I have a question...and I don't know if you all can answer it or not, but how much does it cost generally to adopt a puppy?
It cost me 18 dollars to adopt my last dog. 15 for adoption fee, 3 dollars for county dog tax. Our shelter gives us a slip that gets us 25% off spaying/neutering at a local vet's office though. But when/if you adopt or buy an animal--also remember there is are huge expenses in taking care of them. Shelters have you sign a contract saying you will have the animal spayed/neutered by a certain date and that costs some cash, not to mention if you get a large dog--they eat more food. They need vaccinations and check-ups (especially at first because dogs in shelters are more at risk of contracting things like kennel cough, distemper, and parvo--which WILL kill a animal). If you get a puppy from the shelter, chances are it will have worms and usually the shelter's wormer isn't enough. You might have to take it to get wormed by a vet (depending on the type of worms it has). Dogs also might have worms. The last dog we got had tapeworms, which had to be taken care of by the vet.
Just a note: poodles have hypo-allergenic coats. I know it probably sounds weird, but they really do. So if you think of getting a pet before you move, think about getting a poodle for your mom's sake. Not to mention they don't shed--which everyone will love. But their grooming bills will be sky high!
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