To add, upkeep is not cheap either. My girl has terrible allergy issues. So between her biweekly allergy shots, zyrtec, presciption food, heartworm, meds, flea/tick preventative, yearly bloodwork, yearly teeth cleaning and pee pads, I easily spend $1,800-$2,000 a year!
This does not include pet insurance (wish we had done that!), emergencies, cute clothes, toy, beds, blankets or grooming (which I do myself). Even taking away the allergy issues, she is not what I would consider cheap to keep up. Gracie is more than worth it though!
So as a previous poster mentioned, if you and your wife aren't on the same page with the purchase price, how well will she take to all the other added costs?