They grow up so fast. You hear people say this about kids, but the same can be true about dogs. I was surprised when I showed up to my parents’ house on New Year’s Day, and my mother had a collection of items she wanted me to donate on Freecycle. Her Shih Tzu mix isn’t even old enough to be neutered yet, and the puppy is already outgrowing her X-Small and Small clothing. For some pet owners, that first year is enough to break the bank.
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As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I want to continue promoting cool products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. As of the first date of Black History Month 2025, each new post will ALWAYS include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site to verify that Amazon Black-owned logo.) I am (slowly) doing this with older, popular posts too. If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) guesstimates the annual cost of dog expenses are $512 for small dogs, $669 for medium dogs and $1,040.31 for large dogs. Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to see how true that was. In year one with my Hound mix (who weighs somewhere between 30-32 lbs as an adult dog), I spent a total of $1,447.30. In 2022, I spent $1,011.65. While the rate is lower than her puppy year, that’s still a sizable amount of money.
However, there are a few ways that pet owners can save on annual expenses even more. Here’s how.