Adopting, buying a dog is most, least expensive in these US cities
San Francisco is the most expensive city for buying and adopting a dog
With the number of coronavirus cases still rising in the U.S., people may be interested in buying, adopting or even fostering a dog while they’re stuck at home.
But the cost of owning or fostering a dog can vary depending on where you live.
On Wednesday, dog supplement company Vet Naturals published a report that calculated how much it costs to adopt, foster and buy a dog in 50 major U.S. cities.
The company used the average cost of seven different factors to find how each city ranked. The average annual costs that Vet Naturals included in its report were: adoption fees, vet bills within the first year, licensing fees, food, startup supplies, toys and treats and a dog walker.
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Vet Naturals used data from the ASPCA, the American Kennel Club, dog walking service Rover and local government websites to find those costs, according to the report.
Using the data, Vet Naturals found the cities where dog owners will save more money by adopting compared to buying and the cities where fostering a dog saves the most money compared to buying a dog.
According to the report, Los Angeles has the most savings for dog adopters compared to dog buyers. If you adopt a dog in Los Angeles instead of buying one, the annual savings are about $1,870.
San Francisco is the most expensive city in the U.S. for adopting and buying a dog, according to Vet Naturals. (iStock)
Meanwhile, Boston has the greatest annual savings for people who want to foster a dog compared to buying a dog, Vet Naturals found. If you foster a dog in Boston, your annual cost goes down about $1,540.
“Fostering a dog is quite cost efficient,” Vet Naturals wrote in its report. “Factors like medical care, start-up supplies and food are all covered by the shelter or rescue center and therefore, the foster parent needs only to cover necessary ‘extras’ such as supplemental supplies, toys, treats and dog-walking fees.”
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Vet Naturals also found which cities are the most and least expensive for dog adopters.
According to the report, San Francisco is the most expensive city for adopting a dog. It reportedly costs $4,167.81 in the first year of adopting.
In Orlando, Fla., it only costs $2,891.28 for the first year of adopting a dog, making it the least expensive city, according to Vet Naturals.
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For people determined to buy a dog from a pet shop or breeder, San Francisco is the most expensive city, with the annual cost reaching $5,952.
Following San Francisco are San Jose, Calif., Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
The city where buying a dog is cheapest is Louisville, where the annual cost is $3,635, according to Vet Naturals.
Following Louisville is Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, N.C., and Virginia Beach.