{"id":1687,"date":"2013-01-28T23:46:48","date_gmt":"2013-01-28T23:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/?p=1687"},"modified":"2013-01-28T23:46:48","modified_gmt":"2013-01-28T23:46:48","slug":"before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say:"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It’s essential to understand the costs of pet ownership before choosing an animal, experts say, adding that getting real about costs should stop owners from adopting — and then surrendering — pets they can’t afford. Some 13 million U.S. households acquire a dog each year, but nearly half are taken to shelters within 12 months, according to Dogtime.com. Owners should be prepared for an initial investment that includes fees for adoption, sterilization, vaccinations and training. However, TV trainer Joel Silverman says families who can handle the costs will find dogs worthwhile: “This is your best friend, right?”<\/em><\/strong> U.S. News & World Report<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Geoff Williams<\/a>January 14, 2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RSS Feed\u00a0 <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Print\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n

\n

So you\u00a0got your kids a puppy for the holidays.\u00a0 And now, looking at your vet bills, the cost of dog food, and several\u00a0 pairs of chewed shoes, you may be wondering if perhaps you should have\u00a0 just bought them an Xbox.<\/p>\n

Maybe you should\u00a0 have. Many pet owners buy a dog without thinking through the financial\u00a0 costs of their prospective pooch. According to Dogtime.com, a news and\u00a0 information website for canine lovers, every year, about 13 million\u00a0 American households adopt a dog or a puppy and within 12 months, half of\u00a0 them have been taken to a shelter.<\/p>\n

“I often try and talk people out of getting a pet and [play] devil’s advocate,” says Harrison Forbes, the author of Dog Talk: Lessons Learned from a Life With Dogs<\/em>, host of a nationwide radio pet show, and a semi-regular pet expert on television, including The Today Show<\/em>.\u00a0 “There’s an odd peer pressure, especially in the shelter world, that we\u00a0 always need to be pumping up the benefits of pet ownership, and that’s\u00a0 great. I’m fully on board. But it’s like home ownership. Owning a house\u00a0 and having a dog is the American dream, but you only want to do it if\u00a0 you can afford it. You don’t want to have to give either up because you\u00a0 didn’t think it through.”<\/p>\n

Robin Ganzert,\u00a0 president of the American Humane Association, agrees. She is, of course,\u00a0 unabashedly on the side of the canine: “My dream would be for every\u00a0 child to have a pet in their lives.” But in the same breath, she also\u00a0 acknowledges, “So many folks are trying to do the right thing and going\u00a0 to shelters to adopt dogs, but that doesn’t mean they’re equipped to do\u00a0 it. They still need to go through the same thought process as you would\u00a0 if you were buying a dog from an expensive breeder. A lot of dogs are\u00a0 recycled back into a shelter or abandoned, and it’s not a good life for\u00a0 them.”<\/p>\n

If you have a new puppy and are\u00a0 overwhelmed by the costs or you’re thinking of getting a dog this year,\u00a0 here are some factors to consider before you do anything rash, like\u00a0 replacing your furry pal with a gerbil, or before you get too caught up\u00a0 in daydreams of throwing a Frisbee at the dog park and watching old Benji <\/em>movies together.<\/p>\n

[Read: 4 Things Your Dog Can Teach You About Starting a Business<\/a>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lifetime costs of owning a dog. <\/strong>Odds\u00a0 are, the cost is more than you think. A variety of sources have\u00a0 different numbers but they’re all high. PetInsurance.com places the\u00a0 average cost of owning a dog\u2014over the dog’s lifetime\u2014at $20,000. In\u00a0 2011, Bloomberg.com crunched numbers and came up with an eye-popping\u00a0 $59,668.88 for a mutt over its lifetime, but the study assumed the New\u00a0 York City-based family would be sending the animal to doggie daycare,\u00a0 expensive kennels, and would buy virtually every available accessory.\u00a0 RaisingSpot.com, which provides tips on raising a dog, suggests a dog\u00a0 that lives 12 years might cost you anywhere between $4,620 and $32,990.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0 other words, if your car is one broken head gasket from putting you\u00a0 into financial ruin, now is not the time to get a dog. If you’re doing\u00a0 OK, well, keep in mind that if a dog costs you $20,000 in the long run,\u00a0 that averages out to a little more than $1,500 a year\u2014a much friendlier\u00a0 number.<\/p>\n

