How Much MY Basenji Cost is His First Year:

Basenji Talk
  • First Basenji's

    @tanza:

    It is important to be able to explain to people the cost of proper care… Many are so hung up on the price of a pup, they do not realize that proper care way out spend the cost to purchase...

    My thoughts exactly, this is one of the reasons why I posted this.

    @LindaH:

    Yikes!!!

    It only cost us ~$384 when we had Blaze neutered…and that INCLUDED having him microchipped, his rabies vaccination, repair his umbilical hernia, pre-anethestic blood work, and the after-surgery medication.

    Yeah, yikes is right. I did some digging and found that around 800 is on the high end and 200 - 400 is a good number for this area. Thankfully I could do the wellness plan. Since this was my first dog and first S/N, I kinda went overboard on the post op stuff. Meds (which he didnt need), the halo so he didnt lick himself, the laser up-charge and there was another up-charge that i choose. The laser, they said, would heal quicker and is less painful after the op. Apparently they were correct, Kenji was only lethargic that day. the next day he was close to normal. he ate well, slept all day and went for a nice long walk. Everyday after that he was back to his old self.

    @MacPack:

    Good post. It's very for anyone to have an idea how much this 'extra mouth' will cost. You didn't have a couch or expensive shoe replacement so you are actually doing really well, haha!
    And best of all, you have Kenji, and that's priceless!

    Thanks, I really do hope this post help future and even current owners. So far Kenji really doesn't like chewing on shoes. he used to chew on shoe laces but hasn't done that in a while. BUT he does like underwear and socks… and still shews on my chairs, :mad: GRRRR :mad:!! But I'd rather replace those then 50 - 100 pair of shoes.

    Like everyone else said he is priceless. I cant put a price on him.


  • @Kenji24:

    Thanks, I really do hope this post help future and even current owners. So far Kenji really doesn't like chewing on shoes.

    Don't believe I'd have said (typed) that outloud. Just sayin.

  • First Basenji's

    @agilebasenji:

    Don't believe I'd have said (typed) that outloud. Just sayin.

    I knocked on wood right after :p :) ;)


  • And we are learning of better ways to save money on Kenji. After several destroyed plastic frisbees I got him a durable fabric frisbee that he hasn't been able to damage yet. $6 well spent for that birthday present!! :cool:


  • I go my local Joann's and buy fleece. There are plenty of free plans for a no-sew fleece blankets. Fleece is nice - you don't have to finish the edges b/c it won't unravel like other fabrics. it also washes/wears well. In addition to a blanket, i've braided strips and made it into a nice dog toy.

    I also buy toys on sale and put them in the xmas box. All the basenjis have already gotten 2 new coats for the upcoming winter. One for the house and one for outside. Fetchdog.com was having a sale, plus I found an online coupon so for less than $100, I bought 6 coats. The down coat is now on sale for $12 and the fleece jacket (the one being advertised by a basenji) is also on sale.


  • hehe never thought to total up expenses. but this was Hope's expenses for a year. (just for a different view?)

    Out total cost for our first year: $2,454 …. oh my.. wow!

    My cost to buy Hope: $700
    Crate: $50
    Monthly worming $22 (Total $154)
    Vaccinations total:$100 (only had to pay for 2 as first one was free through the breeder along with the microchipping)
    Treats roughly $100
    Toys (shop bought/ebay etc) $100
    Emergency vets due to hip dislocation + care $700
    Collars: $70
    Dog Agility $45 ($20 to join and every time we went until the break over christmas and then Hopes accident)
    Registration with the Townsville City Council (yearly) $75
    Food -for a year: $360 ($30 a month)

    Dont even think twice :)


  • Thanks for the website!! I've been looking for a coat for Kenji and the prices are unbeatable.


