I am associated with a registered rescue group which is breed specific;although we have taken in dogs that were "thought" to be our breed and turned out to not be. I specifically take in senior males;I live with four old men right now. The baby is nearly 12 and the "king" is nearly 16. I live on a fixed income and have to be careful about how any money is spent.

It is not impossible to care properly for your pets within your financial means. Know your vet well. Serivces and supplies can be "shopped for." Never,never compromise on medical services and medications. You are entitled,by law,to obtain a prescription for any medications and purchase them through an online site. I'm not here to advertise for any,but the best one is the site that starts with it's 800 phone number.

Read anything and everything about your breed. Go online at AKC.org to start. Keep searching. Find local clubs in your area/state and ask for help,advice,information. This is all available for FREE. Be smart,educated and informed.

When the time comes,and it does,for all of us;make careful,thoughtful,practical decisions. If a dog is suffering,then it is time to let it go peacefully. Your vet will help you make the decision for your particular circumstances. It is perfectly okay to feel sad,cry,and get emotional. Remember that your dog has given you unconditional love. There's only one other way to get that. It is the loving thing to do in some situations. Let no one judge.

Be your dog's best friend.

The advice about not giving yearly vaccinations is medically sound, for the most serious diseases. When you innoculate a dog with a mature immune system, the immunity to parvo and distemper lasts a minimum of 7 years, and probably for the life of the dog. There just have not been any long term trials to prove the longer immunity. Who would pay for it? Not the vaccine manufacturers, for sure. You still need to do the puppy series of vaccinations.

To learn more go to www.newvaccinationprotocols.com and www.critteradvocacy.org These sites were both developed by a veterinarian to educate people about the way vaccinations work and the dangers of over vaccinating. Yearly vaccinations have been linked to increased autoimmune diseases and other health issues.

If you choose not to give yearly vaccinations, please do take your dog in for yearly checkups. The reason vets have insisted on yearly vaccs for so long it that is the only way to get most owers in the door for checkups.

Some vaccinations do not cause long term immunity. If you chose to get you dog innoculated against kennel cough and leptospirosis, the immunity lasts only about six months. Please do some research before giving lepto. In large parts of the country it is not a problem. However, if it is present in your area, lepto is a very very serious disease.

Brushing your dog's teeth is important. The bacteria that builds up under the gum line can end up in their blood stream and lodge in major organs. If you have trouble, you don't really need to open their mouth. Pull the lips up and back and start with the outside surfaces. If you use a flavored dog toothpaste (no human toothpastes because the dogs swallow it) the dog will start to lick and open their mouth. The outside surfaces are the ones that really need to be brushed the most.

If your dog does not like you to trim their nails, you can re-train them to accept having them dremeled. Yes, the rotary tool with a sanding drum on the end. It is much easier to avoid hitting the quick, and there is no painful squeezing action. For great instructions go to www.doberdawn.com and follow the link on the left. Long nails can cause a lot of pain. Throws off the alignment of the feet and legs. Like wearing high heels all day!

Grooming your dogs yourself is a big money saver. If you have a double coated dog, investing in a high velocity drier is worth every penny. If they are dirty, you can actually blow out a lot of the dirt and dust. When my dogs are shedding, the very powerful drier we have will blow out all the loose hair.

And number one, keep your dogs lean! When you put your hands on either side of their ribs and run your hand back and forth slightly, if you have to press in at all to feel the ribs then they need to lose weight.

For dogs with skin allergies: only buy dog food that has no ground yellow corn as an ingredient.  It is hard to find, especially in the supermarket or retail stores, but t is out there.  This often takes care of the itchy skin.  Also if you are going to feed your dogs fresh veggies, put them through a blender or food processor first.  A dog's digestive system cannot break down the tough plant fibers.

about 9 1/2 months ago I purchased a dog from a reputible breeder that was recommended by the American Border Collie Association. I feel what I paid for the dog was worth it to know I was getting a healthy happy puppy. All this negativity about people buying from a breeder is rediculous. However, I do feel very sorry for the animals in shelters. I personally wanted a pure bred this time because all my life I have had mutts. I feel it is a personal choice and no one should be chastized for wanted a pup from a breeder