Set-up costs.<\/strong> If\u00a0 you’re buying from a breeder, you might easily pay in the neighborhood\u00a0 of $1,000, or much more. If you’re buying from a shelter, an adoption\u00a0 fee might be closer to $100. However, you’ll also need to set aside\u00a0 money for vaccination shots and for the dog to be spayed or neutered (if\u00a0 the adoption fee doesn’t cover it). Your dog will need some smaller\u00a0 items such as a collar, a leash, and a dog license.<\/p>\n

“The\u00a0 average cost for supplies to set up a small dog is around $300 to\u00a0 $350,” says Dawn Burch, the veterinary relations manager for Petco. “The\u00a0 average cost for supplies to set up a large dog is around $400 to\u00a0 $450.”<\/p>\n

Dogs will be expensive at the outset,\u00a0 says Forbes. “Fifteen years ago, a lot of shelters’ adoption fees were,\u00a0 like, $20, and there’s a lot of hard evidence that those low costs\u00a0 helped make it easier for people to return their pets,” he says.\u00a0 “Shelters that make you pay $300 to $500 for a dog have way less returns\u00a0 than the ones who give animals away dirt-cheap. When you shell out some\u00a0 money on the front end, you take owning a dog a little more seriously.”<\/p>\n

Ongoing costs. <\/strong>Food\u00a0 will be the biggest strain on your wallet, but vet check-ups need to be\u00a0 factored into the budget. You may need to put your dog in a kennel when\u00a0 you travel, or you may want to send your canine to a doggie daycare if\u00a0 nobody’s in the house all day. Of course, there are treats, rawhide\u00a0 bones, dog beds, sweater vests, pet insurance, and an untold number of\u00a0 dog accessories you could purchase as well.<\/p>\n

Experts\u00a0 warn not to skimp on food and veterinarian services. “If you go to a\u00a0 grocery and buy a 30-pound bag of dog food for $10, there are health\u00a0 consequences for that with increased vet bills later,” according to\u00a0 Forbes, who acknowledges that consumers often feel they have no choice\u00a0 but to go for the cheap stuff. “When you have to pay your gas bill, dog\u00a0 food always ends up being cut.”<\/p>\n

Forbes, who has\u00a0 worked for a number of dog-food brands in the past but is no longer\u00a0 affiliated with any, says if you’re pressed for cash but want to buy\u00a0 something relatively healthy, Pedigree, Purina One, and Iams are sound\u00a0 choices. But he adds that the expensive dog food usually has the best\u00a0 nutritional value.<\/p>\n

[See: 10 Reasons Older People Need Pets<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n

If\u00a0 you’re having trouble caring for your dog and think the shelter is your\u00a0 only option, Ganzert says your local shelter or animal control might be\u00a0 able to steer you to places that can help you access free or\u00a0 inexpensive dog food and low-cost vet care.<\/p>\n

Training. <\/strong>Raising\u00a0 a dog on your own can be mentally taxing. Ganzert suggests getting\u00a0 help, whether through an obedience school in your neighborhood (a\u00a0 five-week course can cost between $50 to $350) or a guide book. Or you\u00a0 could opt for the cost-free alternative of watching a dog training TV\u00a0 show, says Joel Silverman, who hosted Good Dog U<\/em> on Animal Planet for 10 years and currently stars in the TV show Dog & Cat Training with Joel Silverman<\/em>.<\/p>\n

“One\u00a0 of the biggest reasons dogs are returned to shelters, I believe, is due\u00a0 to training issues,” says Silverman, who also cites gifting someone a\u00a0 dog as a return-to-sender route. He believes dog owners should choose\u00a0 their pet to ensure a better bond and match.<\/p>\n

Cleaning.<\/strong>\u00a0 You may want to buy cleaning agents, a carpet cleaner, or have a\u00a0 carpet-cleaning service on speed dial. “Look at your house and home\u00a0 facility and what’s likely to be impacted, because you’re going to have\u00a0 accidents the first year,” Ganzert warns.<\/p>\n

[Read: 5 Ways to Save on Pet Costs<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n

And\u00a0 unless you completely puppy-proof your home, you can expect to\u00a0 encounter costs to replace items such as shoes, books, and toys.<\/p>\n

