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Ever think of getting a Degree... Supporting yourself will be hard enough PT & Min Wage much less adding a pet. At you age Take advice from people that been in you situation. ! wanted a Horse so bad I got on at 18 on Min wage job! Worst I did for both me & the horse! at 30 years old got land small trailer & my second Horse! Old & smarter...
Ever think of getting a Degree... Supporting yourself will be hard enough PT & Min Wage much less adding a pet. At you age Take advice from people that been in you situation. ! wanted a Horse so bad I got on at 18 on Min wage job! Worst I did for both me & the horse! at 30 years old got land small trailer & my second Horse! Old & smarter...
Um.... I don't work PT. Or for minimum wage. I actually make more than the state, and city, minimum but not enough to live on just that in Minneapolis. So I work a second job, which I'm fine with since it's doable and pays a little more than the minimum out here. Combined I make more money than any I actually need, but my kitty needs a $180 teeth cleaning/blood tests(to make sure he is healthy and can take sedatives) while paying bills and getting newer tires, especially with winter coming.
There would be no way on earth I could even afford a single room out here on PT bills, let alone my car. Even the cat would be costly, and the most I spent on him was the week I got him! Otherwise, he's $16 a month, as his food isn't costly and the vet says it's good. Currently he's healthy and staring at me type.
K-Chris
Give your cat a raw chicken neck every day & you'll never have to pay for 'teeth cleaning' ever again.
It will not only keep his teeth clean but will massage his gums & give him healthier stools (& less stinky) Good oral health also means neutral breath : )
How are you paying $16 a month on cat food? Sorry, cat owner here but I am curious. $16 a month to feed 1 cat? Are you feeding it kibble? Canned? I feed 2 cats Fancy Feast. They are both about 9 lbs. Feeding one of my cats canned Fancy Feast would cost me about $30 a month (2 cans a day per cat) and that is if I order from online. Wet food should be included in its diet to increase hydration and water intake as cats naturally don't drink enough water.
That aside, there were a lot of good advice here, especially from those older than you are. I have 2 big dogs, lab and pit mixes. I wanted a big dog for years when I lived at a rental or home but I waited until I owed my own home. You have to consider also for your future roommates, who may not be as accepting of those breeds or they have a pet of their own. A landlord will charge you a fee just for having a dog... Think about how stupid that is. Those fees can range around $100-500. That is extra money you could save to eventually buy a condo, a car or a vacation.
Finally, keep in mind just because your landlord is fine with it, if the association of that property finds out, especially after your big dog knocks someone over or bit someone, you will be liable.
How are you paying $16 a month on cat food? Sorry, cat owner here but I am curious. $16 a month to feed 1 cat? Are you feeding it kibble? Canned? I feed 2 cats Fancy Feast. They are both about 9 lbs. Feeding one of my cats canned Fancy Feast would cost me about $30 a month (2 cans a day per cat) and that is if I order from online. Wet food should be included in its diet to increase hydration and water intake as cats naturally don't drink enough water.
That aside, there were a lot of good advice here, especially from those older than you are. I have 2 big dogs, lab and pit mixes. I wanted a big dog for years when I lived at a rental or home but I waited until I owed my own home. You have to consider also for your future roommates, who may not be as accepting of those breeds or they have a pet of their own. A landlord will charge you a fee just for having a dog... Think about how stupid that is. Those fees can range around $100-500. That is extra money you could save to eventually buy a condo, a car or a vacation.
Finally, keep in mind just because your landlord is fine with it, if the association of that property finds out, especially after your big dog knocks someone over or bit someone, you will be liable.
Wal-Mart out here charges about $15 for 32 cans of Fancy Feast. Since the cans are 5.5 ounces, and he is fed 6 ounces daily, I did make sure to ask the vet if the .5 matters. We decided to wait two months, him eating a can a day, to check. He actually gained weight over time, but everything seems fine with him as is. I feed him a third of the can every 8hrs, using another can if the third is too little. Sometimes he doesn't eat the entire third at once and will go back after about 15-20min to finish it, weird thing. I used to spend about $50 a month feeding him a Purina One Grain Free diet, which I am switching him back to eventually as it's just easier to deal with. He also doesn't, and refuses to, eat dry food and any texture of wet besides pate. I tried, trust me.
Back to the rest, I'm just waiting.
