Dog Walker Expense

[KidGrind]

Tom,

I know you’ve mention in the past not to take off for dog expenses.

Yet, I’ve had to hire a dog walker to keep them from having contact with the daycare kids. It’s an expense I wouldn’t have of I weren’t doing daycare.

So can I claim it as a daycare expense?

[Leigh]

I apologize for hijacking, but this is kind of related to KidGrind's question: Are ANY pet expenses deductible when they relate to daycare? I had to fence in a separate area for my dogs to keep them separate from kids outdoors ($550), purchased gates for indoors ($250), and built an enclosure in my garage for them ($500), as well-all things I never would have done were it not for the need to separate them from the kids.

What pet related expenses, if any, might be deductions?

[TomCopeland]

dogs

Tom,

I know you’ve mention in the past not to take off for dog expenses.

Yet, I’ve had to hire a dog walker to keep them from having contact with the daycare kids. It’s an expense I wouldn’t have of I weren’t doing daycare.

So can I claim it as a daycare expense?

Tough question. In general, expenses for a dog are not deductible because they are considered personal by the IRS. A fence or leash to keep a dog away from children, however, could be considered a business expense. Dog walking costs seem a little more problematic because dogs need to be walked daily, and because this cost, it seems to me, could add up quickly, so that the IRS might see them as unreasonable. So, if the dog walking doesn't replace the normal dog walking you would do as the dog owner, then I suppose that some of this cost could be deductible. I consider this an aggressive position, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was challenged by the IRS in an audit.

[TomCopeland]

pet expenses

I apologize for hijacking, but this is kind of related to KidGrind's question: Are ANY pet expenses deductible when they relate to daycare? I had to fence in a separate area for my dogs to keep them separate from kids outdoors ($550), purchased gates for indoors ($250), and built an enclosure in my garage for them ($500), as well-all things I never would have done were it not for the need to separate them from the kids.

What pet related expenses, if any, might be deductions?

These expenses could be considered reasonable because they relate to keeping the dog away from the children. Here's an article I wrote about this:http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2010/...eductible.html