We are pet people plain and simple. My wife and I grew up always owning pets, mainly dogs. We have owned several different types of pets over the years, including birds, fish (fresh and saltwater) rats, guinea pigs, cats, and dogs.
Shortly after we were married and moved into our house, we got our first dog together. She was a yellow Labrador. We had her for thirteen years. She was a great family pet, but as her health began to deteriorate, we knew it was time to let her go.
We were without a pet for a period of six months. During that time our house and family felt like something was missing. We knew we wanted to add a new dog to our family. In January of 2014, we did just that. Mushu joined our family. He has been such a great addition.
The rats and guinea pigs were choices our children made when they were younger. We were on board with them having the pets as long as the feed, cleaned and took care of them. All three children did a great job caring for their pets, diligently cleaning their cages each week and making sure each had food and water.
At one time in my youth, I cared for four dogs and three cats. It’s a great lesson in responsibility to care for an animal. Since Mushu has been our only pet for the last three years, I wanted to share with you the cost of owning a dog.
Brian is a Dad, husband, and an IT professional by trade. A Personal Finance Blogger since 2013. Who, with his family, has successfully paid off over $100K worth of consumer debt. Now that Brian is debt-free, his mission is to help his three children prepare for their financial lives and educate others to achieved financial success. Brian is involved in his local community. As a Financial Committee Chair with the Board of Education of his local school district, he has helped successfully launch a K-12 financial literacy program in a six thousand student district.
