Hound Ownership: How Much Does It Cost

Taking  a dog on, regardless of breed, is no small commitment.  Whether its  your first hound or you’re taking on a second…or third, it is essential  that you consider the financial implications both in the initial outlay  and the ongoing maintenance.

There  are weekly, monthly and annual outgoings as part of owning (or being  owned by) a greyhound.  Some big, some small, depending on how much you  spoil them!  Let’s face it, what monster doesn’t pick their hound up a  new toy every time they’re at the pet shop?

Every  person has a different budget so the numbers we’re throwing around are  quite generalised as a result!  There are so many options available for  food and other things, but hopefully this article will give you a rough  idea on what to expect as there may be things that you hadn’t yet  considered in your pursuits to adopt!

The  initial outlay, this alone will be the largest undertaking!  Depending  on which rehoming centre you are adopting from will influence the  adoption cost as each is different and some charge differing amounts  depending on the age of the dog!

Though  you can’t just take a dog home without preparation!  You don’t want to  get your dog home and then have a last-minute panic run to the pet shop  to get everything you forgot!

At a  minimum you’ll need a bed, raised food bowls, collar with tag, and your  food and supplements of choice.  You may also wish to have a couple  nice toys, a blanket or other bits and pieces such as training treats  for the initial weeks!

There are  other things you could consider such as the Adaptil Calming Plug In or  calming sprays if you feel your to-be hound might benefit from the  additional support but these are not essential!

-  Beds!  Whether your hound is allowed on the furniture or not, having a  space that is their own is really important!  Ideally, you will want  more than one bed. One in the main living area where they can be  included in things, and one off in a quiet nook should they want some  peace and quiet!
Memory foam beds are definitely  worth investing in as hounds love anything soft and live for comfort!   The foam will support their bony elbows as well!  This type of bed  varies massively in price, but there are some affordable ones online!

-  Raised Bowls!  Your dog is going to need something to eat out of!   Raised bowls are really beneficial to greyhounds but it is best to buy  them online due to a lack of options in generic pet shops…given how tall  greyhounds are!

- Collar &  Tag!  It is universal across all rehoming centres that you’ll be  provided a walking collar (leather fishtail) and matching lead, and a  muzzle, to set you started.  Ideally, you don’t want to have your hound  wear the walking collar indoors as they’re incredibly stiff when new and  are fitted very snuggly…so it can rub the fur off their neck!

Quite  often you’ll see hounds walking around with two collars on, the walking  collar but then a secondary soft pet collar that sits comfortably at  the base of the neck.  The second collar is to hold the identity tag!   This is vital both in ensuring that you’re following the law, but also  should your dog escape or get away from you for any reason, whoever find  them can ring you straight away to reunite you.

If  your rehoming centre doesn’t have tag engraving or ordering available,  go down to your local key cutting store such as Timpsons, or pet shop  like Pets At Home, to get one made.  They won’t set you back much, only a  few pounds!  In addition to a nice collar which may set you back a  further £10+…depending on your Etsy addiction…you can have them ready to  take with you on adoption day so you have your dog dressed, ready to  go, from the minute you take them home!

-  Food!  This is a big one!  Nutrition is something we’re very passionate  about here at The Zoomie Zone, and a subject that we’ll be talking  about at length in future!  Though regardless of what food you choose,  you want to have it ready and waiting in the cupboard for when your  hound comes home!
Make sure to get your hounds weight  from the rehoming centre before going home, and find out what weight  they should be, so that you are able to feed them correctly from the  instructions on the back of the feed bag!

To  get a big bag of good quality dry food, you’ll be looking at a minimum  of £35 at best!  Add in some wet food and supplements as well, should  you wish, and that’ll bump the price up a little bit more!  

A  15kg bag of dry food will serve most hounds for 4-6 weeks, so it is a  monthly cost to consider in the budget!  There are options to do a  subscribe and save on a lot of the mainstream foods, to save you having  to worry about nipping down the pet shop every few weeks…and will also  save you a few pounds as well!

-  Coats! Depending on the time of year when you take your hound home, you  may want to invest in a coat or two!  Some rehoming centres will include  a coat as part of the adoption, or otherwise have them available to buy  separately, and there are a host of styles and weights for the  different weather conditions!

You  could spend anywhere from £20 - £50+ on a coat (depending on the style)  and it is unfortunately a fact of life that your greyhound will, in the  end, have a bigger wardrobe than you when you realise how many fabulous  coats, jumpers and pjs are available!  Etsy will not be your bank  accounts friend; you have been warned!

-  Insurance!  Responsible rehoming centres will reward you with 4 weeks  of free pet insurance with PetPlan or 5 weeks with Agria to get you  started with your new hound, but you’ll need to shop around for the best  insurance within your budget!  We strongly recommend getting dental  cover as well!

- Flea and worm  treatments!  You’d be amazed at how many people don’t realise this needs  to be done after adoption.  The same with the annual vaccinations!   Both of which are important to keep on top of, the latter particularly  should you ever want to put your dogs into kennels while you’re on  holiday as they will be refused boarding if unvaccinated.

There  are numerous flea and worm treatments available, but while over the  counter or online medications are more affordable, they aren’t as  effective as the ones available on prescription from the vets.  We  strongly recommend using the vet recommended products but understand  that this may be out of some budgetary restraints.

Many  vets offer a monthly subscription such as a ‘pet health club’ where you  have all your flea and worming treatments supplied, as well as your  annual vaccinations, free consults, discounts on dentals and other  services which is definitely worth it to save a few bob!  
The  bonus being is you then can’t forget to keep on top of your dog’s  parasite treatments!  It’s more budget friendly in the long run but is  something else to add onto your list!

-  Nails & Grooming!  If you do sign up with your vet for a pet health  package, they quite often come with nail trimming included, which will  again save you a little bit money in having to get it done separately.   But you may want to get your hounds nails done in addition to this,  every 4-8 weeks depending on their growth time, as you want to avoid  their nails from ever touching the floor.
It's very  difficult to get them back into shape if they get overlong, so regular  trimming is recommended!  The adoption centre you use may offer this as a  service already or seek local groomers to help!  This should set you  back roughly £10-12 depending on your area and while they are not  ‘dirty’ dogs, you will occasionally have to bath them!  
This can sometimes be easier said than done, and having it done at the groomer won’t set you back too much for the convenience!

Initial  outlay excluded, between food, insurance and any other basics you want  to get regularly, you should be looking at roughly £100 per (normal)  month to keep your hound in the lifestyle they enjoy!

This  can vary greatly, as we have discussed, which can reduce that monthly  outgoing.  What you want to do is get the best available food etc within  your budget!