Our dogs are part of our families. They show us love, make us laugh, and join us on our adventures. 

But owning and caring for a pet comes with costs—both expected and unexpected. Some of those costs can be rolled into your regular monthly budget, but others require some long-term financial planning and saving. 

We chatted with Canmore-based Victoria Stuart about the cost of caring for her beloved Australian Shepherd Farley, an Insta-dog celeb who scales Rocky Mountains, camps in the forest, and swims in glacial lakes. 

Find out what Victoria and her partner spend on dog food, toys, and veterinary care—and why a dog life jacket and canine first aid kit are non-negotiable expenses if you want to bring your pup along on outdoor adventures. 

How much do you typically spend each month on food, treats, and supplements for Farley. Have these costs changed over time?

Typically, I spend $100 to $150 per month.

For food, I consider our spending—$50 per month—very average for a medium-sized dog who is 35 pounds. There are cheaper dry food options available compared to what we feed her, but we could also spend a lot more money on raw or fresh meals.

There are food options for many different budgets.

Our food costs haven't changed much for us over time, other than the first year when we increased Farley's food as she grew. But once she stopped growing, her food intake has been steady. We’ve kept her on the same food.

The larger spend for us is supplements: $50 to 100 per month. And this is definitely optional! But I’m the type of person who takes vitamins, and so I do the same for Farley. I give her a hip and joint supplement, a probiotic for tummy health, fish oil for skin, hair, and heart, and dental powder and chews for her teeth.

Spending on treats isn’t a huge thing for us: $10 or less per month. We used to spend more on treats when Farley was a puppy, when we used them for training.

Most of the “treats” she gets now are just regular people food items: fruit, veggies, and cheese. We make her special treats sometimes like bone broth, doggy pizzas, and doggy waffles—just little dog-safe versions of the things we’re eating, because it’s fun for us!

How often do you buy toys or enrichment items for your pup? Do you find yourself spoiling Farley more than you thought you would?

I have a weakness for buying stuffed toys for Farley. There are just so many cute toys available in stores. Whenever I see a little toy that looks like food, like a little burger or a can of SPAM, I just can’t walk away without buying it.

Farley is pretty careful with her toys. She doesn’t really rip them apart. They last forever in our house. I didn’t think I’d be this way, but dog toys are my weakness. And Farley gets so happy every single time—she treats a new toy like it’s the best thing she’s ever seen.

I’ve also got a weakness for little doggy sweaters and jackets. It takes a strong person to not succumb to spoiling a perfect fur angel like Farley.

Let’s talk about vet costs. How much do you spend each year?

Our regular annual vet costs are roughly $300 to $400, which includes Farley’s yearly check-up, any vaccinations that she needs, and a tick preventative for the spring, summer, and fall.

Have any surprise vet bills or emergency visits affected your budget?

We’ve been really lucky that there hasn’t been anything too serious, but even for small things, the costs add up.

We had two unexpected vet bills in 2023:

• $2,200 for a cracked molar, likely from an old, hard chew toy. Farley needed an initial vet assessment, anxiety medication before her procedure, an x-ray, removal of the tooth, a clean of her other teeth, and then pain medication for after the procedure.
• $200 for a minor skin rash that required a vet visit, one bottle of medicated shampoo, and two weeks of treatment.

We haven’t had any unexpected vet costs so far this year. It really varies. And while I call these costs “unexpected,” we do expect these things to happen and have money set aside to cover them.

When you travel, do you opt for pet care services or book pet-friendly accommodations? How do the costs compare?

Whenever possible, we try to find pet-friendly accommodations when we’re traveling, which is fairly easy these days. In our experience, most places charge a pet fee. There are also sometimes size and weight limits.

I usually expect to pay an extra $50 per night per dog when staying in a hotel with Farley.

On the rare occasion that we can’t bring Farley along on our travels, we’ve taken her to a boarding facility. Ours has a base price around $50 per night, but it also offers optional upgrades to make your pet’s stay more comfortable: a bigger room, extra play time, treats, KONG toys, and grooming.

We’ve taken Farley on an airplane too. It cost $100 to add her to our WestJet booking, but there were additional costs that we had to consider: a travel crate ($200), air tag ($40), anxiety meds ($50), and a million boxes of tissues for me to cry into for four hours while I worried about her being separated from us.

What’s the most unexpected or outrageous purchase you’ve made for your pet? Was it worth the cost?

I’ve bought a ridiculous number of matching clothing sets for me and Farley. We have two sets of matching rain jackets. We have a hers-and-hers pajama set. Mine has pictures of her face on it, and hers has pictures of my face.

We have matching football jerseys (go Chiefs!). We have matching rain boots. I’d say they were all worth the cost because they make me extremely happy and I keep buying more.

Do you have pet insurance or a dedicated savings fund for your pet’s future needs? How has it helped you manage your expenses?

We put a lot of thought into how to financially plan for emergency expenses early in our pet-parent journey. When we spoke to other pet owners and browsed the internet for worst-case scenarios, we discovered that treating serious injuries or diseases could cost us five figures—easily.

Planning for the worst case scenario was essential for me, because my emotional well-being depends on my fur-child.

We chose to create a dedicated high interest savings account for Farley’s emergency expenses. We’ve stashed enough money away in the Farley Fund to cover a vet emergency.

The fund is separate from our other accounts, and we’re diligent about never using the money for other purposes.

Having this account gives me peace of mind. We know that whatever comes up, we’ll be able to give Farley the care she needs right away.

If we weren't able to set aside a chunk of money for emergency expenses, we’d have purchased pet insurance for Farley. Dogs can be unpredictable: they might chew the wrong thing, roll in something they shouldn’t, run too hard, or just get sick for no reason at all.

Having a financial plan in place for Farley removes at least one source of anxiety in my life. Instead of worrying about unexpected vet bills, I can worry about more important things like whether she loves her dad more than she loves me and what Halloween costume she’s wearing this year.

What other pet expenses do you have? And why are they important to you?

I joked about sweaters and jackets for Farley, but these are actually necessities.

Because we live in Alberta and do a lot of hiking and outdoor activities with Farley, some gear is required to keep her safe and comfortable. For example: doggy winter boots and a doggy winter jacket.

A doggy life jacket keeps her safe, visible, and maneuverable when we go paddleboarding. I’ve also added a doggy rescue sling and a dog-specific first aid kit to my hiking gear.

Depending on where you live and what activities you want to do with your dog, you might have to cover a few extra expenses.