Why I started this Blog

This blog is in loving memory of my dog Tilos.

I love my dogs and want the very best for them, but I’m not a rich person. Money is tight on a teacher’s salary, with 5 dogs, two of them training in a very expensive sport.

I spent over $20,000 in medical bills on my first dog, Tilos, and he still died. My decisions to have two TPLOs done on him probably made his last two years more difficult than they should have been- he eventually died from a fungal infection he’d picked up in Arizona.

It was a painful lesson on so many levels. It was a decade before I could say his name without crying. He was an extraordinary dog.

Then there was the money hole I got into trying to keep him alive. In my early 20s I’d saved and worked hard, going so far as to live in a tent all summer while working a seasonal job. In just a year, my dog was gone, and my money was gone.

I’d give all that money to have Tilos back, but the harsh reality is dogs don’t live forever, I always say any years after 10 are bonus years, and we as humans need to make decisions in the dog’s best interest.

Making such decisions is so much harder said than done, when it’s an animal you love.

This blog isn’t just about vet bills- though those tend to be the most expensive part of owning a dog or a pet.

This blog is about supplements and “natural” products – what works and what makes for very expensive urine.

It’s about choosing the most affordable, high quality dog food. And all the gimmicks and catch phrases around the dog food industry.

It’s about dog gear, dog beds, crates, and all the stuff you can buy when you have a pet.

I’ll also talk about dog sport, and where and how you might save some money there – a specialty subject but one worthy of discussing.