There is an article at Huffington Post about a man who was out shopping with his family when all of a sudden they came across a puppy for sale in a store window. Instead of showing his children that dogs or any other animal is not an impulse decision they went in the store and bought the dog. A bit of time passes and it is now time to get the puppy neutered. The person balks at the cost of getting the dog neutered at the vet feeling that the vet charges too much for something so “minimal”. The person hears about a low cost spay / neuter option and decides that that is the right decision.
While waiting online outside with other dogs and cats all around along with the noises of the street the dog become visibly upset. The owner does not remove the dog from the situation allowing it to shiver and shake for two hours. Instead of spending the money which the person could afford to be able to take his dog to a calm and more relaxed location where there was a staff and doctors awaiting his arrival he went the route meant for people who truly can’t afford to spend the money for a regular vet but love and care for their pet enough to know the animal need veterinary care and they are willing to do what it takes.
So fist this person felt the need to make an impulse decision because the dog was so cute and then decided that owning a dog is really more money then he thought it would be so needed to take the cheap way out.
I am not against using reduced cost services if you honestly cannot afford your local vet. I am not opposed to people purchasing dogs from reputable breeders who would have sat down with the person and explained the true cost of animal ownership. I am not against people who want a dog and adopt one knowing full well where they will go to receive vet care and the costs associated with that care. If the man and his family had instead made the decision the day they all fell in love with the puppy that they would talk it over as a family and start their search maybe they would have realized dogs cost a lot of money to own and either made the decision to wait, adopt where the dog would have been neutered prior to adoption, or done their research as to the true cost of dog ownership and made arrangements. Instead the poor dog was traumatized online by a vicious cat both of whom were waiting to be neutered and the only question the man left the experience with was whether he should have taken the space at the low cost clinic or given it up for someone who truly can not afford the cost of vet care.
What are your thoughts on this scenario? What would you say to someone who just bought a puppy from a pet store and says that the cost of vet care is too high?
A really good article. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I wish that people would realize that it takes more than the money “on hand” to own and take care of pets. One school of thought would be to open a savings account equal to the amount one purchases a pet for and then to make regular deposits in said account for future care. It frustrates me too that while many us plan for vet costs there are still so many who do not.