How much would you spend?

[Buddy'sParents]

So the spammer in FH actually gave me an idea... how much do you/would you spend on your dogs "necessities"? Collars, tags, leashes, food, toys, vet care, etc.. Do you have a limit? Or do you see something for $$ and think, nah, that's too pricey?

Using the spammer as an example, $40 bucks for a dog tag is ridiculous! I mean, uhh, there are better things to buy for that amount of money. I did, however, buy boomerang tags and I think those were $10 each? I don't remember, but they are excellent quality for the kind of running around the dogs do in the ocean and other places.

I love my dogs and we do splurge on toys and such, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, or else we would spend ALL of our money on them, lol.

 

[Angel Chicken]

For a tag, no more than 10 bucks.... anything more than that is a bit ridiculous.

For my Lupine Collar/lead/harness I spent about $50 total (including shipping).

Toys... well, she's cheap on toys. There are 4 things we always keep for her. Some sort of squeaky retrieve toy (think the Kong footballs). Tennis balls, a tug toy, and a dumb bell. All run about $5 each.

 

[~Jessie~]

I would never spend $40 on a dog tag... that's just ridiculous :yikes:

We don't have a price limit on how much their stuff costs, but we'd never spend a large amount of money for something like a name tag!

I'm trying to think how much we spent on their necessities... they don't wear collars, but they have matching leather collars that were $20 a piece, I think. They have Puppia harnesses which were $20 a piece and they have their $5 name tags from the engraving machine attached to their harnesses. We have a leather leash and a bunch of nylon cheapie leashes that were less than $10 a piece (if my dogs were larger we'd have more expensive leashes, though).

For toys... I think the most we've spent on a single toy was in the $10 range, and it was some indestructable toy for small dogs (our foster is a chewer). For my girls, the most expensive toys they have are probably their Kong Wubbas. I have chihuahuas, so even $3 Dr. Noys brand plush toys last forever with them. We do have a ton of toys, though, but they've been collecting over the past couple of years.

We spend a good bit on food between kibble/raw/canned... as well as Interceptor and care items like gel for their teeth. There isn't much of a 'budget' on food, as that's a really important thing.

Same with vet care... it's one of those things where we'd spend as much as it would take to make our dogs well.

Wow, that was long, lol.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Since Jessie's post made me remember more...

Vet care is no limit. I even have a credit card just for her in case something happens.

Food is no limit either.

 

[ravennr]

Other than food and vet care, I have to put a price tag on all of my animals that aren't exotics.

I can imagine, when I do get my next dog, that the toy spending will go up a bit. Meika does not destroy toys much at all unless they're the cat toys we often have to buy for her. But I don't think I could see myself paying more than $15, for a really good, hardy toy for a strong breed known for toy murder (hehe).
And there is absolutely no way I would spend that much on a tag of all things, unless that thing chopped onions as well. :yikes:

 

[happyhound]

I spend about $15 a collar which also includes riveted on nameplates/tags. I can't see myself spending much more than 15 on a collar--especially since the ones I get are just perfect to me. Never get dirty and stinky!

 

[Toller_08]

I've spent up to $50 on a collar once, but I try not to go over $20 for 'unneccessary' items like collars, leashes, toys, etc. And for tags, no more than $12, if that (which is why I order from Boomerang - excellent quality & inexpensive!).

Food only costs me $60ish a month, but I could spend a lot more than that if needed. Vet bills I put no limit to unless there's a very slim chance of a full, quality recovery.

 

[xpaeanx]

I think I put price on how well the things hold up. Tags get trashed in a few months, no way i'm spending more than 10 on them. Collars have a slightly longer life, and if they're too cheaply made a much shorter one, so I get mid-range collars. I splurged on a leather studded one once and within 2 months it way destroyed bc my dog love tromping through saltwater/ponds/gunk. I buy the nylon Leashes and they're normally 5, I do have a few *nice* ones that cost about 20. I have TONS of leashes though... some in the truck, car, purse, house, etc... My family seems to NEVER have them for their dogs and always end up taking mine... so I keep extras everywhere! I spent a good amount on their dog dishes, but those last forever. The dog beds are just stupidly priced, and I try to get cheaper ones bc although you can wash the cover, the smell gets into the pillow stuffing.

I think vet care and food is a different subject entirely, and althought I try to keep it as cheap as possible i'm not a skimper there.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

you need a boomerang tag ^

 

[borzoimom]

Well- finding things that are suitable for dogs of this size, and what they would play with or collar types, we do not think about it. Just pay it.

 

[bnwalker2]

Food, vet bills, etc. - no limit.