Economic benefits of having a dog.<\/strong>\u00a0 Ganzert says furry family members save people more money than they\u00a0 spend. She cites studies that show dogs help lower people’s blood\u00a0 pressure, and show that children who are exposed to dogs at an early age\u00a0 often avoid developing asthma. Kids who have dogs and are walking them\u00a0 and playing with them are less likely to be overweight, adds Ganzert.<\/p>\n

Silverman\u00a0 sides with Ganzert as far as thinking the positives outweigh the costs:\u00a0 “These aren’t really major expenses. This is your best friend, right?”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s essential to understand the costs of pet ownership before choosing an animal, experts say, adding that getting real about costs should stop owners from adopting — and then surrendering — pets they can’t afford. Some 13 million U.S. households acquire a dog each year, but nearly half are taken to shelters within 12 months, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,33,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dogs","category-human-animal-bond","category-medical-issues"],"yoast_head":"\nBefore adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say: | The Animal Health Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say: | The Animal Health Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It’s essential to understand the costs of pet ownership before choosing an animal, experts say, adding that getting real about costs should stop owners from adopting — and then surrendering — pets they can’t afford. Some 13 million U.S. households acquire a dog each year, but nearly half are taken to shelters within 12 months, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Animal Health Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/animalhealthfoundation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-01-28T23:46:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Animal Health Foundation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Animal Health Foundation\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Animal Health Foundation\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f475447cd5f132c17522d9188f6fcb9b\"},\"headline\":\"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say:\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-28T23:46:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/\"},\"wordCount\":1453,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Dogs\",\"Human-Animal Bond\",\"Medical Issues\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/\",\"name\":\"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say: | The Animal Health Foundation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-28T23:46:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say:\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Animal Health Foundation\",\"description\":\"Our Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Animal Health Foundation of California\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"Animal Health Foundation of California\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/animalhealthfoundation\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f475447cd5f132c17522d9188f6fcb9b\",\"name\":\"The Animal Health Foundation\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/35d2d92234619be7650525ff812317b3c1c8e3d00c51a1bc0e49e7f5ac684f2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/35d2d92234619be7650525ff812317b3c1c8e3d00c51a1bc0e49e7f5ac684f2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/35d2d92234619be7650525ff812317b3c1c8e3d00c51a1bc0e49e7f5ac684f2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"The Animal Health Foundation\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/author\/ahfadmin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say: | The Animal Health Foundation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say: | The Animal Health Foundation","og_description":"It’s essential to understand the costs of pet ownership before choosing an animal, experts say, adding that getting real about costs should stop owners from adopting — and then surrendering — pets they can’t afford. Some 13 million U.S. households acquire a dog each year, but nearly half are taken to shelters within 12 months, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/","og_site_name":"The Animal Health Foundation","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/animalhealthfoundation\/","article_published_time":"2013-01-28T23:46:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"The Animal Health Foundation","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Animal Health Foundation","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/"},"author":{"name":"The Animal Health Foundation","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f475447cd5f132c17522d9188f6fcb9b"},"headline":"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say:","datePublished":"2013-01-28T23:46:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/"},"wordCount":1453,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg","articleSection":["Dogs","Human-Animal Bond","Medical Issues"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/","url":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/","name":"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say: | The Animal Health Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg","datePublished":"2013-01-28T23:46:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/11944203-large-150x150.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/before-adopting-be-sure-you-can-afford-a-new-friend-experts-say\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Before adopting, be sure you can afford a new friend, experts say:"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/","name":"The Animal Health Foundation","description":"Our Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#organization","name":"Animal Health Foundation of California","url":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Animal Health Foundation of California"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/animalhealthfoundation\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f475447cd5f132c17522d9188f6fcb9b","name":"The Animal Health Foundation","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/35d2d92234619be7650525ff812317b3c1c8e3d00c51a1bc0e49e7f5ac684f2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/35d2d92234619be7650525ff812317b3c1c8e3d00c51a1bc0e49e7f5ac684f2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/35d2d92234619be7650525ff812317b3c1c8e3d00c51a1bc0e49e7f5ac684f2d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"The Animal Health Foundation"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org"],"url":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/author\/ahfadmin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1687"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1691,"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions\/1691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}