Should We Spend $4,500 On Our Dogs That Are Incarcerated?

Summary

The Ramsey Show Highlights

Episode: Should We Spend $4,500 On Our Dogs That Are Incarcerated?
Date: September 17, 2025
Hosts: Dave Ramsey & Rachel Cruze
Guest: Nick

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze tackle an unusual but timely financial dilemma brought by a listener, Nick. He faces the decision of whether to spend $4,500 to recover two of his dogs that have been “incarcerated” after biting a neighbor's dog. The case prompts both practical and ethical discussions on pet ownership, financial responsibility, and family dynamics, all with the show's trademark humor and candor.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background & Family Dynamics (00:06–02:10)

• Nick introduces himself:
  Has been following Ramsey’s baby steps, but finds it difficult when his wife is not onboard.
• Extraordinary family situation:
  • 11 kids (4 grown, 7 at home)
  • 9 dogs
  • 7 cats
  • 1 tortoise
• Animals mostly acquired by wife and kids, often against Nick’s will.

Memorable Banter:

• Rachel Cruze: “What circle of hell have you created? How do they even coexist? What does your house smell?” (01:25)
• Dave Ramsey: “The only one that's got a chance is the tortoise.” (01:33)

2. Introducing the Crisis: Dogs “Incarcerated” (02:11–02:55)

• Incident: Two of Nick’s dogs bit a neighbor’s dog and are now impounded.

• The Dilemma:

  • Nick’s first instinct: surrender (probable euthanization), which he finds awful.
  • Realization: getting them back will require $4,500 (fees and county-mandated kennel upgrades).

• Dave Ramsey: “So the dogs are in a pound because they bit the neighbor dog and they want $4,500 to get them out.” (02:49)

3. County Demands & “Doggy Parole” (03:35–04:12)

• Where does the $4,500 go?
  • $2,000 in fees
  • $2,500 for elaborate home/kennel (concrete, roof, etc.) required by California authorities to release the dogs.
• Rachel Cruze quips: “So you’re going to get them out of prison to create your own prison in your backyard for them to live in… This doesn’t sound like a good life either way.” (04:08–04:14)
• Nick confirms the county won’t release without the kennel modifications. (04:07)

4. Is the Environment Sustainable? (04:14–06:00)

• Rachel and Dave question whether it’s ethical or practical to bring the dogs back, exploring:

  • The likelihood of the dogs biting again.
  • The chaos already present in the household.
  • The responsibility of the owners towards the animals, family, and neighbors.

• Memorable Quotes:

  • Dave Ramsey: “There’s a 1,000% chance these dogs are going to have a problem again no matter what you do. … This is not a sustainable environment. Do you agree?” (05:33–05:49)
  • Nick: “Yes, absolutely.” (05:49)
  • Dave Ramsey: “So you’re throwing good money after bad at that point.” (05:51)

5. Consequences & Liabilities (07:23–08:00)

• Legal and ethical perspective:
  Rachel underscores the significant liability: If the dog were to bite a human, Nick could face a life-altering lawsuit.
  • Rachel Cruze: “If that dog bit a human, well, there’s a lawsuit on your hands that could crush you.” (07:23)
• Dave’s Reflection:
  Emphasizes the situation is heartbreaking for all, especially the dogs who are caught in an untenable environment.
  • Dave Ramsey: “It’s sad that the dogs are caught in the … hurricane that is your all’s lives.” (04:59)

6. Possible Solutions & Next Steps (08:00–08:30)

• Rachel suggests clarity on next steps and alternatives (such as adoption).
• Dave recommends finding someone to adopt the dogs, “take them out to an area where they can thrive.” (08:23)
• Rachel adds: “If they were rehomed on a farm, somewhere where they’re not going to hurt anybody.” (08:27)

