Pros and cons of owning a pet

First of all I would like to say hello to you Pro. You are going to be my first debate opponent, and I do belive I am going to be yours!I very much hope that we can have a somewhat enlightening discussion and have a good time along the way. Anyhow, lets begin._______________________________________________________________________________________________________I am here, to show all veiwing that owning a pet is not as great as Pro would have you believe, and in fact can end up being a very costly, dangerous, and emotionally fraught ordeal. Topic 1: Cost-------------------------------------------------------------------------As anyone who has ever owned or cared for a pet, especially on a budget, money starts leaving your account by more and more every time you go shopping, then you realize your cute little puppy is overdue for his shots, so of course you take Fido down to the local vets and get him all vaccinated up! Then you take a look at the receipt. Whew! Only $20[1,2]! You walk up to the counter to pay when the vetrinarian comes out of the examination room, looking confused and searching the room with her eyes, before they finally rest on you. "Hold on", she calls out, hurriedly shuffling over to you. "Fido only had 1 vaccination, he still needs 3 more. That receipt was just for proof of vaccination, we give you the grand total recipt after the vaccinations are done." Back into the examination room you go, and after 5 more minutes of Fido whining you are finally done. Up you walk to the counter, smiling politely to the secretary. You give him your name, and in a couple of seconds you are handed the REAL receipt. You have to keep your jaw from dropping as you gaze down at the grand total. $150 total for vaccinations and services rendered[1]. Thats ridiculous! thats literally three times what you bought Fido for [1]. "I think we should just go to the humane shelter next time", you say to Fido as you carry him back to the car. This was only a small example of how prices can inflate in an instant before your eyes. We should take a look at my sources (located at the bottom of the page) to make sure I have those numbers correct. Lets see. Source #1 quotes the lowest amount possible for the first year totalling $60, however, this is the literal bare minimum. An owner isnt risk their dog's life AND the potential of much more expensive medical procedure just to potentially save a few bucks, so it would be perfectly rational to move up the second teir on the graph. Total for vetrinary services and vaccinations is now $150, on the nose, just as I has said in the example. Source #2 gives us a range of $20-$150, giving us double conformation of our price. Of course, we haven't even been looking at the rest of the costs. A leash, bed, kennel, treats, food, among many other things. Totalling that up for the first year, we have a lowest possible bare bare minimum cost of $511.00 and a maximum of $6600.00! You could literally buy a decent used car right off the lot with that much money[3]. Of course you would go with the cheaper option, but theres a pretty substaintial problem with doing that. When you buy a dog at a lower price, you risk the dog developing medical issues due to its genetics, but don't take my word for it, take the word of not one, but two vetrinary doctors, Dr. Foster and Dr. Smith. "Many people balk at paying $500 to $1000 for a dog. They rationalize that they simply can not afford it and settle for a poorly bred $150 puppy instead. What a huge mistake. The cost of a guaranteed healthy, well-bred $1000 puppy is a fraction of what it will cost to own that dog for 12 years. A poorly bred dog with bad hips, allergies, and a not so bright disposition will end up costing you thousands more in medical bills not to mention hours of frustration and disappointment." [1] Just like that, you now need to be concerned about medical care. That chart goes up in flames if your little Fido get hip dsyplasia or severe allergies. And I'm not even going to get started on the emotional stress you will have to go through. I'll talk about that later on. In conclusion, while that little fluffball giving you literal puppy eyes, just remember, "man's best friend" has a pretty steep pricetag for friendship.Sources1: http://www.peteducation.com...; <<< Use this link for price table2: http://pets.costhelper.com...; <<<Use this link for vaccine price confirmation3: https://www.cars.com...; Use this link for nice cars selling for under the cost of a premium dog for 1 year______________________________________________________________Wow! I have a feeling this is going to be really fun. I sincerely wish you good luck Pro, and let the mostmeticulous and intelligent man (or woman) win!