| There's no need to buy a dog from a pet shop, just adopt a dog from SPCA or similar, they will take care of all the vaccinations, de-sexing etc. (you will have to pay for these, can't remember how much, maybe around HK$2000?). Try to get a mongrel if you can as they tend to be healthier than a pedigree (pedigree is just a polite way to say inbred).
As others have said the only costs are food, which depends on the size of the dog and will probably be a few hundred dollars a month, some tick prevention treatment and the occasional visit to the vet. Of course you can spend large amounts of money on grooming, toys, costumes etc. but the only purpose of these is to entertain the owner, they are not for the benefit of the dog. The dog will be perfectly happy with and old tennis ball, something to chew and the occasional brushing of its coat.
I've never even imagined the idea of pet insurance let alone researched the cost but like all insurance the insurance companies make their money by charging you more for insurance than you are ever likely to need to spend. The only reason to take out insurance is to cover you for events that, although unlikely, if they were to happen they would be so catastrophically expensive that you could not afford to pay for them without selling your house and forcing your family to live in the street. It is somewhat unlikely that anything that might happen to a dog would come under this category.  |