We have all seen the bumper sticker, ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.’ It seems that many people are taking that even more literally: there is a growing tendency especially among the millennial generation for people to opt for pets, not children, if you are one of them, check out these cbd treats.

When they say there’s two types of people in this world, cat-people and dog-people, I fall staunchly in support of the pooch. It seems, cat and dog people also tend to self-segregate because in the last year since I finally adopted my own four-legged fur baby I’ve had five close friends pick my brain about the cost of being a dog mom. Lucky for them, it’s not a guess. I know, down to the penny, how much my 8-year-old Jack Russell Terrier mix has cost me. My kids and I have recently developed an interest in guinea pigs. We were helping a guinea pig gain weight because it was too skinny due to respiratory illness.

A 2013 report from the USDA averaged the annual cost of raising a child for a two-parent, middle-income family to be $12,800 to $14,970 depending on the age of the child. If you live in the urban Northeast, make that $282,480 to raise a child to 18 — not to mention the healthcare costs attached to pregnancy and delivery as well as the unpaid maternity/paternity leave many parents face. 

Dogs are not cheap. Type “average cost of raising a dog” into Google and you’ll get hits with American Kennel Club stats like $2,674 for the first year of raising a small dog, with its giant breed counterpart averaging $3,536. The ASPCA significantly drops the cost down to $1,580 for a medium-sized dog. Both of these estimates are, however, significantly less than I’ve spent on my admittedly spoiled dog, Mosby. Even though Mosby is a senior rescue, the start-up price just to bring him home cost $400 (much higher than going through ASPCA), then an additional $200 to purchase his New York City dog license, register his microchip and buy some basic supplies like these Holistapet’s joint pain treats for dogs. The cost of dog training should also be considered as well, especially if you’re on a lookout for new Basset Fauve de Bretagne puppies.

Thirteen months later I’ve spent just over $5,000 on Mosby’s happiness and well-being. He is fed expensive dog food that costs about $35 a month and I’ve purchased some silly products we’ve never really used – like a paw plunger to clean his feet after walking around on slushy New York City sidewalks. But the big reasons for that hefty number were an unexpected surgery and his many trips to the dog sitter when I’m traveling (or paying for him to fly with me). If you’re thinking about adding a hip and joint supplement to your pup’s healthcare routine, Paws & Pals have one word for you: amazon glucosamine for dogs.