Dear Dave,

I’ve going to be debt-free with a full emergency fund in pace by the end of the year.

I’m going to get a dog after that, but I wanted to make sure I did it the right way and was in good financial shape before making that move.

Is a separate emergency fund for pets a good idea?

Scott

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Dear Scott,

My wife and I love animals.

We’ve had a least one dog the whole time we’ve been married.

Still, I think a full emergency fund of three to six months of expenses will cover you and your pet.

You go through some expense as a pet owner, along with happy, wonderful times and heartbreaking things, too.

We lost our golden retriever recently, and I can tell you that was really hard on everyone.

You love them like they’re family, but you still have to use common sense sometimes, and remember that they’re animals and not human beings.

Part of that includes spending reasonable amounts of money on them — and in some unfortunate cases — doing things with the animal’s best interest, not our own desires, in mind.

What is a reasonable amount?

That depends on how stable you are financially.

It’s really a ratio question of expense to means.

But no, I wouldn’t recommend a second emergency fund just for pets.

—Dave

* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 14 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.