---

Notable Quotes

• Rachel Cruze: “What circle of hell have you created? ...What does your house smell?” (01:25)
• Dave Ramsey: “The only one that's got a chance is the tortoise.” (01:33)
• Rachel Cruze: “You’re going to get them out of prison to create your own prison in your backyard for them to live in.” (04:08)
• Dave Ramsey: “There’s 1,000% chance these dogs are going to have a problem again no matter what you do... This is not a sustainable environment.” (05:33–05:49)
• Rachel Cruze: “If that dog bit a human, well, there’s a lawsuit on your hands that could crush you.” (07:23)
• Dave Ramsey: “Man, I'm sorry. Sorry for the dogs, but they were put in a situation they couldn’t win.” (07:29–08:00)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:06–02:10 — Nick introduces his family & animal menagerie
• 02:11–02:55 — The dogs’ incident and initial options
• 03:35–04:12 — The $4,500 breakdown and county's requirements
• 04:14–06:00 — Analysis of the home environment & future risks
• 07:23–08:00 — Potential liability and ethical dilemma
• 08:00–08:30 — Exploring alternatives: adoption and rehoming

---

Tone & Takeaways

The episode blends humor (“What circle of hell have you created?”), empathy, and tough love, focusing on the realities of financial and ethical responsibility. Dave and Rachel caution against spending $4,500 to recover the dogs unless a sustainable, safe environment can be provided. More broadly, they urge listeners to take responsibility for situations—financial, personal, or familial—that grow out of control.

Actionable Advice:

• Evaluate the sustainability and broader impact of financial and family decisions.
• Sometimes, the most loving option is not spending more but finding a better environment for all involved.
• Address root causes, not just costly symptoms—chaos at home will persist without deeper change.

---

For listeners facing their own “dog bail” scenarios—financial or otherwise—the message is clear: solve the underlying problem, not just the latest emergency.

Transcript

[Dave Ramsey]

Brought to you by the EveryDollar app. Start budgeting for free today.

[Nick]

So I've been listening to a lot of your stuff. Went to part of a course at a church for you about 10 years ago. Finally started out toward the goal of working the baby steps here. And hurdle number one arose, which was my wife didn't really want to participate in that. And so I've been doing it somewhat alone. And I've worked baby step one and two and started into baby step three. And each time I get my emergency fund built up, crisis ensues. And a lot of the crisis really isn't crisis at all. By definition, it's self inflicted because one of us isn't on board.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, that makes sense.

[Nick]

So we have 11 kids, four grown and out of the house. Nine dogs, seven cats and a tortoise. Most of those were kind of brought in against my will by my wife and my kids, but here we are.

[Dave Ramsey]

How many dogs? Nine dogs with 11 kids and a tortoise.

[Rachel Cruze]

And seven cats.

[Nick]

And seven cats today.

[Rachel Cruze]

What circle of hell have you created? How do they even coexist? What is your house smell?

[Dave Ramsey]

The only. The only one that's got a chance is the tortoise.

[Nick]

Right. Because it sleeps for six months out of the year. That one has the easy life.

[Dave Ramsey]

Is this real? Are you punking us?

[Nick]

No, no, this is real.

[Rachel Cruze]

So your wife started a petting zoo just for the family. Everyone's got their own animal. That's good.

[Dave Ramsey]

Everybody's got two.

[Nick]

Yeah. Plus we have some alternates. Absolutely.

[Rachel Cruze]

And you have 11 children. Children? Like humans?

[Nick]

Human beings. Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay.

[Nick]

Four are grown and out of the house. So we're down to seven. Down to seven in the house now.

[Dave Ramsey]

Seven, nine, seven and one. I got you. Okay.

[Nick]

Yep, yep. So.

[Dave Ramsey]

So how can we help today? Pray today.

[Nick]

So, so recently two of my dogs were incarcerated for biting a neighbor dog. And. Yeah, I know. And you know, I. My knee jerk reaction was to surrender the dogs, which is an awful outcome because they're probably going to be euthanized. And it's not because I don't love them. It's because in the end of the day, I knew this was going to be an expensive endeavor. We are now to where we know what that. What that endeavor looks like. And it's about $4,500.

[Dave Ramsey]

So the dogs are in a pound because they bit the neighbor dog and they want $4,500 to get them out.

[Rachel Cruze]

Is this bail? Hey, sorry for the interruption. This is important. No one likes to think about dying, but one Day your family will have to deal with everything you leave behind. So the question is, will it be easy or a total nightmare? That's where Knockbox comes in. Knockbox is a kit with 15 categories and clear instructions that, that give your family an organized plan so they're not sifting through old paperwork and guessing passwords and dealing with lawyers. So leave your family memories instead of a mess. Grab your Knockbox kit [e-mail] Ramsey for the best discount available. That's knockbox.com Ramsey they want $4,500 to get them out. Is this bail?

