10 Ways to Live Positive on a Dog's Budget - Family - Pets

Gas prices are going up daily and food costs are at an all-time high. We have cut our "fun budgets" way down. So how will we enjoy spring in a fun, positive way?

Positive Coach, speaker, & author of Listen to Life with Your Pet, Dr. Joey Faucette says, "Learn how to live positive in a negative world from your dog."

Sixty-two percent of Americans have a pet and half of them claim to have a closer relationship with their pet than with another person. It's natural then to learn from your dog how to live positive on a no-to-low budget.

Dr. Joey learned from his five yellow Labrador retrievers how to have fun on a dog's budget. "My wife left out a food pan in the yard," Faucette says. "Our labs flipped it over, and were pushing it around the yard with their noses, playing 'keep away' from one another. I began to think about the many similar 'little things' in my life that I can enjoy that cost me little to nothing. Many of them involved our dogs."

All of Dr. Joey's 10 Ways to Live Positive on a dog's budget cost about the same or just a little more than your dog carries in his pocket:

1. Neighborhood/Building WalkaboutTake a walk around your neighborhood or building. Invite neighbors along the route to join you as you walk. You'll spot the dog owners by fenced-in backyards, dog houses, etc. or hear them in your building as your dog walks by their condo door. You and your dog enjoy some exercise and make new friends.

2. Playdate with Other Dogs and OwnersAfter your walkabout, invite those dogs that get along best with your dog and their owners to join you for a playdate. Parents with children enjoy such times of companionship. Of course you and your dog can as well.

3. Dog Food Coupon TradeshowNow that you're getting to know other dogs and owners, start leveraging your relationships. Sponsor a monthly gathering of owners and dogs to exchange coupons to get the best value on their preferred food. The food your dog won't eat that you have coupons for another dog will love. Exchange those coupons and save money.

4. Spring Training BallgameGet your fellow large dogs and owners together to play fetch in a local park or in your yard. Time the catch and return times to see who's the quickest. Give treats as prizes.

5. Pamper Me Doggy PartyGet your small dogs and owners together to give pedicures, paint nails, make hair bows, and decorate dog collars with supplies from a dollar store. Be sure to take pictures. You can even hold a beauty contest. Print an award from a template in your word processing program.

6. Toy SwapSponsor a Toy Swap with your dog owning friends. Bring the toys your dog received and can't use (a plush squirrel for a Lab? A kong ball for your teacup poodle?) and swap them with your fellow owners for more breed appropriate ones.

7. Something Shiny Invite over a few dogs and owners. Put out a shiny pan in the yard, like the one you feed your dog with, and watch them go to play with it. Prepare for no-budget belly laughs!

8. It's Your Birthday!Throw a birthday party for your dog. Invite other dog owners you've met. Serve your dog's favorite food with a treat and maybe a side-dish of soft-serve canned food. Place a $5 limit on gifts. You might even provide hats!

9. Pool Party ParadiseGo to the discount store and bring a hard-plastic pool home, fill it with water, and watch your dog and her friends splash around. Beware: the Labs will hog the pool.

10. Tell Your FriendsSocial market the stories of your positive spring fun on a dog's budget on Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube. Share your stories from your dog's point-of-view. Let your dog tell them. Watch as your calendar fills with invitations from other dog owners for no-to-low budget fun!

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