Have you ever met someone who talks way too much about their dog? It seems like their dog is their entire world and they almost treat it more like a human child than an animal.

That's exactly who my wife and I have become in the past (almost) year. We brought home an 8-week-old puppy last October and named her Winona. Yesterday (August 6), Winona enjoyed her 365th day on Earth. We've finally reached the point where we no longer have to tell people how many months old she is. We can finally just say "She's 1."

Look how much she's grown in 1 year! When we brought her home, she weighed around 20 pounds. I don't know the exact number...but at a year old, she now weighs around 70 pounds!

Winona is your typical 1-year-old dog who is full of energy. She's fearless when it comes to trying new things or meeting new people. We're working a lot on social cues when someone else doesn't want to say hi...because Winona is convinced everyone wants to pet her and be her best friend. I love that about her but we've been working on her assuming everyone is friendly. It's awesome and a pain in the a** at the same time.

Get our free mobile app

She loves to play fetch, go on walks, chew on her toys, and take naps between her Mom and Dad on the couch. While I could go on and on about Winona forever, she's not the entire focal point of this story.

Dogs Are EXPENSIVE

If you and your family want to bring home a new puppy, that's awesome. Dogs are so loyal and they have so much love to give. We probably don't deserve dogs if I'm being honest.

If you want to bring home a puppy, be prepared to spend something close to this in the first 12 months of their life. Not every family dog situation will be the same but in general, my wife and I have spent about $2,500-$3,000 in our dog's first year. Some people will pay more, some will spend a little less but $2,500-$3,000 is likely somewhere close to the middle.

First Year Expenses

We adopted Winona from an animal shelter and the adoption fee was about $400. She's not a purebred dog that was bred for a specific task or job, which normally will make the cost of buying/adopting a dog much more expensive. Off that bat, you spend anywhere from $200-$500 depending on how or where you adopt the dog from.

When a puppy is old enough, they begin receiving various shots, which help keep them healthy, and safe. Who doesn't want to keep their dog healthy? Plus it keeps other dogs and the people around them safe. You'll need to get distemper shots, parvo shots, lepto shots, bordetella vaccine, dewormer medication, and when they're old enough, a rabies vaccine. Some of these shots need boosters and are done multiple times, which will obviously cost money Depending on the Vet you choose, you likely have to pay a "first-time visit fee" when you bring your dog in for their first checkup.

If you adopt a young puppy from an animal shelter, sometimes they will have some of these shots already completed for you, depending on how old the dog is. You then can microchip your dog, which is recommended by vets. If this hasn't been done for you, it's usually pretty affordable but when you add it on top of all shots, that's about $300-$400 when it's all said and done. If you get your dog microchipped or they are microchipped when you get them, it costs about $100 just to activate the chip into the system.

By the time your puppy is about 4 months old and has completed all of the required vet visits and shots and paid your adoption fee, you've likely already spent somewhere between $1,000-$1,500.

We're not Done Yet But We're Close

Our puppy was done with all of her 1st-year vaccines and shots by the time she was 4 months old. Some vets wait until 6 months old for the rabies shot but once you've completed the rabies shot, you should get a bit of a break from those initial shots. Here's where the fun begins.

Most people end up getting their dog spayed or neutered. Not all people do this but for those who don't plan on breeding their dog, it's recommended by most vets. It can help them live longer than dogs who aren't fixed. It can prevent unwanted pregnancies, and help with behavioral issues. Depending on when your vet is, having this procedure will cost anywhere between $200-$700.

Female dogs are generally more expensive than boy dogs and my wife and I paid a little more than 500 dollars to have Winona spayed when she was about 7 months old, which our vet recommended. She was big enough, weighed enough, etc. They also wanted to keep her overnight, which added to the cost. Some places let you take your dog home after a few hours, some places monitor them for 24 hours. We didn't shop around and look for deals, we just used her normal vet that we knew and trusted.

Here is where I want to warn people about bringing a puppy home because they think they're cute and friendly. 

They are. It's awesome having Winona and I wouldn't trade her for anything.

We had spent close to $1,600 on vet visits and surgeries before Winona turned 8 months old. That number doesn't include any of the food we've also spent in those first 8 months. Winona's food costs around $50 a bag, after taxes, and we use around 1 bag of food per month. Some people spend $80 per bag, some spend less than $50. It all depends on finding good quality food at the price you can afford.

To feed her for an entire year has cost us around $600 and that's likely on the safe side. Every month we give her flea and tick medication, along with heartworm medication. I can't even remember what that costs because we bought a year's supply of both, at one time, so we don't have to run to the vet every month to get it.

We haven't got into all of the other stuff that most puppy parents will buy. Collars, new collars when they outgrow old collars, leashes, toys, treats, doggy daycare, training, etc. Thankfully, I have flexible afternoon work hours and could be home with her for most of the day when she was a puppy. Not everyone has that luxury. You may have to pay someone to check on your dog during the day and take them for a walk, let them outside to use the bathroom, feed them, etc.

Animal Shelters

Shelters end up with a lot of dogs who are somewhere between 6-12 months old aka "teenage dogs" for a variety of reasons. I believe one of the biggest reasons is owners HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE GETTING INTO. There's not a single YouTube video or article on the internet that can truly prepare you for how much work it is. I was lucky and had a family dog, so I had a general idea of what to expect when my wife and I got our first dog.

Some people/families have no clue how expensive it can be, how much energy it takes, how much time you need to dedicate to your new pet, or how to train them.  Before bringing home a new 4-legged bundle of joy, you should have a real conversation with yourself or your family if it is something you can truly handle and afford. It's not fair to the dog if their quality of life suffers because of you. It's okay to not be ready to bring a dog home if you aren't ready or if you don't think you can dedicate the time that they need.

There's nothing more sad to me than a dog that thinks it's found its forever home, only to constantly be shipped back to an animal shelter.

I don't want to scare anyone from adding a new best friend to their family. I just wanted to show someone who doesn't know what they can expect in the first 12 months of their life. If you're not in a situation where you can afford anywhere from $2,000-$3,000 in their first year, it might be better to wait to bring home your new best friend until you can confidently afford one. If you can afford one, there's nothing better than having a best friend who's always happy when you walk through the door.

Happy Birthday, Winona! Here's to another year of adventures, walks, lazy days on the couch, and your favorite...TREATS!