The pursuit of financial independence is a pursuit of happiness. Money is not the goal. Money is the vehicle that allows for a life centered around happiness. We write here about a philosophy centered around simple living and simple investing, but at the end of the day the entire goal is to provide more time to acquire true and meaningful fulfillment in our lives. Writing about this stuff often makes me feel like a bit of a used car salesman — convincing people to invest in stocks and open up credit cards — so I’m happy to take this opportunity to write more freely about, well, life. And dogs.
It’s very exciting to get wrapped up in all the ways to optimize, all the short-cuts and refinements, but I’m sometimes reminded of how quickly all the joys in life can be suddenly upended.
The Big Change
I recently learned that a friend of mine lost her dog unexpectedly, the second such time this year that I’ve been informed of the sudden passing of a beloved pet. Our good friend, let’s call her Jen, lived with this dog in excess of a decade. They moved together from place to place across the country for school and jobs, often just the two of them. Jen is now faced with this horrible void in her life, and doesn’t know how to start over with this new chapter.
This sort of news always kills me. Mrs. CC and I have no children, but we often literally refer to our dog of eight years, here known as “Snickers” (not her real name), as our daughter. Actually, we do that all the time: “F! Your daughter stole the dough that was rising on the counter for bread”, or, “Hey, can you keep your daughter occupied so I can actually write something??”.
Yes, we’re those people. But let me clarify. We’re not out buying silly beauty products, watercolor portraits, clothing, costumes, birthday presents, Christmas presents, etc. She’s still a freaking dog!
The Burden
She can be a complete and total pain in the ass, but she is our complete and total pain in the ass. Plus, she’s probably infinitely more easy to deal with than an actual human child.
She steals food. She steals all food and her manipulation and deceit to get past you and to your napkin with one drop of ketchup knows no bounds. Snickers is a merciless Ghengis Kahn of the kitchen, alley, sidewalk, strangers’ backpacks, the world.
She happily bounds past shocked joggers in the street, drooling from the excitement of the maggot-infested bird carcass she just swiped out of nowhere from a wet gutter.
She puts fear into the heart of mothers when she suddenly lurches for the ice cream cone held carelessly in the hands of a child. I don’t care if that cloud sort of looks like the goat you just saw at the petting zoo. Pay attention kid!
But we love her. I know Jen loved her dog too.
Dog People
People either get dogs or they don’t. I see the way some friends and family very awkwardly interact with dogs. Those folks will surely find this “shrine” I’m writing to be a real winner (Please subscribe!). Online climbing forums spew hatred for crag dogs and their owners no less than once a week. Frankly, there’s probably good reason. My neighbors’ ankle-biting dogs are retched creatures from the depths of hell, but given the “parents” (and probably the breed), I’m not surprised.
Dogs: Finances and Freedom
One of the key figures in the FIRE movement, Mr. Money Mustache, wrote about the un-frugality of owning a dog. He reviewed dog ownership as an unnecessary expense potentially (seriously) delaying the path to financial independence. Of course, we don’t have kids (and he does), so the financial argument is a bit watered down in our case.
But he’s not wrong: we paid nearly $3000 for a surgery in 2015 for an injury that would have left Snickers crippled for life. That’s more than I’ve spent on my own healthcare in my adult life! We spent nearly $1000 on her in 2018. It’s obvious that a dog is at least a 12-15 year and perhaps a $20,000 commitment.
Mr. MM is also correct in highlighting the cost of dog ownership to our freedom. Leaving town for anything other than a road trip is a total pain in the ass. Snickers is (by far) the single biggest reason we don’t travel more often. Honestly.
But still…
Our dog is surely no saint (reflections of us), and neither was Jen’s dog, but we draw so much joy and fulfillment from their presence. I see the love a parent has for their child (most of the time). I like to think I feel at least some small percentage of that joy each day when I return home to a wildly swinging ass and a series of small victory laps in the yard. “YESSS! DAD IS HOME!! Now feed me.”
It’s something I’ve always had with dogs; a feeling that I can connect with them in ways others can’t. That might sound weird or even mildly disturbing, but you should see the excitement of some of our friends’ dogs when I walk in the door. They know.
I feel terribly for Jen. Although we openly discuss life after Snickers — the ease of travel, the potential ability to live abroad —I absolutely dread the eventuality that she someday will not be a part of our lives. I hope this happens on the best of terms, because I’m not sure I can handle anything unforeseen.
To the Future….
So I raise a glass to Jen and the memory of her best friend. I raise a glass to DHH as well (you know who you are). You also know this pain. Today I’ll be a bit more mindful of the joy of my daily walks, and the unexpected hip thrusts on my hands-free leash. Maybe I’ll lean in a little closer on those loving “kisses”, hoping that whole “dog saliva is cleaner than human saliva” thing is working itself out after she ate that turd. Just kidding folks. As Meatloaf would say: I would do anything for love…but I won’t do that.
Annyyway, tune in next week when we return to our normally scheduled broadcast of stocks, credit cards, and mildly self-congratulatory posts on ways to not work for the man.
In the comments below, let’s do a dogs vs cats, dogs vs children, or the pros and cons of pets in wild places. Just kidding! In other news, we’re looking for reader content to feature. We can write for days about us, but the goal is to always have relatable content. As you can see above, that may not always be the case if you’re banking on 100% CC Family ramblings. Chime in!