Why Ignoring Your Dog’s Problems is the Most Expensive Choice of All
- Zachary Pezanko
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
We understand that oftentimes it’s natural to ignore problems and hope they go away.
It’s less work. It seems less expensive. It feels like the right thing to do. But, ignoring a problem is often the worst thing you can do when it comes to your dog.
We also get that you aren’t ignoring their problem because you don’t care. You might be ignoring it because:
Life is busy
Money is tight
You’re hoping things get better with time
You feel odd asking for help
You’ve been told that your dog will “grow out of it”
But here’s the uncomfortable truth we see every day:
Behavior problems rarely stay the same, or go away on their own. They grow.
And when behavior grows, so do the consequences.
Doing nothing is not the right call. It’s the most expensive option of all.
Here’s why:
Worst case scenario: surrender or euthanasia
Nobody adopts a dog expecting to ever face this decision. But shelters and veterinary clinics across the country, the same devastating issues keep showing up:
Dogs aren’t surrendered because they’re unloved; they’re surrendered because behavior problems became financially/emotionally impossible to manage.
Most families have already poured everything they have into trying to fix things. They’ve spent thousands on training programs, medications, tools, consults, and behavior specialists, doing everything they can.
And when the money runs out, but the behavior doesn’t, surrender becomes the final option.
Your savings are drained. Credit cards have been stretched to the limit. And the family walks away with nothing except an empty collar and the memory of a dog that they desperately wanted to keep.
And then there’s the reality no one wants to discuss: When aggression or reactivity becomes dangerous and help costs $2,500–$6,000+, some are pressured into euthanasia, not because the dog was “too far gone”, but because help was beyond reach.
A life ended because the price of support was unaffordable. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Money can be made again.
A dog’s life cannot.
The silent drain: property damage
Living with an unaddressed behavior issue sounds manageable at the start, until it suddenly isn’t.
Dogs chew through doors when left alone. Couch legs and chairs destroyed from frustration. Walls and fences damaged during reactivity. Windows cracked from aggression.
You’d be amazed at some of the things dogs destroy due to their behavior problems.
And the replacement cost of one major incident? It can cost thousands.
And emotionally, you start living in a house full of stress instead of a place of peace.
Another giant issue: medical bills
Owners hope it never happens… until the one day it does.
A dog fight at the park
A bite from fear or panic
A child knocked over during overstimulation
Vet bills for dog-on-dog injury average $1,000–$5,000+.
And emergency room bills for a human injury? Even more expensive.
But most behavior issues don’t happen because a dog is “bad.”
They happen because a dog is emotionally overwhelmed with no support system.
Does medication really help?
A personal pet peeve of mine are dogs being medicated at an alarming rate, for “issues” big and small. As if a magic pill can cure emotional trauma or untaught boundaries.
But when it becomes the only tool you’re told works, the costs stack up quick.
$50–$200/month for life
Frequent vet appointments
Bloodwork monitoring
Little improvement without true real-world behavior support
And your vet almost never gives you a plan to get your dog OFF their meds. It’s simply a lifelong “management” issue. Pro tip: behavior issues don’t need to be “managed”, they can be fixed with the right kind of help.
Medication without a detox plan is simply emotional suppression without ever truly healing your dog. But more on that for another day/post.
What do we lose most of all? Time.
Every month waiting for things to “get better” is a month of:
Avoiding walks rather than enjoying them
Managing triggers rather than experiencing breakthroughs
Constant stress
Survival instead of bonding
And realistically? Nobody gets a second lifetime with their dog.
Ask any owner who waited too long, and they almost always say the same thing: “I wish I had acted sooner.”
But, there’s finally another path
We built Canine Coverage™ so dog owners never have to choose between:
Their wallet
Their dog’s life
Or their family’s safety
For $49/month, less than one dinner out, you get:
Protection from the worst-case scenarios
Support before things spiral out of control
A plan for regressions, development periods, and emotional trauma
Someone in your corner when life changes and your dog struggles
Not every problem requires a $5,000 board-and-train. Not every escalation has to become an emergency. And not every dog has to reach the point of no return.
The cost of inaction is always high. And now, the cost of support has never been lower. See how Canine Coverage™ protects your dog, and your peace of mind, here:
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