Quote:
Originally Posted by Taj44
That was exactly my point. Of course people are free to spend their money as they choose. But its just not ethical veternary treatment - its expensive dog grooming, dog clothing, premier pet food, doggie daycare, you name it. I read somewhere it costs on average about $1700 per year to have a dog. As you said, they are valued family friends and we derive a great deal of enjoyment from them. But some of these expenditures just seem a little over the line to me. It seems to me that society's values have changed over time. It used to be we placed more value as a society on human beings than on pets.
|
I’ve had a minimum of one, and usually two dogs in my life continuously for the past 30 years. I feed a premium diet and my breed of choice requires frequent grooming. I've never used day-care, but I think it's a good concept. Vet care is indeed very expensive, even if you aren’t faced with a major illness or injury. But those are expenses I take into account when thinking about bringing another dog into the family.
My beautiful heart-dog who passed away two years ago cost me many thousands of dollars over his lifetime as he had several odd health things that popped up, all fixable, but necessary and expensive. When we made the decision to let him go, it was because it was the best decision for him, it was time. But we had the most wonderful 13 years with him.
I don’t regret a penny of it, and I don’t miss whatever material things or extra vacations that we might have used it for. The money I spend on my dogs doesn’t take away from my charitable contributions, and it wouldn’t be going to charity if I didn’t have the dogs. It would be spent on some other personal need or interest. I can't speak for society as a whole, but I know that my expenditures don't mean that I place more value on animals than I do on humans. It means I value my animals more than whatever toy or hobby I might have otherwise.