Pippa is one of Bought By Many’s customer support executives. She got Cocker Spaniel Charlie late last year and spends around £200 a month on him. Find out what she buys for her pet.
What did you buy before you got your dog?
We had to buy everything new – we got a bed, crate, bowls, blankets, a lead and collar, toys, puppy pads and a brush for his curly spaniel ears. We also subscribed to a dog training app which we found really helpful. Everything cost around £500.
How much did you pay or donate for your dog?
We paid £450 for him when we picked him up in November 2019.
How much do you spend on food and tasty treats?
We have a tails.com subscription which we love – they send you food each month which is measured out so we know exactly how much to feed him. They send us a mixture of wet and dry food and we can choose the flavours each month to keep things interesting for him. Currently, we pay £40 a month for his food and then around an extra £20 a month on treats from our local garden centre and pet stores.
Does your pet like or need a particular kind of food?
Charlie has always had quite a sensitive stomach, so the tails.com food is tailored to suit him.
How much do you spend on toys?
Charlies toys are “well-loved”. He has quite a few, but I do like to buy two or three new ones when I get paid. This would be around £30-40 depending on what we choose, he’s a fan of anything that squeaks, so it’s usually something noisy!
How much do you spend on pet insurance?
We spend £29.21 per month on Charlie’s pet insurance. As he is young, we didn’t feel the need for really high cover. We looked at a couple of insurers but decided to go for the Regular policy from Bought By Many which covers up to £7,000 with no excess. The 0 excess made the decision really easy when we were comparing policies with other insurers.
And why do you think it’s worth it?
He likes to run around a lot and is always running through the woods near our house when on a walk, so I worry about him hurting his legs. Knowing that we have up to £7,000 if something were to happen is so reassuring.
Do you have other monthly costs?
We have a subscription with our vets which costs around £17 a month and covers the regular health checks, flea treatments, worming and vaccinations. We also have a PitPat life membership for him which costs £4 a month, we can see how much exercise he gets each day so we know he is getting enough and it helps set recommendations based on his breed, age and weight.
What’s the most you’ve ever spent on your pet (excluding medical treatment)?
The most was probably his crate and bed set up. He had been partially crate trained when we got him and wanted to continue this, so he had his own space. With the crate, bedding and crate cover we spent around £250.
Has having a pet influenced other spending?
I definitely look for new things I can buy for Charlie instead of myself. As it’s getting hotter, I recently purchased some summer items for him including a cooling coat and a paddling pool for the garden. We also know that we have to take him into account when we move. We would love to live somewhere with a really large garden as he spends a lot of his time outside running around.
Were you surprised how much you spend each month?
I had a slight idea of what we would need to spend monthly from previous family pets that we have had – I had a good guess on the food and vet fees, but I hadn’t taken into account buying things like new collars as he grows or the number of toys he would get through. I have also had to stop walking down the pet aisle in our supermarket for fear of buying more things for the toy basket.
Do you think you will spend more or less on your pet in the future?
Once he stops growing, I think the amount we spend will even out a little more as we won’t have to replace as many items like collars and dog beds as he gets to big for them.
Check out more interviews in our pet pounds series.
Find out what our social media manager spends on her rescue Golden Retriever and what social media pet influencer Charlie, spends on her dog Pops.
Would you like to share your pet money diary? We have a £50 Pets Corner voucher for any we publish. Email socialmedia@boughtbymany.com and we can tell you how to get involved.'