Shadow, a black Labrador retriever-mix, dashes through fresh snow on Christmas Eve along in East Derry, N.H. The writer has put off getting a black lab for the family after considering time and resources.Charles Krupa/The Associated Press
I’m a dog person – a large-dog person, specifically – so when we had kids, I knew our family portrait would some day include a black lab.
But as I consider the time and resources needed to be a responsible pet parent, I’ve decided to put off getting that black lab until my kids are older.
My first hurdle is convincing my husband. He didn’t grow up with dogs, isn’t a dog person (gasp!) and probably correctly assumes that he will be the one taking the dog for a walk at the crack of dawn in sub-zero winter temperatures.
However, his main – and valid – concern is how a dog would fit into our family’s schedule. Can we care for a dog while one of our toddlers is still in diapers and life is a chaotic mix of work, daycare, school pickups and drop-offs, mealtimes, bath-times and tantrums?
Why owning a dog or cat in Canada has become so expensive
For anyone who hasn’t owned a dog, it can seem romantic. It’s a best friend for your kids. A furry friend for family hikes, who curls up at your feet on movie night.
But as someone who grew up with dogs, I know first-hand how much work they are. You have to walk them, feed them, clean up middle-of-the-night surprises and, of course, take them to the vet.
If you bring home a puppy or a rescue dog, there’s also plenty of work (and often, costs) involved with training them. Friends with puppies have said it’s akin to having a newborn. Adding training, dog-walking, feeding and vet appointments to our schedule feels untenable right now.
While our work-from-home lifestyle is conducive to owning a dog – I can go for lunchtime walks and give snuggles between meetings – one of our hesitations is that we love to travel and we want the flexibility to be away from home. We could pay for a pet-sitter, ask friends or family to step in, or board the dog at a facility, but that would be expensive and stressful for the pet.
As I reviewed our 2026 budget, I also looked into how dog ownership costs have changed since my childhood. According to a 2025 report from Rover, a pet-sitting and dog-walking platform, the lifetime cost of a large-breed dog in Canada can be over $50,000, which is a fraction of raising a child from newborn to 18, but comparable to a down payment on a home.
Pet owners skip vet visits as affordability concerns grow, survey finds
The cost of bringing a dog home in 2025 is 17 per cent higher than it was a year earlier, the report found.
First, you’ll have to pay for adoption or breeder fees, initial vet checkups, spaying/neutering, equipment and supplies such as leashes, food, beds and collars.
Then, there are the ongoing costs of food, medication, vet visits, vaccines, grooming, toys, and dog-walkers or sitters, which can easily add up to hundreds of dollars a month.
Rover’s report says the average annual cost of owning a dog in Canada ranges from $1,418 to $4,485. Larger breeds and senior dogs are typically more expensive, with small dogs clocking in at an average of $1,860 per year, and large breeds costing $5,600. (My husband has suggested a small dog, but for me, it’s a black lab or nothing.)
According to the Rover report, the cost of vet visits, preventative treatments and vaccinations increased by up to 50 per cent in 2025, as compared to the previous year, in Canada.
Opinion: In this economy, can we even afford dogs and cats any more?
Ongoing costs aren’t what gives me major pause, though – it’s the unexpected expenses. Dogs become part of the family, and if mine had a health issue, I know I would pay any vet bills and medications that they need.
There is pet insurance to help with this, but that’s also a monthly expense. The North American Pet Health Insurance Association reported that in Canada, the average premium for accident and illness coverage for dogs was $89 per month in 2024, up 37 per cent since 2020.
I’d also like to have an emergency fund for my pet before they ever set paws in my home, to cover anything insurance doesn’t.
My husband and I have settled on a compromise: We’ll reassess in a few years when we don’t have daycare costs, once I’ve built up our pet emergency fund and we feel confident that we can comfortably afford a dog. By then, we will have more time to train and care for a dog.
Until then, I’ll wistfully watch sweet TikTok videos, cuddle friends’ dogs and remember that sometimes, being a responsible pet parent means not being one at all.
Erin Bury lives in rural Ontario with her husband and two young children.
