Owning a pet can get pricey—especially when that pet is an adorable dog. In the first year of my puppy Bebop's life, my boyfriend and I spent at least $2,000 just on the necessities (that's about $75/month on food, $1,100 on vet bills for shots, neutering and medications for worms, heartworm/flea prevention and runny eyes, plus at least $100 on pee pads). We also spent $40/month on supplies like bones, toys, leashes and harnesses and—rather extravagantly, I suppose—$500 on plane fees so we could take him with us on trips home to Winnipeg.
We're certainly not alone in our spending. The pet industry in Canada is $4-$5 billion per year and is constantly growing. According to the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA), the average cost of caring for an adult, 40-pound dog is $2,150/year and slightly lower for cats at $1,600/year. In the first year of life, it's closer to $3,000 for dogs and $1,900 for cats. Quite the financial commitment, especially when some pets live into their twenties—I'm looking at you, Bebop.
For some people (I'm talking the rich and famous), $3,000 is chump change. It's the cost of a bottle of Les Poochs fragrance or silky linens to adorn a custom dog bed. With such extravagant spending, caring for a pet each year can quickly get into the tens of thousands. For fun, here's a list of some of the most expensive (hilariously so!) pet products on the market:
1. Custom couture
Whether you're looking for a bathing suit, a robe or a cheerleader outfit for your pet, all are easy to find online — especially if you're willing to shell out the cash. In Japan, labels like Chanel, Dior, Hermès and Gucci produce luxury products for their canine clientele. On poshpuppyboutique.com, you can purchase a black and white zebra dress with frilly pink tutu and bling for $280 and bitchnewyork.com sells tiny faux fur coats for $305. But why should dogs get all the fun? United Bamboo offers a line full of fashionable attire for people and their cats — including a matching parka!
2. Doggie jogger
Some animals spend their whole lives being pushed around in strollers that cost upwards of $400. The Novel Dog Jogger-Stroller, $485, is made for dogs over 45 pounds that have hip dysplasia or are recovering from injuries. Sounds practical, yet something about a dog —or a cat! — in a stroller seems wrong, but the times, they are a changin'.
3. Dinner's served
High chairs aren't just for human babies anymore. They're for dog babies, too! For $900, your beloved pet can sit up at the table with the family. Stairs and a door in the back allow your dog to climb up on her own and hand-painted porcelain bowls make meal time extra special.
And after dinner? Let your feline do her business in privacy in a custom Five Pet Place walnut Litter Cabinet, starting at $475.
4. Just desserts
Not much of a baker? Have Rockstar Puppy Boutique whip up a golden confection in one of three flavours: peanut butter, banana or pumpkin. Your dog will love it, and it will only set you back $1,000.
5. Heaven scent
For the dog that wants to smell like a human, Les Poochs makes a fragrance for that: Les Poochs V.I.P., to be exact. For a breezy $3,000/4 oz., those customers that are invited to partake in a purchase (that's right — even if you have $3,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you probably won't be able to snag a bottle) can envelope themselves and their pets in the rare fragrance of the Osmanthus flower. It takes two years to grow and pick enough petals for distillation.
6. The princess and the pea
For the pet that needs the cushiest of sleeping accommodations, this canopied king-sized bed is made to look like the Eiffel Tower... but with decidedly Eastern-style curtains and bedding. At a whopping $24,000 with no returns or exchanges, you'd better have your heart set.
If minimalist chic better suits your decor, a modern leather cat stand from European Pet Interiors could be a classic $915 addition to your living room.
7. Sweet digs
When Jersey Shore's JWoww needed a dog house for her pair of pooches, she turned to Rockstar Puppy Boutique to make a custom $12,000 home complete with stained glass window, Swarovski crystal nameplate, and pair of beds with pink faux fur blankets. The same company can build a Taj Mahal structure for the starting price of $40,000. For those looking to build a miniature version of their own home, La Petite Maison offers custom designs at a cost upwards of $25,000.
For the pampered kitty in your life, a $999 multi-level tree house from 7th Heaven Cat Furniture might be just the thing.
8. Ice, ice, baby
What's better than the classic nylon or leather dog collar? One made of diamonds. Real diamonds. The collar pictured below retails for a cool $150,000 on poshpuppyboutique.com.
For a more affordable, but still extravagant $195, snag a dazzling Swarovski crystal collar for your kitty from Diamond Dogs.
9. The help
Choupette, the spoiled pet of Chanel creative director and head designer Karl Lagerfeld, has her own driver as well as two maids to attend to her every whim. According to an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Lagerfeld ensures that they brush her at least twice a day and record everything that she does in a diary for daddy to read. Miss Lagerfeld even has her own Twitter account: @ChoupettesDiary. Other wealthy pets, such as Trouble, the maltese of the late hotel heiress Leona Helmsley, have their own limos and body guards and are left inheritances. According to Business Insider, Helmsley bestowed $12 million on Trouble at her death.
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