Are
you feeling a little financially overwhelmed by the never-ending rise
in costs associated with owning a pet? Well, you have good reason to
feel that way. According
to a 2013 survey of pet owners by the American Pet Products
Association, a dog owner shelled out $1,559 to feed and care for
their pal and a cat owner paid $1,271.
And
the APPA estimates that those costs will go up in 2014. Overall,
owners are expected to spend $58.5 million on their pets in 2014, up
from $55.7 million in 2013. Most of that money will be spent on food,
followed by veterinary care and grooming.
But
pet parents can save a bundle of cash by making their own dog and cat
toys, learning how to groom your pet yourself and buying food in
bulk, animal welfare advocates say.
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THE HUNT OF HER LIFE, is a nonfiction book
about Samantha, an unwanted rescue dog who the author adopts at age 2.
This beautifully designed deluxe full-color book, by longtime newspaper journalist Joseph A. Reppucci, contains more than 60 vibrant color photos of dogs to help illustrate the compelling and uplifting
story of Samantha - a pretty tricolor bird dog who uses her warm
personality to win people over and build a new family after being put up
for adoption by a hunter because she is gun-shy and afraid to hunt.
Learn how she uses her special bonding abilities with people to help her
eventually make a transition from the hunting fields to family life. While
reading the The Hunt of Her Life, you will travel with Samantha and the
author along a trail filled with surprising twists, sudden turns,
mystery and even what some call a miracle. And when the journey is
finished, you may never look at people and their pets, motherhood - and
perhaps even God - in the same way. The
Hunt of Her Life is must reading. It will take you on a captivating
journey - a trip like no other - that will touch your heart.
A book about a rescue dog
that will touch your heart
that will touch your heart
THE HUNT OF HER LIFE, is a nonfiction book
about Samantha, an unwanted rescue dog who the author adopts at age 2.
This beautifully designed deluxe full-color book, by longtime newspaper journalist Joseph A. Reppucci, contains more than 60 vibrant color photos of dogs to help illustrate the compelling and uplifting
story of Samantha - a pretty tricolor bird dog who uses her warm
personality to win people over and build a new family after being put up
for adoption by a hunter because she is gun-shy and afraid to hunt.
Learn how she uses her special bonding abilities with people to help her
eventually make a transition from the hunting fields to family life. While
reading the The Hunt of Her Life, you will travel with Samantha and the
author along a trail filled with surprising twists, sudden turns,
mystery and even what some call a miracle. And when the journey is
finished, you may never look at people and their pets, motherhood - and
perhaps even God - in the same way. The
Hunt of Her Life is must reading. It will take you on a captivating
journey - a trip like no other - that will touch your heart.
Available at:
Createspace.com (an Amazon.com company)
Also find it on: Amazon.com
Like it on: Facebook/thehuntofherlife
CLICK HERE FOR A FREE LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Story continues here
Beth
Cochran, an official with the Phoenix Area Animal Care Coalition,
says careful shopping can lead to huge savings on food. She advises
checking the weekly store ads, clipping coupons, and searching for
discounts and coupons online.
"I
recently found the food I buy was half price, so I stocked up on it,"
Ms. Cochran told MySetterSam.com. "I also found a great deal on
treats and was able to use coupons, so I saved nearly $10 on three
bags of treats."
Brenda
Barnette, chief executive officer of the Seattle Humane Society,
offers another trick to save on food. "You can also call the
company who produces the pet food you buy and ask for coupons. They
will often send a generous supply."
Ms.
Barnette advises buying food in in bulk, because "you may pay up
to 40 percent less per pound." The key is to use a large
airtight container to store the food and preserve its freshness, she
said.
She
also advises "investing" in quality food to avoid costly
health care costs that can later occur by feeding a pet inferior
quality products.
Grooming
is another area where pet parents can save a lot, Ms. Barnette said.
"Learn to groom your pet yourself. Your local library or the
Internet will have information on how to properly groom your pet.
Although certain pets need special grooming care, most pets you can
groom yourself and save the expense of paying a professional."
Pet
parents also can save money by buying second-hand toys, Ms. Barnette
said. "Shop for pet toys and equipment at garage sales or flea
markets and get them at a fraction of the price of new items."
Making
homemade toys is one of the simplest ways to save money and keep a
playful pet happy, according to Brandi Hand, an official with the
Ashville Humane Society in North Carolina.
Toys
can be made from household items that are bound for the trash, Ms.
Hand said. Her tips include:
- Using empty plastic water bottles to toss around for the dog. "Dogs love empty plastic water bottles."
- Stuffing an old pillowcase with dead leaves and tying the end. "Cats love the sound the leaves make as they pounce and wrestle on the pillowcases."
- Using old socks to play tug-of-war.
- Stuffing the cardboard tubes from paper towel with treats to offer a challenge for a playful pet.
- Recycling stuffed animals made for children (remove the plastic eyes and nose).
But
health care is the one area that pet parents should avoid skimping,
Ms. Cochran, the Phoenix Area Animal Care Coalition official,
advises.
More
reports about dogs and surveys:
Is
your dog's breed on the easiest-to-train list?
Is your dog's breed on most mischievous list?
Is your dog's breed on the hot-dating list?
Is your dog's breed on most mischievous list?
Is your dog's breed on the hot-dating list?
"Never
forgo vaccinations or getting your pet spayed or neutered," Ms.
Cochran said. "There are plenty of clinics that offer this at a
discounted rate and some will even do it for free depending on the
breed. Besides, it will be much more costly in the long run to care
for a litter of puppies or the serious medical issues that could
arise from not getting the proper vaccinations."
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The Ruff Report is a column that appears on MySetterSam.com,
a blog written by Joseph A. Reppucci, a retired editor from The Patriot
Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts. Mr. Reppucci worked as a reporter and editor on major daily
newspapers in the Boston area for more than 30 years. He is the author
of the book, The Hunt of Her Life,
a heartwarming story about his once-in-a-lifetime rescue dog. Find it on Createspace.com and Amazon.com.
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