I didn't have pets growing up and my family bought my first dog at age 40. She has become one of my favorite things in life. She sleeps in our bed and we run together every other day. She smells like a dog and I love that smell. She cost $1500 which is an insane amount of money for a dog in my opinion, but we needed a dog that didn't shed as much. She is a golden-doodle, a bougie mutt if you will. I love her!
I work with hunters, ranchers, and other salty dudes/dudettes. We talk about what happens when pets need to be put down for various reasons. I have lost most of my empathy toward humans and prior to getting my dog, I could not understand why anyone would "waste" thousands of dollars on vets. I understand now, completely and 100% get why someone would not care if they needed to spend $$$$$ on helping their life companion. My dog has restored a bit of my empathy. The ranchers I work with are super detached from the herd, but boy are they willing to through hell for a good dog. I get it now.
*Its somewhere around $150 per month with food, medicine, insurance, treats, toys, grooming. Medicine for valley fever is very expensive, so we go to Mexico to get it... $140 vs $25 for 3 month supply.