NEW YORK (AP) — Pets provide joy and companionship, but costs can add up quickly, especially if you're a first-time owner and don't know what to expect. Once you get them home, pets need a bed, food, leashes and harnesses and grooming supplies, among other things. Gelber ended up paying a small fraction of those amounts because she had pet insurance, which she got knowing that French bulldogs are prone to getting sick. But Simon, who has had dogs for 25 years, has never gotten pet insurance and has not needed it during that time. Regardless of how much they have spent on their dogs, Chavez, Gelbert and Simon agree they don't regret having them in their lives.

---

Persons: it's, ”, Wendy Hauser, Melissa Chavez, Milo, “ I’ve, ” Chavez, Kerry O'Hara, Lauren Gelber, Gelber, Sharon Simon, Simon, Hauser, “, Maine coons, " Hauser, Chavez, I’m, “ Don’t, Gelbert, Charles Schwab Organizations: American Pet Products Association, American Society for, French bulldogs, bulldogs, Facebook, Associated Press, Charles, Charles Schwab Foundation, Inc, AP Locations: APPA, Marin , California, Europe, Salinas , California, Maine