New Pet Owner on a budget..

Throughout the pandemic, approximately 11.38 million households adopted a pet during that time. With this increase in pet adoptions since the pandemic, it has also increased household carbon pawprint. To balance this, there are a few ways to be a more sustainable pet owner. 

We adopted our beautiful girl in March 2022 and thinking green has been on my mind for years. If I can find it used, and in good condition, I would rather give something a second life than see it end up in landfills. I applied this same idea to shopping for my newest family member. 

Let me walk you through how we saved thousands of dollars buying the essentials for our puppy. We had a few high-ticket items that most pet parents need: a crate, a dog bed, and a dog cover for your car. Mind you this may take a little more work than just heading to amazon or your local pet store.

I had been specifically looking for a RuffLand dog travel crate, this retails anywhere from $180-500. I went over to Facebook and typed in that crate, and within a few days, I found someone who had everything we needed. We paid $500 for 3 dog crates, a dog bed, and a handful of other useful pet items that normally if you bought new would be well over $1,000+. . Yes, normally it wouldn't be this easy, but it gives you an idea of the incredible items you can find in great condition. 

Other ways to save money, are to ask family and friends and check resale sites like Poshmark, or even some local shops in town. We have one called Feral that has a small used pet gear section. 

These are great ways to save money because you can then buy some fun items for your pet without your wallet taking a huge hit.