The most expensive thing you've bought for your pet?

I was just on a dog site that had a lot of really useful information.  One of the tabs was for classified items.  I clicked on it and among the typical reselling of dog crates, grooming equipment, and upscale bedding.  There were multiple ads for clothing items and purse carriers, etc.

I clicked on a clothing ad that intrigued me.  This woman apparently had two of the same breed and one would wear clothing while the other hated it. She had purchased some really expensive items and since her one dog wouldn't tolerate them, she was selling them for very reasonable prices.  I was scrolling through the clothing that she said had never been worn.  There was hundreds of dollars worth of adorable little custom-made dresses, matching leashes for most outfits, hats, carrier purses, and a real mink coat with a vintage button closure.  A real mink coat.  And I think it was her that was selling a carrying purse that she originally paid over $400 for.

As I continued to look at the site, I was surprised that these dogs have such large wardrobes.  People would list a dozen dresses because they were making room in the dog's closet for new fall things!  And I never thought about custom clothing for a dog.  I just picked up the few things I have from PetSmart.  In addition to knitted hats, jackets, booties, and special sleeping blankets, there are many people who create custom dog clothing.  I went to a few of the sites named in the classified ads and it is a world I didn't know was out there.  Beautiful little dresses with gorgeous fabrics.  These women were talking about sending some of these clothing makers their own fabrics like silks and vintage laces.  The things I saw on the original classified site and the mentioned sellers sites were just adorable.

The woman selling all these cute and expensive things obviously loves her animals, which is awesome, and I'm not trying to make this into a gripe about people "wasting" their money on their pets.  It is totally their money and their choice. Obviously they have it to spend, so whatever gives them pleasure is their own decision.  But I was just really blown away by the living conditions of some of these dogs and I guess I had never given it any thought before.

One woman lives in Florida on a yacht and travels between two ports listed as homes.  Her little dogs live on the boat with them and were dressed in the cutest little sailing outfits.  She was talking about some of the outfits her dogs have and lamenting that she didn't have a female dog at the current time to take advantage of the cute outfits that the one woman was selling.  Although, I think she did buy the $400 carrier purse from her.

Another woman had a recent picture of her dog in a custom bathing suit with matching sun hat in a wading pool in her yard.  Seriously, it was so cute.

These dogs are sure living much different life than my dog.  I do have a couple of clothing items for him for when we go to my sister's ranch during the winter, purchased, as I said, from PetSmart. He has a warm coat for outside walks, a sweater for in the house since it gets super cold and the heating isn't very efficient at the ranch, and a halloween costume (he's a white dog, so I bought him a black cat costume) I also bought some waterproof boots and a rain jacket to put on him for our walks when it is muddy after a rain so I can take them off and not get my car or my sister's house all mucked up.  I haven't used them yet, but my sister has some for her dog and says it comes in really handy on her mucky ranch, especially when the snow is melting and all slushy.  So far, my dog has tolerated the things I've put on him, but I'm really wondering about those waterproof booties.  They may be off in seconds.  

I started thinking about it and the most expensive thing I've purchased for him was the last thing I bought.  A console-located dog car seat.  It was $139.00 on sale from $250, if I remember correctly.  I had tried the seats that mount over the passenger seat and one that is belted into the passenger seat, and none really worked that well for me.  I had to remove it whenever I had a passenger and it was an irritant. The console one suspends between the two seats and is mounted by a platform that attaches to the back of the driver's seat.

I debated for a couple of weeks before ordering it, but now that I have it, it's perfect and well worth the price before the sale, truthfully.  Now my mom can sit in the passenger seat and I can quickly unhook the dog bed between us or just swing it to the back seat.  She can choose to hold the dog on her lap or leave him in the middle of us.  I can also still use the console by tilting up the bed a bit and I can reach my drinks in the drink holders.  Good enough for me.  And honestly, my dog is loving being able to snuggle up on my side while we are driving.  He can see out the windows, gets a good blast of cold air from the air conditioner, and can turn to the side to lay on my arm a bit.  Perfect in his doggie world.

For my previous big dogs, it would probably be their kennels.  They slept in them in my bedroom, so they had to be nice and sturdy and stackable.

For my cats, it would be their cat tree.  Those are typically costly when you get the carpet type, which is the type I like.

What is the most expensive item you've purchased for your pet?  And I mean physical item, not vet bills.  I know those can be astronomical and painfully high.  I'm talking about the extras that you have purchased that may be necessary or just for fun.  And if you dress your pet in outfits, what is the most you are willing to spend on them?


What the heck, vet bills are interesting too.  Include those!