And fyi, I have a car. I don't see the need to buy another. Or a house at my stage in life. While that sounds nice, it sounds like a catastrophic waste of money on my part. So I'm looking at primarily renting, as that sounds better for me since I might end up moving around and being trapped in a mortgage doesn't find pleasant.
But then again, I took peoples advice on something else so dogs on hold again. I was recommended to look at cities/states with schools I might attend. Even though Nevada is dirt cheap, and I'm finding HOUSES I can afford to rent that allow dogs w/o restrictions, there's no schools there I would attend and I'd just have to up and move again. I didn't think this far the first time, so I'm glad someone brought this up.
Working two jobs or going to school and working is too much time away from home for a dog. I had to do w/o a dog for many years through school and then when I worked 60+ hours a week. Cats had to do.
After so long w/o a dog, pretty much the day I left the 60 hour work week I went straight to the pound and found the perfect dog.
But I own where I live.
Quote:
since I might end up moving around
That is a huge factor for the type of dog you want. You will forever be in this spot, trying to find a place that will take it.
I think you will be better off if you forget about a dog until you are settled somewhere. Some more food for thought
Working two jobs or going to school and working is too much time away from home for a dog. I had to do w/o a dog for many years through school and then when I worked 60+ hours a week. Cats had to do.
After so long w/o a dog, pretty much the day I left the 60 hour work week I went straight to the pound and found the perfect dog.
But I own where I live.
That is a huge factor for the type of dog you want. You will forever be in this spot, trying to find a place that will take it.
I think you will be better off if you forget about a dog until you are settled somewhere. Some more food for thought
Read the last thing I posted. Probably would've been better had you done so before replying.
Not trying to be a dick about it but, yeah your last paragraph was already addressed by myself earlier.
Honestly? Just keep looking. Post on the CD local thread. There are places everywhere that don't mind pitbulls. Plenty of times, they are perfectly nice places too.
I would look out for dogs NOT on the lists, but I know myself and am fully aware of the types of dogs I generally end up wanting to adopt. They tend to end up being the dogs on the list. Doesn't help that these places tend to not allow mixes of any type.
And no I'm not a complete idiot. If I can't get the dog, I won't adopt it just because. Yall kind of sound like I would adopt regardless, not really noting that I can NOW if I wanted to. Just being realistic.
Of course if the place says no, then thats about it. I just wanted to know if there was any way to LEGALLY FFS adopt, as I did read there might be ways but obviously I am unaware on if it was or was not true. Now I know, problem solved in a sense.
The reason folks are attempting to caution you about jeopardizing a dog that you may not be able to keep is that you have repeated a few times the disclaimer that I've bolded above. Makes you sound wishy washy......
My suggestion is wait on getting a dog until you get to Vegas....get a job....live in whatever apartment you find for a few months. In other words get acclimated.
In the meantime....why not go volunteer at the animal shelter in Vegas. It may help you find friends, and network and find which apartments allow your favorite type dog.....and also give you time to find your dog. Win Win.
Good luck on your move and keep us posted.
Edit to Add: I have now read the entire thread. You posted that you are in MN. There are many opportunities for school there, so give some thought to checking out your available schools, and attending there before you move to another State. You could keep your current job, and then when you move it could possibly be for a job offer based on your degree. Good luck to you on whatever you choose.
Last edited by JanND; 10-27-2017 at 04:48 AM..
Reason: ETA
You sound like you're thinking about all the right things. I too recommend waiting until your situation is more stable.
I'm active in rescue. I see literally hundreds of posts a year on my social media feed from people who have adopted a pit and their circumstances have changed so the dog needs to be rehomed. Usually it's a change to their housing situation and they can't keep the dog. Rescues are full and shelters are overflowing. A big percentage of dogs in shelters are pits or pit mixes. Owner surrenders are usually the first dogs to be put down, especially pits and chihuahuas.
I'm sure you're doing your research and have the best of intentions but no one has a crystal ball. Once you've moved and been in a new job for 6 months or so and your housing is stable then reconsider it. I'd also have a back up plan in case your housing changes. Note that even if you own your own house some insurance companies won't write policies for a house where there is a pit bull.
Finally, there are some cities where the breed is outlawed so be sure to check local laws before you move. Springfield MO just passed such a law. I'm not saying you have any intention to move there, I mention it to illustrate that Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is unfortunately still being passed today. I like pits. I've seen them come from horrific situations and still be some of the sweetest dogs I've met.
Good luck with whatever you decide and thank you for thinking about rescuing,
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