LITTLE ROCK — About every five weeks my dog, Simone, visits her groomer for a “spa day,” during which she’s bathed in a fragrant oatmeal shampoo and gets her hair trimmed and nails clipped. In the past year, she’s been to the veterinarian twice, for a senior wellness check-up and to have her teeth cleaned.
Simone, an 11-year-old Pomeranian, eats a premium food containing bison, salmon and brown rice. She has a number of squeaky toys, a couple of fleece blankets, a soft bed and a steady supply of “bully sticks” (dried beef tendons) for chewies.
When I went on a 10-day trip recently, she stayed not at a kennel but at a home-setting boarding facility where she was roomed indoors with the owner and her son, plus was allowed to get on the furniture.
Simone is a lucky dog. According to the American Pet Products Association’s 2011-12 survey of pet owners, she has a lot of company. The annual report is noteworthy in that it gives an idea of how much value Americans place on their pets in terms of the money they spend.
What’s telling about the report is that while consumer spending in the United States increased 4.7 percent last year, spending by pet owners rose 5.3 percent - from $48.3 billion in 2010 to $50.9 billion in 2011. Estimated pet expenditures for 2012 exceeds $52 billion.
In 2011, the most money was spent on food ($19.5 billion) and the least on animal purchases ($2.1 billion).
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, about 65 percent of pet owners acquire their pets free or at low cost. At least one-third of cats were adopted as strays.
Veterinary care amounted to $13.6 billion while money spent on supplies and over-the-counter medications totaled $11.8 billion.
The survey also revealed that 62 percent of U.S. households (or 72 million homes) have a pet, compared to 56 percent in 1984, the first year of the survey.
Dogs and cats still reign as the most numerous pets, with cats leading dogs 86.4 million to 78.2 million. Other pets listed include reptiles, horses, fish and small animals such as hamsters, rabbits and gerbils.
Each year, I find the American Kennel Club’s list of 10 most popular dog breeds interesting because large dogs always lead the list. The AKC reports that the Labrador retriever remains No. 1 for the 21st year in a row. However, the AKC says the beagle is rapidly stealing dog lovers’ hearts and may soon edge the Lab out as top dog.
Other popular large dogs are the golden retriever, boxer, Rottweiler and bulldog. A few small dogs have nosed their way onto the list, among them the dachshund and Yorkshire terrier, in addition to the beagle.
The Cat Fanciers Association also puts out a top 10 list, but the numbers represent only about 3.5 percent of this country’s total pet cat population, according to catster.com. Among the top pure breeds registered with the CFA are the Persian, Maine Coon and Siamese.
More information about the pet survey is available at americanpetproducts.org.
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about pets? We’ll get you
an answer from an authority. Send your question to
Rhonda Owen, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O.
Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark.
72203 or e-mail [email protected]
Family, Pages 34 on 06/27/2012