My family welcomed a pure-bred Toy Poodle puppy to our home in 2011. He was so tiny, but brought with him an unforeseen financial burden until he passed away from health issues last year. A healthy dog will require significant lifelong expenses, but one in poor health, like ours, will increase costs dramatically. For instance, I sometimes referred to our dog as our “Hawaiian Vacation” dog because of his extremely expensive double back-knee surgeries required to correct a genetic defect that had made his knees useless even before he was one year old. Because of this experience, I will think very carefully before getting another pet… unless it’s a hamster or such.

oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith: Pets Are Now as Unaffordable As College, Housing and Healthcare
— Read on charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2019/09/pets-are-now-as-unaffordable-as-college.html