40,000.
What’s the most outrageous purchase you’ve made for them?
Seats on a semi-private plane! We were moving abroad and knew we couldn’t put them underneath the plane, so we got seats for the two big boys that ran us $20,000 round trip.
Have you ever bought anything inspired by your pet/with their face on it?
Oh boy, I have a whole collection. I have sweaters, mugs, water bottles, hats, paintings, decals, earrings, a ring with Apollo's ashes, you name it. Altogether, this probably has run me around $2,000.
Do you have any tips for saving money on your pet spending?
I highly recommend pet insurance to help off-set veterinary costs, plus you never know when an emergency comes up that will set you back a couple thousand dollars. We also buy a lot of things in bulk (like treats, food, or toys) whenever there are sales on Amazon or Chewy.
Week One
Purchase 1: Pet insurance, $250
Purchase 2: Travel souvenirs, $120
They got toys, treats, and bandanas from my favorite pet store in Paris.
Purchase 3: Kibble for Cowboy, $120
He’s obsessed with food.
Week Two
Purchase 1: Veterinarian, $160
Vet visit and vaccines for Cowboy.
Purchase 2: Dog chews from Amazon, $50
Their favorite.
Purchase 3: Fans, $30
To put in the back of our car to help keep them cool during our upcoming roadtrip.
Purchase 4: Treats and toys, $120
Bought during a pitstop of our road trip.
Purchase 5: CBD chews, $70
Also purchased for our road trip.
Week Three
Purchase 1: Cooling bandanas, $45
We found these at a farmers’ market.
Purchase 2: Chews and treats, $60
Also found at the farmers’ market.
Purchase 3: Kibble, $120
For Cowboy.
Purchase 4: Doggie meal, $12
At a dog-friendly restaurant.
Purchase 5: Treats and chews, $40
Purchased at a pet store while traveling.
Purchase 6: Hotel fee, $75
Dog-friendly hotel fee while traveling.
Week Four
Purchase 1: Vaccines, $70
The last round of Cowboy’s vaccines.
Total monthly spend: $1,342
Pet insurance: $250
Medications and routine care: $230
Grooming accessories: $0
Food: $252
Treats: $320
Toys: $100
Lounge accessories: $30
Walk accessories: $0
Clothes and wearable accessories: $85
Hotel fee: $75
How do you feel about this month in spending? Will you change anything going forward?
It was honestly less than I would’ve thought, but we definitely spend a ton of money on treats and chews. I may look into doing a bulk order of chews so that I have to buy them less frequently and save some money on them.
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