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How Much Does It Cost to Own a Pocket Beagle? 2024 Price Guide

Chelsea Mortensen Profile Picture

By Chelsea Mortensen

pocket beagle dog lying on the floor

Pictures of a Pocket Beagle—the cute smaller cousins of the Standard Beagle—may melt your heart. You might feel like this breed is the perfect personality match for your home and that you have plenty of time and energy to care for a new dog. But before you can bring home a new family member, there’s one more thing to consider—the cost.

Figuring out if a new pet can fit into your budget is a little overwhelming. There are so many different things to consider that costs can add up fast if you aren’t prepared. Luckily, we’re here to help you figure out if you have what you need—so that you can take home your sweet new pet guilt-free.

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Bringing Home a New Pocket Beagle: One-Time Costs

There are lots of one-time costs to bringing home a new dog. The first big chunk of change that you’ll have to spend on your new Pocket Beagle is for adoption or breeder fees. If you get your dog from a breeder, this cost can be very high; however, not all options are that expensive. In addition to the cost of your dog, you’ll also have some up-front equipment and setup costs. Many of these costs are for items that last for years or forever, so investing in good equipment is a must.

close up of pocket beagle puppy
Image Credit: somalithebeagle, Shutterstock

Free Pocket Beagles

It is rare to stumble across a Pocket Beagle for free, but it can happen. Families who need to rehome a dog will occasionally pass along their pets for free. However, it’s important to remember that any new pet will have significant costs in other ways, so a “free” dog isn’t really free.

Adoption

  • $50–$300

Most of the time, adoption is the cheapest option for finding a Pocket Beagle. Dogs put up for adoption generally have processing fees that depend on the dog and the shelter. These fees might be relatively low—as low as $50—but are often higher, especially for purebred dogs and young puppies.

Breeder

  • $500–$2,000

If you want a purebred puppy, a breeder is your best bet, but expect to pay extra for your choice. Buying a dog from a breeder will set you back hundreds of dollars. The price might vary slightly based on each puppy’s gender, appearance, and temperament. In some areas, you might be lucky enough to get a discount on the last puppies of the litter. If you see an especially low price advertised, though, it’s important to be wary. Breeding dogs ethically is expensive, and a deal that’s too good to be true might be a sign that your breeder is cutting corners when it comes to your puppy’s health and well-being.

Initial Setup and Supplies

  • $250–$1,100+

Aside from the cost of the dog itself, you’ll also have to buy all the supplies that you need to bring a dog into your household. These costs can be quite variable, but all of the supplies together aren’t cheap. However, many initial dog supplies, like a crate and an ID tag and collar, are one-time purchases or close to it. You will also need to consider initial veterinary costs. If your pet has already been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped as part of your adoption costs, these may not be a necessary cost.

However, it’s always smart to do an initial well check to make sure that your puppy is healthy and that you know your local vet.

List of Pocket Beagle Care Initial Supplies and Costs

Spay/Neuter: $100–$400
Initial Well Check and Vaccinations: $100–250
Microchip: $45–$55
ID Tag and Collar: $15
Leash: $10–$30
Crate: $30–$100
Dog Bed: $10–$50
Nail Clipper: $7–$10
Brushes: $8–$20
Toys: $20–$100+
Carrier: $40–$60
Food and Water Bowls: $10
Dog Shampoo: $5–$25

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How Much Does a Pocket Beagle Cost Per Month?

  • $60–$275 per month

Pocket Beagles are relatively low-cost due to their small size and low grooming needs, but it’s important to remember that they still do cost money. Daily needs, health care, and entertainment are all major costs to consider. If you are on a tight budget, it’s vitally important that you make a solid monthly budget so that you can be sure that your dog is in safe hands.

Health Care

  • $40–$215 per month

Health care is a wide umbrella that covers nutrition, grooming, vet care, and insurance. However, the costs don’t have to be huge. Food and grooming costs are quite low, and a healthy Pocket Beagle will have relatively low vet care costs. That means that pet insurance will generally be your biggest expense here.

Food

  • $10–$25 per month

One of the big advantages of buying a miniature dog is the food costs. Because Pocket Beagles are so small, they don’t need much food. Although you should always buy high-quality dog food, the price won’t be too high—generally less than $25 a month.