  • i kinda figure its your child, what ever it takes, i got a just in case credit card ,cause one never knows,never really tallied up a yearly cost,hard to figure with a big lab to lol, its like my car thing..if i added it up..id be in trouble.. lets not go there :)


  • Late to this thread :)

    Have not tracked the costs ? Will be curious but worth it :)

    Things we did not plan on :)
    our well chewed massage chair :)
    our now chewed leather couch
    the other chewed chair and carpet near the door
    My pressure washer that was sitting outside :)
    Numerous kids toys our 3 year old now has a buzz light year that has no fingers :)
    Our two large cushions are fluff pulling heaven or addiction for Hana
    two baby gates we had that were net ( had them before our pup)

    But the love she gives back and the joy are priceless

    I think the food and vets will be the cheap part :)


  • I love this game - just to freak new people out. :D No not really, but I do think it's important to explain to people the cost of the dog is always the cheapest cost you will have.

    1st Year in US dollars:

    Pup: about $1300
    Return flight to Prague plus puppy on board = $300
    Vaccinations and first check ups= $193
    Food (for the year) = $536
    Collars and leashes (went through a few!) = $130
    Toys and accessories (including flight carrier) = $300
    Puppy Damages = $300
    Adult sized crate = $130
    Microchip Registration (like Home Again) = $50
    Emergency Care when she became septic and was hospitalized for over a week, antibiotics, scans, plus a biopsy and evaluation for a mass found = $10,000

    First year owning Lycia : $13,239

    But of course my time with her has been priceless - saying that - that's definitely a few months rent eh ? ;)


  • I got my first two Basenjis in November of 1991. One was 10wks the other 8wks. Maggii was the 10wk old bitch, cost 450.00 (remember we are talking about back in 1991). OJ, 8wk old boy, cost 500.00. No travel since they were both from local breeders. Vet vists for regular shots 200.00 (for both). At 4 1/2 months Maggii climbed over a baby gate, got caught in the wire, fell and broke her front leg. ER visit 400.00. Specialist and TWO surgeries later 7500.00. She needed the first surgery to set the leg with a plate screwed on and the second because her growth plate closed too soon and had to be reopened. OJ, caught the "dog show crud" from Maggii when she was spending the days with her breeder when I was at work due to the cast on her leg. Too many Vet visits to count and we almost lost him… cost 1500.00. All before they were 6 months old. So not even counting things like food, crates, toys, etc the 1st 6 month cost was $10,150.00. Take off the price of the puppies and the total was $9,200.00. So the puppy price was a bargin!!!

    Would I have changed it? Not for all the tea in China!!!


  • For my own sanity, I've learnt over many years never to cost owning a Basenji!!!!


  • @Patty:

    For my own sanity, I've learnt over many years never to cost owning a Basenji!!!!

    Or any companion animal for that matter!!!!


  • I wish I had become a vetrinarian instead of a nurse! LOL


  • I haven't read the whole thread, but I understand a bit about the 'cost' of owning a basenji. It sometimes goes beyond what one might think of as 'normal' dog costs. I lost a lazyboy chair and quite a few clothes to my first fella. My second and current guy, not so much. I spent many dollars on their health; first guy had heartworm when I got him; just got past having a large fatty tumor removed from the leg of my current guy. I haven't been on the forum in a while but what I came on to say was; none of this matters…I had a pretty crappy day of a whole bunch of little things that amount to nothing individually, but taken together - crappy. When all was done and I came home, my boy was happy to see me, played with me, 'listened' to me and made me happy. That is priceless!

    BTW: Mods, I like the new color scheme, FWIW.

