Doggone-It: Photo Of The Week

FLORIDA — Phone cameras make it so easy to capture great moments any day, any time. Have you taken some photos of flowers in bloom, children frolicking at the beach, breathtaking sunsets, dramatic skylines or a funny photo of the family dogs plunging into the backyard swimming pool?

The Florida Patch sites publish a collection of Photos of the Week each weekend sent in by readers. Whether you snapped an amazing shot with your smartphone or spent hours capturing the decisive moment on a Nikon D6, send your photos to Tampa Bay Patch editor D'Ann White at dann.white@patch.com with the location of the photo and the name of the photographer. You might see your photo featured on Patch.

This week, we have a collection of four-legged friends taken by Patch readers in honor of National Dog Day Saturday.

National Dog Day: Things To Know

In Florida, dog owners spend roughly $27,000 over a dog’s lifetime to provide everything from essential care and to luxurious indulgences.

The math is courtesy of MarketWatch, a publication of The Wall Street Journal, which analyzed the lifetime cost of adding a dog to the family — about $28,800 nationally — across 11 metrics, including veterinary care, dog food and supplies, grooming, pet insurance and boarding costs.

A couple of caveats: Costs vary by breeds — the MarketWatch team looked at the costs of owning a Labrador retriever, Americans’ favorite dog. Also, the higher the cost of living, the higher the cost of owning a dog. Of the 15 most expensive states to own a dog, all but one are located on the West Coast or in the Northeast. Read more on the methodology.

Florida is the 29th most expensive state to own a bigger breed dog, according to MarketWatch. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Puppy cost: $1,040 (cost assumes the dog was acquired as a puppy that the owner has pet insurance and includes vaccines; spay or neuter operations, preventative medicine for heartworms, fleas and ticks; and general supplies)
• Annual cost: $2,416
• Lifetime cost: $27,621

MarketWatch said puppy care costs Americans an average of $199 for vaccines; $298 for spay or neuter operations; $184 for preventative medicine (heartworms, ticks, fleas, etc.); and $356 for general supplies, including leashes, bowls, crates and pet beds).

The analysis also showed Americans spend about $2,524 a year in recurring pet costs, according to the MarketWatch team’s analysis. That includes an average of $447 for pet food, $221 for toys and treats, $681 for boarding costs (assuming 15 days a year), $193 for grooming; $510 for pet insurance; $65 for an annual vet checkup; and $407 for emergency veterinary care.

Another study this year, by Forbes Advisor, found that 66 percent of U.S. households have a pet of some sort, up from 56 percent in 1988. Some 65.1 million households own a dog, and among them, 85 percent consider the pooch part of the family.

The Forbes analysis found that, on average, households with dogs spend about $912 a year for their care, including $399 for food, $367 for vet care, $79 for toys, $99 for grooming and $28 for incidentals. That analysis did not distinguish between breeds or take into account the difference in the cost of owning a large or small dog.