Have to disagree with Tish on a couple of points. Females can stop and sniff and wee as much as males. While it's true poodles do not shed you have the cost of having them trimmed every eight weeks or so. Also keeping a dog on a lead is often a necessity with a rescue dog as they often come to you with a host of behavioural problems. A puppy needs socialising from an early age but if their previous owners didn't give them this then you have to make sure your dog is no threat to other dogs and people. I've taken my dog to training classes since I got her but on the advice of my trainers, I have to keep her on a lead as she will bite, hold and rag another dog if they get into a fight. She has improved so much though and I know that in time she will be able to socialise more with other dogs. The challenge of her behaviour is one of the things that has helped me the most. Seeing her slowly changing from a very scared aggressive little dog has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
As for money the insurance costs me £20 a month but that will definitely go up at the end of the first year and I have to pay the first £90 of each claim. I get a good food which is £8 for 2kg but I can usually find it on offer somewhere, either buy one get one half price or 3 for 2. Dog training has cost me £65 for five group lessons or £45 for an hours one to one. Also £9 for a monthly recall class. Owning a dog is certainly not cheap but I think it's worth every penny.