Revealed: the real cost of keeping a dog

SMALL DOGS have a big appetite...for the contents of your wallet. A leading pet estimates that the owner of a Chihuahua will spend £88,691 on pet food, vets bills, grooming, kennels and pet insurance over its lifetime.

This may seem a little excessive yet, according to the company's research, it is less than three times the average that dog owners might expect to shell out on other breeds of dog.
The average dog will cost more than £31,000 to look after. The news follows an online Onepoll survey which interviewed a random sample of 3,000 dog owners aged 18 and over. Researchers calculate the annual cost of a Chihuahua, with a life expectancy of 13 years, to be £6,801, while the cost of a Labrador is just £2,388.

The Greyhound came second in the poll, with a lifetime bill of £82,797, followed by the Mastiff, which costs £81,619. The Boxer is the fourth most expensive breed of dog to keep with an estimated lifetime cost of £49,896. The English Setter comes in fifth at £49,548.

Regrets

Worryingly, the company reports from its survey that, sadly, 39% of people did not realise how much their dog would cost them, and that a massive 25% now regretted getting one.
Estimated lifetime spend by breed: Chihuahua, £88,691; Greyhound, £82,797; Mastiff, £81,619; Boxer, £49,896; English Setter, £49,548; Doberman, £49,304; Golden Retriever, £48,442; Poodle, £45,852; Dalmatian, £44,383; Great Dane, £41,661; Whippet, £36,313; Border Collie, £35,573; Dachshund, £34,046; Pug, £34,034; Bulldog, £33,994; Beagle, £33,340; Rhodesian Ridgeback, £30,841; Labrador, £30,291; Spaniel, £26,887 and the Jack Russell comes in at a mere £26,326