Thursday, April 06, 2006
How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?
As I backed out of the driveway this morning, I saw Oreo looking at me through the front curtains. Which begged the question: "How much is that doggy in the window?"
Well, it turns out that I recently made that calculation. In a moment of pique after some Oreo mishap, I sat down at my desk and toted up the expenses we had incurred on Oreo's behalf over the last year.
First there was the $1700 that Cheryl spent to acquire the pup. Then there was the cost of the new backyard gate, the carpet on the stairs, the baby gates in the kitchen, the dog crate, the dog toys, the dog bowls and the dog food. In the past year, there have also been several vet visits including two involving surgery, medication and coneheads. Finally, there was the stay at the doggy resort (more about that later).
When I added everything up, I was surprised, shocked and angered to discover that we had already spent $5,000 on Oreo. This was one expensive puppy.
Just to torture myself, I imagined what we could have had this year instead of a dog for the grand sum of $5,000. A vacation? A new bathroom? A big-screen TV? Ten cats?
Actually, scratch the cats. If forced to choose, it's an easy decision: I am NOT a cat person. So, if we had to throw away $5,000, I guess I'd rather have one dog than ten cats. But, so far, I still would have preferred the big-screen TV.
Well, it turns out that I recently made that calculation. In a moment of pique after some Oreo mishap, I sat down at my desk and toted up the expenses we had incurred on Oreo's behalf over the last year.
First there was the $1700 that Cheryl spent to acquire the pup. Then there was the cost of the new backyard gate, the carpet on the stairs, the baby gates in the kitchen, the dog crate, the dog toys, the dog bowls and the dog food. In the past year, there have also been several vet visits including two involving surgery, medication and coneheads. Finally, there was the stay at the doggy resort (more about that later).
When I added everything up, I was surprised, shocked and angered to discover that we had already spent $5,000 on Oreo. This was one expensive puppy.
Just to torture myself, I imagined what we could have had this year instead of a dog for the grand sum of $5,000. A vacation? A new bathroom? A big-screen TV? Ten cats?
Actually, scratch the cats. If forced to choose, it's an easy decision: I am NOT a cat person. So, if we had to throw away $5,000, I guess I'd rather have one dog than ten cats. But, so far, I still would have preferred the big-screen TV.
