How Much Is the New Dodge Demon Going to Cost

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Conscientious owners can easily spend hundreds of dollars a month making sure that their pet doesn't use the house as a toilet.

To save cash, Lucia Le, 35, ended up cutting her dog Murphy's daycare at an Arlington, Va. facility to three days a week from five.

"On the days he didn't go, I was working long hours, so it was stressful," she said.

The situation became uncomfortable enough for both Murphy, a 55-pound shepherd mix, and his owner that Le started to think about other options. She ended up leaving her job as an advertising art director, and co-founding a dog-walking service earlier this year. Her company, Go Pup, offers various services, including walks for dogs that just need to go to the bathroom.

"There are a lot of breeds, older dogs and dogs with arthritis that can't handle full walks. Sometimes puppies won't do full walks," Le said. "Sometimes we just need the dog let out."

Go Pup's bathroom-walk service, offered in the Arlington and Washington areas, costs $8 for up to 10 minutes of walking. "Pricewise it fits people's budgets," Le said. The national average for a dog walk is $15 to $20 for 30 minutes, according to Pet Sitters International, an educational organization for pet services companies. A full day of care in metropolitan locations can cost about $35.

To the petless, expenses such as doggy daycare may seem extravagant. Yet U.S. pet industry expenditures are on an upward trajectory, reaching an estimated $41 billion this year -- up 6% from the prior year, according to American Pet Products Manufacturers Association Inc.

"Americans especially look at their pets as family members and really want to provide optimal care for their pets," said John Long, a spokesman for Pet Sitters International. "Pets are just like people in the sense that they need interaction -- it's good for them emotionally and physically."

Whichever service an owner chooses, it's important to make sure that the walker has insurance and is bonded, according to experts. If you're going to pay a neighborhood teenager to take care of your pet, make sure they are reliable. Christopher Stone, president of City Dogs Inc. in Washington, said his employees and clients' dogs are covered by insurance. City Dogs also has a dishonesty bond to protect homeowners from theft.

To keep down costs, you can also try to team up with other people in your building or neighborhood to get a discount price on walking and other services.

Boss -- dog's best friend?

At least a couple hundred companies in the United States have a pet-friendly office plan. Some companies may allow pets only on certain days. Check out this software company's pet parade.

Other companies, such as ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's, allow pretty much any pet a worker owns to hang out at headquarters in Burlington, Vt. However, animals are not welcome at the company's two ice cream plants.

"People might love their dogs, but they want their ice cream to be dog-hair free," said Sean Greenwood, a Ben & Jerry's spokesman.

Greenwood said there are a dozen dogs in the workplace on any given day -- companions to about 100 employees in the workplace. He added that pets at the workplace add to the "rather laid-back atmosphere" of the home of Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.

"We're kind of counterculture, and we want to avoid too much red tape," he said. "We ask people to try to be mindful that not everyone is an animal lover."

Several months ago, the Humane Society of the United States started allowing dogs across all of its offices. Pets such as cats and rabbits are not welcome because they go to the bathroom indoors.

Google Inc. GOOG, -2.67% allows dogs on shuttles, and throughout most offices -- not in bathrooms and areas with food service. Googlers are required to check with managers and colleagues before bringing in pets. If an employee has an allergic reaction to a dog, owners are expected to be responsive to the needs of their colleague, according to a company spokeswoman.

Employees without the option of taking their pets to work, can use flextime to visit home during the day. They can also coordinate their schedule with other family members to make sure that the pet isn't alone for too long.

"If you have an office that allows you flex time, changing your schedule to allow you to come during the day, and working at home are great ways to spend time with your dog," said Adam Goldfarb, issues specialist for the Humane Society.

How Much Is the New Dodge Demon Going to Cost

Source: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-keep-a-collar-on-high-dog-care-costs

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