Costs of Puppy Love Going Up

An update of our story last year about the costs of pet ownership: Bankwest released research earlier this year showing that it costs an average of $25,000 to care for a dog over its lifetime! That's almost $2,500 per year!

Cats are, as you would expect, a bit cheaper with average costs of around $1,700 a year.

The research revealed that the biggest expense of dog ownership is pet food and treats at about $1,200, followed by veterinary costs oat  $450 and additional care such as grooming and walking of $400.

What wasn't a surprise to any of us here was that the Bankwest research revealed that pet owners think the cost of a pet dog is a small price to pay in return for what a dog provides its family.

VetShopOnline Photo Caption Competition

We all love funny pictures of cute animals, so this month we decided to give a prize to the person who comes up with the funniest caption for this photo:

Simply post your funny caption in the comments section of this article to go in the running to win a VetShopOnline Pet Prize Pack to the value of $50.

Just make sure that you enter your email address so we can contact you if you win (don't worry, no-one else will be able to see it).

Terms and Conditions

• Entries close on August 31, 2010
• Winner will be contacted by us in September 2010 and will be announced here on the VetShop Lab Blog.
• You may enter as many times as you want.
• The winner will get to choose between receiving a Dog Prize Pack or a Cat Prize Pack to the value of $50 for their prize.
• Only entries posted in the comments section of this blog will be eligible.
• Entries valid for US residents only.
• The prize is not transferable and not redeemable for cash.
• A valid email must be left in order for us to contact you if you win. If the winner cannot be contacted, we will award the prize to the runner-up.