Bow WOW! Montana in the Top 20 States Where It’s Most Expensive to Own a Dog

My bank account has taken a pretty severe hit in the last two months. It was a planned expense, but still, my eyes bulge when I look at my bank balance and I grit my teeth every time I transfer from my savings account. Why am I losing so much money?

I got a puppy.

It doesn't help that I already have two other dogs. But man, it was more expensive than I imagined. Then I saw this article from WOBM in New Jersey about New Jersey being one of the most expensive states to own a dog so I had to know: was Montana expensive too, or does it just feel that way because I'm in the middle of the expenses right now?

I looked at the same MarketWatch study that Shawn Michaels referenced in his article to see where Montana fell on the list. The good news: it's not as expensive in Montana as it is in New Jersey, but it's not exactly cheap either. Montana is 19th overall.

Here's How the Costs Were Broken Down

The MarketWatch Guides team crunched the numbers in 2023 and came up with average costs for:

• Getting a Puppy
• Annual Cost of a Dog
• Lifetime Cost of a Dog

Their report says it costs about $900 to get a puppy which matches up pretty close with what I spent.

As a bit of a PSA, one cost I forgot about was paying for a license, and since I adopted my dog from Missoula City-County Animal Control that was one of the fees. I also needed to update the licenses for my other dogs so those costs were added as well.

The long-term costs, seem less intimidating, especially if you compare them with other major investments.

• Annual Cost of a Dog in Montana: $2,544
• Lifetime Cost of a Dog in Montana: $28,886

When you look at these numbers, fellow dog owners, does this match up with what you spend on your dog(s)?