Toys, collars, leashes, any "extras" - I usually get these things at the Family Dollar, Wal-mart... toys especially are just going to be destroyed fairly quickly so I don't spend more than $10 on a toy unless it's going to last a long time (like a Kong).

Tags - I buy them in bulk on ebay when the old ones need replacing. I can get enough for all the dogs and cats, with shipping, for under $30. They usually take a beating, especially with the dogs, so it wouldn't make sense to spend a lot of money on them.

 

[IcyHound]

On 'things' I put a value on everything.

Buying a normal dog bed I don't want to spend over 20 dollars. However, I've spent 50 in materials to build a memory foam bed 6 inches thick for my GSD for this winter.

I'll spend 1-2k buying a dog without blinking, but I don't like paying over 10 for a leash. I'll spend 30 dollars on a hand made greyhound collar but I buy my tags from the tag maker at walmart.

Its all situational.

 

[vanillasugar]

Honestly? I've never really considered there being a limit...

I suppose I judge individual items to their true value. For example with toys - if it looks like a quality toy that Sierra will enjoy, I think I'd pay up to $25. She is easy on toys, so it's not going to get ruined in a few minutes like some dogs. Collars, well the most I've spent on a collar is about $85 (It was in Paris, so that's my estimated conversion of how much it cost). I don't like cheap collars. The least I've spent on a collar was a $30 collar on clearance for $5

 

[SmexyPibble]

Vet care has no limit for any of our pets. At the pet store, we don't buy tags and seldomly to be buy collars. The collars we buy are under $10 and leashes under $10 as well unless it is a good leather then $15. As far as toys, we don't buy unless they're cheap. But every month we buy a load of $1 three pack tennis balls for the dogs, which don't last long..

 

[Wimble Woof]

I look for bargains for the most part, but if I really want to buy it, I just buy it. However I do use common sense when it comes to pet accessories.
But I have been known to splurge on them, myself, my man ect... I am a shopper!

 

[SizzleDog]

For me, the amount I'm willing to pay is proportional to the quality of the product.

 

[elegy]

it all just really depends. would i spend $40 on a dog tag? probably not. would i spend $40 on a collar? most likely not, but i wouldn't rule it out completely. vet care is a whole different kettle of fish.

toys i don't generally spend much on because my dogs are destructo maniacs, so other than kongs, i buy cheap.

 

[ACooper]

For me, the amount I'm willing to pay is proportional to the quality of the product.

This is my stand as well. Not just the quality, but also the necessity and longevity as well.

$40.00 on an engraved silver tag? Nah.......I don't think so, but I do and have spent a lot on toys that stand up because that is much better than them finding their "own" amusement with MY belongings

Likewise with a good well made collar and lead. That is something that can be passed down if taken care of.

Food and Vet care are NOT part of this limit, but quality does come into play with both of those items vs price as well.

Now MY limit is a little different than Kevin's limit

 

[bubbatd]

My first dog bed was a child's sleeping bag I got at Goodwill ... bought a foam pad 1/2 the size and after insertion , sewed up the edges . Ollie is wearing a leather collar of 2 past dogs. My leather leashes are over 20 years old . Toys ... again Goodwill for woobies as they last for ever . Ollie still sports Chip's tag ( must replace ) . Luckily Ollie gets " presents " at Holidays .!! Got a grand blanket from Hunter last Christmas . Basically my only expenses are the vetting , ( flea and heart worm supplies ) and food . ( I share my fish oil pills with him ! )

 

[AGonzalez]

I'm cheap when it comes to collars and leashes. I get the big sturdy nylon collars for $5 each at Walmart - I won't spend more on something that is likely to get messed up fast, as it is my $5 cheapy thick nylon collars are both over 2 years old so I think I got my $5 out of them.
Tags I get at places that do them in the machines, like our PX does...costs about $5 each for 5 lines of info.
Leashes, short, flat nylon ones and I have a retractable (hubby bought that one, I hate those things) that hubby uses...he has better luck with them than I do.
Toys I'm picky about, I haven't bought a Kong yet because of the price and I want to see how long it will survive before spending $20 on one. Chewy things like pigs ears and hooves and such are cheap and the hooves really have a good life...we bought 4 last week and 2 haven't been used yet and the other 2 are still in decent shape. I also buy the cheap tennis balls because they get destroyed fairly fast.
Vet bills are a completely different matter, and so is food. I'm not cheap on either really, well kind of. I do take my dogs to the military vet because of the price difference (and I get great service from them so that helps too) but it's a big difference. A vet visit for shots and such might cost me $40 total with the yearly health check, whereas off base it might run me $120. So I don't cut corners to be cheap but I do look for the better deal.