Suggested Topics

  • basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    1k Views
    ZandeZ
    Last I heard, the Breed Club secretaries had more people waiting or wanting pups than were available . You could get on a list for a Basenji next winter but I very much doubt you will find one still unsold. Go to the website of the BCGB, or the Northern Basenji Society as you are in the North and you will find email addresses of the secretaries. They will put you in touch with breeders who may be planning a litter for puppies to become ready to leave the nest in about a year's time. Its a long wait I know, but you have most probably missed the boat for now. You are welcome to post me privately. Good luck!
  • My 5 year old Basenji is biting new Basenji puppies hard

    Basenji Talk
    24
    0 Votes
    24 Posts
    6k Views
    ZandeZ
    That good news, Dennis - and you are likely to find, in the long run, that the older boy will teach the pups far more than you ever can. They'll get their street cred from him !
  • Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    3k Views
    P
    @ktiefen1 You would be correct!! Potty Training eventually came easy because ours is so treat motivated....lol. Basic obedience is a challenge for us......ahe is definitely her own girl....and please dont disturb her sleep. You could lose a limb. ::)))))
  • Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    -1 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    D
    Where I am it costs about $2K+ for a dog from a breeder for just about any breed. Goldens may be less because the litters are so large. That may seem like a lot, but, as Debra mentions, dogs cost money to care for. After vet bills and boarding fees and food, it matters little what the dog cost to acquire. Leaving true puppy mills out of the discussion, given the costs of being a responsible breeder -- testing, vet bills, feeding -- and how much work breeding is, I can't imagine anyone doing it for the money. That leads to two problems for people looking for dogs. One is that since breeding isn't really lucrative, there aren't a ton of breeders, which means the supply of pups is low. Second is that most Basenji breeders want to place their pups in the best possible homes -- remember they aren't doing it for the money -- which means they're looking for people who have had Basenjis before. Something of a Catch-22.
  • Basenji Traits Your Basenji Doesn't Have…

    Basenji Talk
    32
    0 Votes
    32 Posts
    16k Views
    M
    My Rue is pretty perfect. She is mixed with something (I don't know what) so she doesn't look like a real B… and she isn't interested in anything in our house (chewing wise), doesn't bolt out the door, and licks like CRAZY! She also doesn't really like to play with other dogs at the dog park, she just smells them, occasionally chases them, then comes back and lays down by me (EXERCISE DANG IT!). The only normal B behaviors that I see in her are the little noises that she makes (she makes a lot of them for different reasons) and her BAROOOOOOO (which is fitting because we named her Rue before we even knew she was a Basenji) and it seems like she is stubborn about sitting. It's like she is saying, "yeah I know you want me to sit, but first I'm gonna spin around in a circle. Then maybe I'll sit if I feel like it." Haha! She is a character!
  • Basenji New Year's Resolutions

    Basenji Talk
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    6k Views
    AndrewA
    @Lenora: As some of you may know, Abbey turned the Big 3 on Christmas Day. She has made a few resolutions for 2007 which I think reflect her new maturity. (1.) I will not kiss any more kitties even if they are my cousin, because my nose is still sore from last time. (2.) If given a choice between a bath and going out in the rain, I will choose the rain if I have to tinkle really bad, and going out in the rain may actually delay having to get a bath. (3.) I will not get up from a nap when my mom is taking a shower and knock the ironing board over on my head. (4.) This year I resolve to eat healthier. No more bath sponges, bath scrubbies, socks, catalogs, leaves off the airplane plant, or my Santa's nose. (5.) When my mom has Important Visitors I will not excuse myself from the room and return carrying a bra. This causes my mom to make very loud noises which hurt my ears and makes me ashamed of my little joke for nearly a whole minute. Happy New Year from Abbey and Lenora! I should probably get my own username on this forum, so I'm not continuing to write about my own undergarments & such under my boyfriend's name… My boyfriend's basenji mix loves dirty clothes. Andrew used to have two female roommates, and Bandit would pull their dirty undergarments out, chew the crotches out and leave crotchless panties lieing around in embarassing places. I felt so sorry for them! Another time, he ate the hems off of Andrew's pantlegs. We came home one evening to find something sticking out of Bandit's butt. Upon further investigation, Andrew ended up pulling out two 6" pieces of pant hems from Bandit's rearend. Bandit also loved to dig through Andrew's roommates' bathroom garbage & pull out the really nasty items and eat those. Many a small string has been found dangling from his mouth while trash is strewn about the bathroom floor... Yuck! Carrie