Cost per Year of dog ownership == EXPENSIVE

So, it's been about a year since we've adopted Snowball. And after having to do taxes, I've had a chance to review Snowball's yearly cost.

According to Quicken, this is the breakdown that I have for Snowball and this is what I expect to pay in 2009.

Yearly
---------
County License: $13.00 ($25 if your, ahem, late)
     (https://doglicense.franklincountyohio.gov/dogs/dogsmenu)
Yearly Vaccination: $64.00
     (http://www.spayaz.com)
12-Month Supply of Flea/Tick Control (Interceptor): $152.98
12-Month Supply of Worm Control (Frontline Plus): $48.99
     (http://www.1800petmeds.com/)

Food
--------
Eukanuba - Medium Breed 40# Dog Food: $43.99 x 4 = $175.96
Eukanuba - Dog Treats = $14.99 x 4 = $59.96
Misc Treats - $60.00
     (http://www.petsmart.com/)

Toys
-------
Misc throughout 2008: $150

Lodging:
-------------
Lodging throughout 2008: $480

So ~$1200 is what I expect to pay in 2009. I'm sure there's more that I haven't accounted for, but at least I have an idea.

To be honest, we paid about twice that in 2008, since there were a lot of one time / initial costs involved (i.e. money to adopt, training, initial check-up, neutering, home crate / travel crate, etc...)

Is it worth it? most definitely.

Here's your fun fact for today: Did you know pet owners live (on the average) three years longer than those without?

Inside all of us is a Wild Thing.

Can't see it, click here.

An adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, "Where the Wild Things Are".

Establishing indie movies' street cred one Smiths song at a time.

The trailer to "500 Days of Summer".

Can't see it, click here.

This is a story of boy meets girl, begins the wry, probing narrator of 500 Days of Summer, and with that the film takes off at breakneck speed into a funny, true to life and unique dissection of the unruly and unpredictable year-and-a-half of one young man's no-holds-barred love affair.

I like turtles...

apparently zombies do too.

(click here for you facebook and rss readers)

Nothing lasts, but nothing is lost.

Turtles are cool! Of all the animals I've seen in the sea, they are the ones I could follow and watch forever.

Of course, I suspect that I feel this way, because every other opportunity for me to see a whale-shark has been thwarted for one reason or another (e.g., bad timing, cancelled trips, living in Ohio)

But, I digress... back to the turtle.

Turtles are held in high regard, even sacred, in many cultures. In the Far East, the turtle shell (carapace) is seen as a symbol of heaven while the underside (plastron) is symbolic of mother earth. Some Native Americans believe that the earth on which we live was made from the mud found on the back of a turtle's shell. What ever the story is or what people believe in, you can't disagree that you're hit was awe when one of these majestic creatures slowly and purposely swim by you.

For me, the turtle embodies my thoughts of how one should live their lives. Turtles are thought to be slow creatures and are never in a rush.. they operate at their own pace, getting to where they need to be when they need to be there. What should we get out of this? Easy... go with the flow and be happy and content with the pace which life is taking you. Life is a journey, enjoy it as much as the destination.

In my magical world, turtles would be willing to share their secrets... because, chances are, they have many.

(http://www.explodingdog.com/title/nothinglastsbutnothingislost.html)

Here's my current desktop image that I've taken from explodingdog.com. It only relates to this short post in that there is a turtle in it.

And, for the record, I would never condone turtle servitude. I like to think that the turtle, pictured above, has taken it on himself to help his friend along his journey.

Here's some video for fun.

(For those of you that don't see the video, click here.)

I was looking through archives and I noticed about the same time last year, I blogged about turtle legend. I blame spring fever and my need to get some diving in.