A lifetime of love, on the cheap

Finances: Unless you have one of those Westminster-best-in-show purebred Salukis, dogs are pretty cheap to maintain. Twice a year, you take them to vet, and if they’re healthy (and I hope yours are), it doesn’t cost that much.

Even if they need to attend dog obedience school, it’s not like you’re shelling out for private school tuition, orchestra seats at “The Lion King,” a baseball signed by the 2016 Chicago Cubs, or any of the other little “extras” that parents sometimes ask Grandma and Grandpa to “help out” with.

And even if, on occasion, you spring for a marrow bone from the Shoprite, so what? Your dog will love you even more than he already does, if that’s even possible.

Verdict: Dogs, paws down.