A Month Giving a Senior Poodle and Whippet Mix the Life They Deserve on $150K

Welcome to Petty Cash, a series where we find out just how much real people are spending on their pets in a month — from weekly costs and treat budgets to surprise vet visits and next-level splurges. To take part in Petty Cash, submit your monthly pet spends  here.

Pet names: Pico and Spencer

Pet ages: 14 and 12

Pet breeds: Poodle mix and Whippet / Hound mix

Location: Portland, Oregon

Household salary: $150,000 

Pet parent’s job: content strategist

What’s your gotcha story?

I adopted Pico from Oregon Dog Rescue in the fall of 2012. I’d actually gone to the adoption event intending to look at another dog but Pico’s scraggly fur and perma-puppy face caught my eye, and the rest is history.

I adopted Spencer from One Tail at a Time in Portland in March of 2020, on what turned out to be the day before Oregon went into the pandemic lockdown. Apart from a few months in foster care, Spence had never lived in a house before I adopted him at age eight, and he was (still is?) super skeptical of people, so he was able to give Pico and me expert tips on social distancing.

How much did you spend on up-front costs for your dogs?

Probably $200 for Pico, with a lot of that going to the new crate that he never used.

Less than that for Spence, since I was smart enough to borrow a different crate from a friend. It was also never used.

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What is the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought for your pets?

I spent $4,000 putting a hog pen-style fence around my front yard so Spence could safely sit out there and watch the world go by.

What’s the most outrageous purchase you’ve made for your pets?

I’ve had an animal communicator come to the house several times, and I’m telling you, if you aren’t doing this, you’re blowing it. How else can you get an inside track into what your pet is thinking and what they want or need from you? For example, I now know that Pico believes he is exemplary on walks (false) and that he likes to chase things and then be praised for his speed.

And Spence let me know that he’d like to eat more chicken and if it’s not too much trouble a heated blanket would be great thank you very much. At $225 a session, I think it’s definitely money well spent.

What’s the most you’ve spent on a health emergency for your pets?

When Pico was nine, he stepped in a divot while running across the lawn and tore a ligament in his knee. After a few days of Pico hopping around on three legs, the vet recommended surgery to repair the ligament with a plate and screws.

That set me back about $5,000. He recovered fully, and I sometimes forget it ever happened. But the other day he needed X-rays for unrelated reasons, and I smiled when I saw his little bionic knee show up in the radiographs. 

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Have you ever bought anything inspired by your pet/with their face on it?

No. But I do Photoshop them into pretty much every family photo that gets taken when they aren’t around.

Do you have any tips for saving money on your pet spending?

This is more a tip on managing the money you spend versus saving, but make sure your pet expenses are in your monthly budget so you know you’ll always be able to cover the basics. And try to tuck some money away for an emergency, because at some point there will be one. 

Week One

Purchase 1: Royal Canin senior dog food, $94.99

It’s hard to imagine being excited to eat the same exact thing day after day after day, but when awaiting his food, Spence spins in circles and hops up and down. I attribute his love of regular meals to the eight years he spent wandering the forests of Kauai and then living in a backyard.

Purchase 2: Freeze-dried chicken treats x 2, $9.98

If Spence says he wants more chicken, more chicken is what he gets.

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Week Two

Purchase 1: Pet stroller, $114.99

Nowadays Pico’s legs get tired long before he’s ready for his walks to be done, so this stroller has been a game-changer. He walks for a bit, and then when he slows down I pop him in the stroller, and we continue on.

I thought he would resist it, but he actually seems pretty content. He’s quite attentive, sitting there like a little king. It allows us to go all the way down to the main drag in the neighborhood, and there’s nothing my boy likes more than cruising the boulevard.

Purchase 2: PetWellbeing liquid kidney supplement and Epakitin powder urinary supplement, $143.94

Not a lot of fun things to say about this one. But Pico takes this like a champ, and it makes me feel better to think I’m doing something to help as his kidney disease progresses.

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Week Three

Purchase 1: Pain meds from Banfield, $28.56

I mean, probably no one wants to take pain meds for arthritis. But when they are served slathered in peanut butter, it takes out the sting.

Purchase 2: Joint supplements, $47.38

Spence is highly suspicious of these if given on their own, but tossed in with his breakfast they go unnoticed. Gotta keep his old man joints in good shape. He has a stiff gait to begin with, and I don’t want the other dogs making fun of how he runs.

Week Four

Purchase 1: Wellness plans for both pups from Banfield Pet Hospital, $129.93

I like having these plans. It makes it easy to spread out the costs of things I know they’ll need every year like dental exams, check-ups, etc. And with the plan, office visits are free, which is nice when you have two senior dogs that seem to need to go in for one reason or another all the time.

Purchase 2: Royal Canin renal support canned dog food, $83.76

I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I sometimes think Pico got kidney disease just so he could get his meals supplemented with wet food.

Purchase 3: Lambchop Frisbee-shaped dog toy, $7.47

Needed to get this to round out the Lambchop collection. I think Spence prefers this to his OG Lamby and baby Lamby. And he definitely likes it better than Big-Ass Lamby, which terrifies him. Pico, however, struggles with it. Between the toy’s flatness and Pico’s lack of teeth, he has a hard time picking it up. 

Purchase 4: Dematting pet comb, $15.99

Pico is not a fan. But he’s never a fan of any grooming tools, and he makes his displeasure more evident the older he gets. I can’t really blame him on this one, though — it does seem to pull his hair a bit. 

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Purchase 5: Only Natural Pet recycled poop bags, $17.99

Spence mostly does his biz in the backyard. Pico, however, will only poop while out on a walk, so poop bags are a must. I like these because they are easy to open even with wet, frozen hands (the norm in Oregon for much of the year). 

Total monthly spend: 694.98

• Wellness plan: $129.93

• Medications and routine care: $219.88

• Grooming accessories: $15.99

• Food: $178.75

• Treats: $9.98

• Toys: $7.47

• Lounge accessories: $0

• Walk accessories: $132.98

• Clothes and wearable accessories: $0

How do you feel about this month in spending? Will you change anything going forward?

My expenses are pretty consistent at this point, so not a lot of surprises. But there are more things I could put on auto-ship each month and get a little bit of a discount, so I should make a point to do that. It does all add up pretty fast — especially when you have two senior pets. At the same time, the money I spend on them is by far one of my most justifiable expenses when you consider how much happiness these two guys bring to me. 

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