pets posts

Pet ownership has its ups and downs. On the one hand you get companionship, unconditional love and lower blood pressure. On the other, you have vet bills, grooming costs and pet food to buy. The good outweighs the bad for most animal lovers. But what if pet ownership is out of the question for you for one reason or another?

If you love dogs but not the expense of ownership, pet sharing may be the answer. Here's how it works.

In 2012, Americans will spend $52.87 billion on their pets, the American Pet Products Association calculates.

To put that figure in perspective, let's break it down: The average dog owner spends about $248 a year on routine vet visits, $407 on surgical vet visits, $419 on food, treats and vitamins, $274 on boarding, $78 on travel expenses and $73 on grooming.

Add it up, and you get $1,251. That's close to what we spend on electricity to run our homes ($1,413), telephone services ($1,178) or household furnishings ($1,467) each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest Consumer Expenditure Survey.

If you're surprised, you must not own a dog. Or a cat, fish or turtle. Keeping one of these friends under your roof adds up fast. Trust me. I've been to the emergency vet in the middle of the night, and my wallet has the battle scars to prove it.

I don't think there's a pet owner out there who isn't looking to cut costs. Here's how to do it:

You could be a young person shopping for your first apartment or you could be empty-nesters looking to downsize from a house to something that doesn't require constant maintenance and the paying of property taxes.

As someone on the hunt myself, I've devised a guide to shopping for a rental property, whether it's an apartment, a condo or a house.

Some of you may remember with horror the melamine-tainted wheat gluten and rice protein from China that found it's way into more than 100 pet food products in 2007.

Cherished family pets died eating these products and it was to be hoped that after the U.S. prosecuted those responsible for importing adulterated and mislabeled food, another such scenario could be avoided.

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After six weeks of waiting and several phone calls, *Karen Webber finally got the news she was waiting for.

Her longtime veterinarian informed her that her cat's ashes were available at their facility. Suspiciously, she was given this information within an hour of her last phone call to the clinic. As if the death and cremation of her beloved pet weren't difficult to deal with, she also doubts that she truly has her cat's ashes.

There must be a better way to say goodbye than this. Helen Hobbs, veteran funeral director and owner of Pets at Peace and Memorial Services, thinks so. Since 2003, she and her business partner have been fulfilling this need by offering pet cremation services online. A survey conducted by Ipsos Reid estimates that there are 7.9 million cats and 5.9 million dogs living in Canada.

Tom Barlow

How much do you love your pet? What would happen to it should you die? More and more, people are solving that dilemma not by depending on the good will of a friend or a stipulation in a will. They are going with the gold standard to guarantee a good life for their pet if they should die first: the pet trust fund.

According to Rachel Hirschfeld of PetTrustLawyer.com, over half a million dogs and cats are euthanized each year because their owner dies or is forced to move to assisted-living housing where they are not permitted.

I would love to have been in the room the first time someone tried to sell pet medical insurance. I can picture it... "You want me to insure my dog??"

In truth though, it's a good idea. (In my opinion, anyway.) There are certain expenses that are a given when you take on the responsibility of pet ownership. Food is one. Veterinary fees (vaccinations and annual doses of flea and heartworm meds) are another. Both are part of the cost of doing business.

When you own a pet too, unless you're wealthy with absolutely solid sources of excess cash flow, I'd add pet insurance to that list as well.

According to statistics, more than half of Canadians count cats and dogs among their family members. If you have a pet, you know that it can get expensive to keep Fifi and Fluffy in kibble, not to mention other necessities important to the well-being of your animals.

Dollarama has quite a few items in their pet section that can help you save money on pet supplies. In recent months, they've even added plastic aquarium plants, goldfish food and spray millet for birds, for a dollar each. They even have an 8L package of pine bedding for small critters like guinea pigs and hamsters.

However, the bulk of items here are for cats and dogs. Most of them are great value for the money. Dogs and cats alike love the printed fleece pet blankets available at the dollar store. They're 30 inches square and cost $1.25 each. My furry friends each have an oval plastic pet food mat under their food and water dishes. I like these because they have an edge around them to help contain spills and wayward bits of kibble. They only cost $1.25, as well.

There's a great selection of pet food dishes at the dollar store. You can get them in plastic or metal with rubber around the bottom edges to help keep them from traveling across the floor as your pet chows down. The metal ones come in a couple of different sizes and I like the small ceramic cat food dishes that have playful decorations on them. Dollarama also has some smaller plastic Disney themed bowls for your pets.

It's always nice to find a name you trust at the dollar store. Hartz has several products on offer, including large 532 ml bottles of dog shampoo, flea collars for cats and dogs and a package of six puppy training pads. Each item costs $2. Our cat, Cloe, enjoys her Luvs cat treats. I get them for a buck a pouch. There's also Whiskas or Friskies moist cat food pouches or different varieties of Cesars dog food for a buck each.

Cats eating Dairy Milk bars = bad.

Cats eating stinky meat pellets = good.

If you're a feline owner looking to spruce up your pet's chow, here's an opportunity to get a meaty freebie. Purina is offering free samples of its Pro Plan Dry Cat Food here. Pro Plan contains 40% or more protein.

You must choose one of the following as your sample:

- Adult chicken and rice formula

- Kitten chicken and rice formula

- Indoor cat formula

- Weight management program (recommended for cats who have overindulged on chocolate bars)

In addition to the sample, you'll receive a "high value" coupon for your next purchase

To all those pooch lovers out there: I know how much you love fashioning a glove out of an old grocery bag, stooping down and realizing - seconds too late - that it is festooned with holes.

However, should you desire a change, here's an opportunity to score some free PoopBags.

Yes, PoopBags.

There's a silver (actually, green) lining too: these guys are biodegradable and compostable.

Just click here, enter your name and address, and they'll send you a free sample within two to four weeks. How's that for a scoop?