Pat I couldn't agree with you more.
The vet care is a big one that people don't take into account, especially when they get a pup at a young age. I mean, after all, what vet care does a pup or dog need before 5 (some people's thinking - NOT mine) :rolleyes::rolleyes:. They can just take their animal to the local pet store get a vaccine for $10, that's all they need, right? If they can't properly afford to care for the pet (whether food or vetting) the pet is better off in another home, IMHO. I'm sure I'll get slammed for that.
I see people add pets (cats/dogs/horses) to their home all the time, have lots of animals and then when one of them gets truly sick not get it vet care (ride it out instead of spend some money to help the animal) - and these are people that aren't destitute (or at least appear not to be - big houses, fancy cars).
When Brando broke his leg and I was at the Emergency Vet, you would not believe the number of calls that came in. The receptionist would tell them there was an automatic $89 charge for just seeing the animal - nearly every caller hung up. I was really shocked - if you are calling an emergency vet, doesn't the animal need care?