[Nick]

Kind of. So about 2,000 of it is fees. But they also want this very elaborate housing situation with concrete and attachments and roofs and all of this stuff so that that part of the endeavor be about 2,500 of those dollars.

[Dave Ramsey]

Or they will not release the dogs out on parole if you don't. If you don't build them a proper home to suit the dictates of the county in California.

[Nick]

Correct.

[Rachel Cruze]

So you're going to get them out of prison to create your own prison in your backyard for them to live in.

[Nick]

Ironic, right?

[Rachel Cruze]

This doesn't sound like a good life either way. And is there a chance they'll. They'll bite again?

[Dave Ramsey]

Oh, yeah. Wouldn't you, if you were in that situation?

[Nick]

I want to go bite the neighbor's dog myself.

[Rachel Cruze]

Man, I would move if I was your neighbor. I don't know if I could live next to a petting zoo. That's a lot of barking.

[Nick]

Yeah. And the problem is that at this point, they don't have to bite the neighbor's dog. All they have to do is get out and they're gone.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

You're wondering, do you have $4,500?

[Nick]

Yes, I do.

[Rachel Cruze]

And you're wondering, should I spend this to solve this problem? Because I would hate to see them potentially get euthanized.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. It's sad that the dogs are caught in the. The whirlwind hurricane that is your all's lives. And so as you said, that you all have created. And so the thing is, I don't mind spending money on something, especially my dogs. I love dogs. If I create a sustainable situation. Okay. And if I'm not kidding myself, in other words. So I mean, there's 1,000% chance that these dogs are going to have a problem again no matter what you do. And, and that they're going to be taken away. This is not a sustainable environment. Do you agree?

[Nick]

Yes, absolutely.

[Dave Ramsey]

So you're throwing good money after bad at that point. But what you do need, what you do owe those dogs is to create a better environment. You and your wife have to be more responsible about how you're handling all these decisions. And that's just. It's not fair to the animals. It's not fair to your kids. It's not fair to the neighbors. I mean, you've created an environment here that's not. That's not manageable. It's so the chaos with the numbers you gave us, we can joke and say the tortoise is the only one's got a chance, but it's. The tortoise is the only one's got a chance. And so, yeah, this is not a healthy situation. And I think the local authorities are telling you that in so many words with their mandate. To you, it sounds very bureaucratic, and it sounds like they've overstepped bounds, but it is California, so it wouldn't be shocking or anything for them to be out of control with regulations. Shock. But, you know, there are. I got to tell you, there's people in rural settings all across America right now listening to this, shaking their head, going, puppy ain't gonna make it. That's what they're saying. Because no matter where you. What you do with puppy here, puppy's in problem and puppy's gonna cause a problem. And so it's, you know, it's your all's job to maintain control over these situations. And you haven't, because you've created an untenable situation, man. I'm sorry.

[Rachel Cruze]

It's also a big liability. I mean, if that dog bits bit a human, well, there's a lawsuit on your hands that could crush you.

[Dave Ramsey]

That's heartbreaking. Yeah, man. Yeah. And. Well, I mean, yeah, it's. It's real. Yeah. So I'm. I don't know what to tell you, Nick. I think the. The sad thing is, is that this whole thing is so bizarre and so out of control that the dogs being in the pound is. It's a minor thing compared to all the rest of the things you guys got to deal with. That's just. Man, I'm sorry. Sorry for the dogs, but they were put in a situation they couldn't win.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

And. And they. They were put there by you guys because you allowed it and your wife encouraged it. And you guys ought to fix that. You really should. It's not. It's not fair to the humans involved. It's not fair to the animals that are involved. And so, yeah, what to do with particular puppies I don't know.

[Rachel Cruze]

But maybe get some clarity on what the next steps would be.

[Dave Ramsey]

Maybe you can find someone to adopt them and take them out to an area where they can thrive.

[Rachel Cruze]

If they were rehomed on a farm. Somewhere where they're not going to hurt anybody.

[Dave Ramsey]

Exactly. And where they're not put in a situation where they feel like they have to hurt somebody, that changes everything.

[Rachel Cruze]

So, wow, those dogs got to be on edge.

[Dave Ramsey]

Create your free every dollar budget today. The simplest way to budget for your life.