<prompt> Human: Ive never had a pet in my life. My husband grew up with a dog and half a dozen cats over the years. He would love to get a dog, and now that were moving out of our apartment into a house Im warming up to the idea. It would be a small dog, like a daschund mix.What kind of financial responsibility and obligations come with a dog? Ive asked a couple friends what their vet bills are like - at most a couple hundred two or three times per year is what theyve said. Ive also browsed the pet aisles at Target and Walmart to get an idea of the prices of food and toys, but I dont really know how fast you go through that stuff.Is a separate pet emergency fund suggested? Is there an approximate dollar amount I can plan around? Anything else Im not thinking of? Im totally new to being a pet owner, so any and all information from the financial perspective is greatly appreciated.Edit: thank you so much everyone for your feedback! Im relieved to hear lower-than-expected numbers thrown around. Edit 2: wow, quite an outpouring of knowledge and information. thank you all so much. here are my takeaways: costs depend a lot on size and breed up front costs 250-500 annual expenses 1000 pet emergency fund 1000-2000  <response>: Dont forget that every time youre away from home youll need to have a friend dogsit or pay to have him boarded somewhere. Its not cheap. 