Pets aren’t cheap. Even if you get them for free, they still cost a lot to maintain. Take dogs, for example. You have to (or at least should) spay or neuter them, get their shots once a year, buy them food … the list goes on.

I’ve always had pets in my life. My first pet was Toby, a little Siamese looking cat. She was quite an adorable kitty but she was eaten by a coyote. :( We eventually got a couple other cats, first Ariel (after the Little Mermaid) and then Flounder (again … Little Mermaid). We eventually got a dog too … Daisy the Dalmatian.

Daisy and Flounder!

Eventually, we had to give Daisy away. She had all sorts of skin problems and she was allergic to everything. She had to have special dog food that cost about $55 a bag and when my parents split up, it was too much for my mom to afford. We gave her to a family with a little boy in a wheelchair who desperately wanted a dog, so it was a good thing in the end.

Personally, I’ve always believed that you should never get a pet unless you know you can absolutely afford and handle it. I know a lot of pets wind up either at animal shelters or even just abandoned because people don’t realize how much work they are. Of course, things always happen in life that you don’t expect and sometimes you have to give up your pets, especially like in Daisy’s situation.

I was really sad when we had to give her away, but eventually we got another dog, a yellow lab we named Tanner. He’s a wonderful dog and he’s my favourite “puppy”! He’s going to be 8 I think this year, so he’s had an awesome life. He’s getting old and it’s showing, but he still has the spirit of a puppy.

My Mister Tanner-Bo-Banner <3

When I moved out of my mom’s place and in with my dad to go to school, I really started to miss my dogs. (My mom also has a maltipoo) I begged my dad to let me get a dog, but he refused. Kyle got a puppy just after Halloween (he named her Molly) and so I lived vicariously through him in my dog owning dreams. I was jealous, plain and simple! Eventually my dad caved and let me get a dog as an early Christmas present. After searching the Buy & Sell, I found an ad for Alaskan Malamute puppies, called, and after a sketchy drive up a snowy dirt road, Daphne came into my life as a runty little fur ball!

She’s six-weeks old in this photo, the night I brought her home!

She’s pretty much been the love of my life (other than Kyle obviously) and I wouldn’t trade her for anything! I’ve learned that being a pet owner really isn’t cheap. The other night I took her to the emergency vet clinic because he muzzle was all swollen and looking awful. I panicked and took her, and $227 and 24 hours later, the swelling is finally starting to go away.

I suppose if it were a child, I’d do the same thing. But Daphne is kind of like my child, my fur child if you will, and by making her mine I accepted all the responsibilities a parent would do for a real child. I feed her, bathe her, make sure she has a place to sleep … you know. I just wish more people realized how much responsibility there is behind pet ownership.If only they did a little more research to each species and breeds needs, a lot of that wouldn’t happen I think.

I wouldn’t call myself a PETA or Humane Society extremist, but I do love animals. Period. I wouldn’t live without them in my life :)

Have you had any special pets in your life? What do you think of people who buy certain animals just because they think they’re in fashion or they’re easy to take care of, only to give them away or abandon them?