We own 4 dogs. They are very expensive to care for both in time and financially. My husband is retired and I work 12 hr rotating shifts so that there is always someone with our babies. Feeding them quality food, keeping them slim, excersize, training and love go a long way to keep pets healthy We never kennel them and when we vacation which is rarely we have an adult relative come to our house and stay with them. We know they are cared for, fed properly and not exposed to unknown diseases. We do have yearly check ups and routine vaccines for our pets. Luckily our current pets have never had any major illness except for the one which was a rescue and had heartworm when we we took him. He is now healthy and doing well. We lost several dogs over the years to old age and one to diabetes at 16. That was expensive treament as well. Pets are a wonderful thing . They give unconditional love and deserve to get it in return. Just like with people proper diet, excersize and training go a long way to keep vet bills to a minimum. but people should plan and prepare for their old age or the unknown. Even if you just put a couple of dollars each week away in a pet savings account hopefully by the time they reach old age you will have built a little safety net for them and you. We put all our change in a large jar. Every year at the end of the year we take it to the bank and have it put in the doggie savings account. Its amazing how fast this can add up and if there is an emergency we won't be devastated by the cost of treating one of our family members. I agree is your financial situation is teetering at best it might be better to put off getting a pet until you can be sure to afford medical care if you need it.

We purchased a lifetime licence for 30 dollars at our local courthouse, probably a good way to save money.

MY FIRST BEAGLE ATE CARPET, AND HAD TO HAVE MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY. MY HUSBAND AND I ATE PEANUT BUTTER FOR MONTHS TO PAY THE VET BILL. SHE EVENTUALLY DIED OF CANCER. ANOTHER LARGE  VET BILL. WE GOT MIKE THE BEAGLE SHORTLY AFTER SCOOTER DIED. ALL WAS WELL UNTIL ABOUT A YEAR LATER. HE WAS DIAGNOISED WITH  EPILEPSY. MANY, MANY $$$$$$. TO KEEP HIM ALIVE! THEN WE GOT JESSIE THE BEAGLE SISTER. MIKE AND JESSIE'S DAD LEFT US AND I WAS LEFT TO CARE FOR THEM BY MYSELF. WE MOVED TO A NEW HOME, AND JESSIE FELL OFF THE UNFAMILAR DECK STEPS AND BROKE HER BACK. THANK GOD AND OUR VET SHE IS FINE TODAY. BUT, IT WAS A  $3,500 BILL. I WAS ABLE TO UPGRADE TO TUNA SALAD INSTEAD OF P.B.! MIKE GOT VERY SICK 18 MONTHS AGO WITH ACUTE PANCREAITIS 17 DAYS AT THE VET. $4800.00 1% OF LIVING. HE MADE IT! MY ADVICE TO ANYONE WHO HAS PET OR ANYONE WHO IS THINKING OF GETTING ONE IS: PREPARE FOR THE WORST. PREPARE   TO SPEND MORE ON DOG FOOD THAN YOUR FOOD. IS IT WORTH IT? YES!!!!! THEY BRING ME MORE JOY THAN THE MONEY! JUST REMEMBER, THEY ARE ARE RESPONSIBILY- FOREVER!!

You should count on a dog or cat costing several hundred dollars per year.  Seriously consider what the financial commitment is before getting one.  If you really want a fuzzy friend and can't afford to keep a dog or cat, hamsters are pretty cheap to own, and require less attention.

"Can anybody help me teach how to brush an uncooperative dog.."

Sure!  Buy the flavor of toothpaste your animal likes: for pets, they have chicken and malt flavors which go over quite well>  There are also little rubber brushes that slip over the fingertips, which is much easier to use than a brush on a handle.  A beagle is also small enough that you should be able to hold him by wrapping your legs around his body and  putting him in a headlock.  But if it's tough at first have someone help you hold him. Let him taste the toothpaste; act like you're giving him a treat, and then go for it!

you dont need vet for vaccinations do it your self, you dont need vaccinations every year... feed your dogs raw food and you wont see any alergies in them, dogs dont need any grains or veggies... if your problem is money to pay vet, do as I said above and you wont need a vet, and yes you can groom your dog yourself and to cut his nails is not that hard...

And about chaining the dog, I'd rather see the dog chained in the yard and having nice dog house, wich he can leaves when ever he wants, then dog sitting in the crate for hours.