A Second Puppy Package – SAVE or INVEST?

So yes. This is real. We have 2 italian greyhounds now! Harvey is 3 years old now and just a few days ago we brought home his little brother – Oliver. SO. MUCH. EXCITEMENT!

Once we got the news that there is a puppy-born who’ll join our family, we have put ourselves together, stopped dancing on the tables, finished the box of champagne and started real preparation.

I remember, while prepping for Harvey’s arrival, we went really crazy about it and spent a fortune on quite some fancy stuff. Wrooooong! Lesson learnt.

This time we knew better on what to invest & how we can save.

I’m sure this might be a helpful experience for you, especially if you’re planning to get a doggo!

A shortlist of things I prepared for Oli’s welcoming. Save or invest?

Temporary crate

I want to have Oli used to sleeping in a crate (more about WHY in an upcoming post!). To take it slow, I didn’t want to put him in Harvey’s crate which is very much unfair for Harvey and is very likely to be stressful for a puppy. So I borrowed a standard crate. I didn’t want to invest in it as we’ll have a huge crate for both of our iggies to stay at, so no need to spend additional money on something you will not even need in a month or so. SAVE!

Permanent crate

This is partially covered in #1 – I want to have both Harvey & Oli sleeping in one crate but it takes time for both iggies to become friends. No pushing! As this big & permanent crate will serve for a lot of years (hopefully), we definitely chose to INVEST.

A new blanket (Harvey scent-free :)).

Harvey loves the blanket I got him on the first day he joined our family. Good blanket is forever blanket. And it’s not that expensive. INVEST!

A bed

Just think about it – this 8 weeks baby will definitely pee & poo all over the crate. I needed a comfy but easy to wash bed. I needed it of a right size (not for an adult but for puppy!). So, something to last for up to 6 months. It’s way better to invest in a bed when doggo grows up – way less accidents and way longer use. But now… SAVE! Ah, by the way, reusing old blankets and sewing that yourself is even a better choice!

A collar & a leash

This one is super easy – SAVE SAVE SAVE! Puppies are growing so quickly, anything bought now will not fit in a few months. It’s better to grab something comfy and on budget for now and invest on quality & great design a bit later.

Food bowls

I choose to SAVE. Small bowl for a small dog. That helps ME to remember to change water to a fresh one very often (as it doesn’t fit a lot of it J). And that helps a doggo not to drown in that :) :)

Toys

My rule here – toys have to be safe. It’s better to invest and have it for longer rather than paying very little but having it torn and, omg, no! hurt or choked on. So if I find something cheap but high-quality – I buy & SAVE. But if that’s not available I choose to INVEST!

A soft crate for travelling

I am a bit embarrassed to say this but Harvey used to travel with no safety measures for quite some time. Now we have invested in a soft crate for travelling with a car. No more loose dogs in a car! INVEST, this thing is for (safe) life!

Clothing

Again, puppies grow in a speed of light. If it’s a cold season, sew something yourself or ask people in dog communities if there’s anyone who could sell/give away clothing that their puppies grew out of already. Plan the closet for your (almost) grown iggy and invest then – quality dog clothing is not that cheap but it’ll serve you for a lot of seasons! So, SAVE!

Although it’s very tempting to buy tons of cool & fancy stuff for a baby doggo, we tried to be smart. And this time we have succeeded!

If you’re about to have a puppy, try to keep your bright mind on :)

My personal experience says – invest in things that you’ll be able to use for a very long time. And reuse, buy cheap or make something yourself for the items that a puppy will grow out of soon.

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Would love to hear your opinion! What is or was a must for your welcome package?