Grooming

  • $0–$10 per month

Most Pocket Beagles don’t require much in the way of grooming. They are happy without a professional groomer, and your only cost here should be occasional refills on pet shampoos and replacement brushes if yours get lost or worn.

Medications and Vet Visits

  • $10–$80+ per month

Vet care is a major ongoing cost of pet ownership. Regular health care costs include vet visits, medications, and insurance co-pays for emergencies. Most Pocket Beagles are fairly healthy, but all dogs will need regular vet visits. For most Pocket Beagles, this will work out to less than $80 a month, barring expensive emergencies or unusual health conditions.

Pet Insurance

  • $20–$100 per month

We also highly recommend getting pet insurance to help with the costs of emergency care. Pet insurance comes at a variety of price points, but paying for higher coverage here might save you from much higher vet care costs down the road. Even fairly high coverage care rarely comes out to more than $100 a month.

Environment Maintenance

  • $10–$20 per month

Unlike a lot of pets, dogs don’t need regular replenishment of bedding, litter, or other supplies to keep their area clean and safe. In fact, the only things that many Pocket Beagles need on a regular basis are poop bags and supplies to clean up after them. However, there’s a big caveat to that low price tag—an understimulated or poorly trained Pocket Beagle can be destructive. If you’ve got a dog with a chewing problem, it can cost much more.

Poop bags: $5–$10/month
Cleaning/Deodorizing Spray: $5–$10/month

Entertainment

  • $10–$50 per month

Pocket Beagles love to exercise and play, so it isn’t surprising that they need some toys. Although they’re small dogs, they’re still pretty rough on their playthings, so you should expect to be buying new toys on a regular basis. Depending on your budget, you can get by with spending around $10 a month on toys, but costs can also creep up. If you want to make toy-finding hassle-free, consider a subscription box. These average $30–$50 a month and will keep your dog interested and excited with new toys.

Total Monthly Cost of Owning a Pocket Beagle

  • $60–$275 per month

As you can see, there are lots of things to think about when caring for your Pocket Beagle. When you look at the costs of healthcare, pet insurance, food, entertainment, and other maintenance costs, it seems like a big list! The good thing is that most of these expenses are fairly small. Depending on what options you choose, costs can vary quite a bit, but you shouldn’t have to pay nearly as much as you did to prep for your Pocket Beagle.

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Additional Costs to Factor In

Although these monthly costs cover the basics of pet ownership, it’s also important to think about what other costs you might have to pay to care for your dog. Optional monthly costs for your dog include the price of a dog walker, doggy daycare, and additional grooming or cleaning help. There are also occasional costs to factor in, such as the cost of travel or boarding if you ever leave town. You might have to pay short-term costs such as training or obedience school costs, especially if your dog has behavioral issues.

Finally, there are unplanned and emergency costs such as emergency vet care and the cost of repairing damage caused by your dog. These costs can add hundreds or thousands of dollars to your overall budget, and it’s important to have a plan for if these additional costs are needed.

Owning a Pocket Beagle on a Budget

If all that seems intimidating, don’t worry! Even on a tight budget, Pocket Beagles can still be affordable pets. When you’re planning for your Beagle’s care, many expenses can be cut. If you’re on a budget, we recommend that you don’t skimp on pet insurance costs or that you put aside money each month for emergency bills. When you can’t afford a large unexpected expense, these funds are even more important. But there are many other expenses that can be pared down.

Saving Money on Pocket Beagle Care

If you need to save money on care, it requires a little more time and patience, but creativity can be worth it. You can cut down on food costs by buying in bulk. Look for generic toys and cleaning supplies rather than name-brand. Many types of equipment can be bought used. Along the same lines, you can often save money on toys by using DIY solutions instead of buying store-bought toys. Each of these things won’t make a huge difference alone, but they add up to a lot over time.

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Conclusion

Pocket Beagles aren’t terribly expensive to own, but it’s important to know the costs. If you’re lucky enough to adopt a dog with most of its vet work done, you can often have a one-time setup cost of less than $500. Buying from a breeder, buying more expensive equipment, and vet care such as spaying and neutering can add up, so it’s important to look at what you really need when setting up for your dog.

Once you’ve brought your pet home, the average monthly costs aren’t huge either. Even with vet care and insurance factored in, monthly costs are generally under $275 a month and can be as low as around $60 a month. No matter how much your dog costs, most owners agree that the relationship you’ll have with them will be worth every penny.

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