The Fur Factor
Have you heard? We are on the brink of civil war. This one won’t be about religion or politics, but the feud that is about to occur will rival that of the Hatfields and McCoys, Cats or Dogs, Pepsi versus Coke, and which way the toilet paper roll should face.
People of all ages, in all walks of life, and at all socioeconomic levels are turning to a trend that can no longer go unnoticed. Not only are businesses are adapting to a new, specialized clientele, but entire communities are changing to the purpose of accommodating a new social order.
The controversial query being posed by marketing strategists is whether pets will ever be accepted as an adequate substitute as the resident diminutives of the household.
Whether or not more and more pets are taking over the household in place of children is not the hotpoint of the debate. In many countries, that is already a fact. But can the adoption of cats, dogs and other furry animals — or even non-furry creatures — into our lives and homes transform the status quo? Or will our carefully constructed social hierarchy declare revolution on a new breed of pet parents?
The fact that roughly 60% of all homes contain a pet is nothing new. It is a well known statistic. The fact that the pet industry is growing is also well known; all anyone need do is take a look around and see the new veterinary office on one corner, a pet store expansion on another corner and a sign down the street declaring “Opening Soon” in front of a Doggie Daycare Center.
It is just how much that industry is growing that may make you want to cough up a hairball of your own.
The world is changing very quickly and society has needed to make adjustments to stay in line with technology, business, socioeconomic patterns, and social attitudes. All of those things can be directly applied to the animals in our lives. How is it possible that a few spoiled pooches and tabbies can have such a profound influence in our society?
Throughout history, cats and dogs have been worshipped. Apparently, nothing has changed. We still worship those adorable little fleaballs. The proof is in the pet industry, which made a whopping $51 billion last year. And the numbers have continued to grow by approximately 4% over the past few years.
If that doesn’t prove that pets are forever part of our hearts and minds, do your own Google search on the words “cute pets” and see what happens. Cutestpaw.com pretty much says it all. And if you want your daily dose of “Awwwww …” Reddit.com has a page named precisely that — /r/aww.
We adore them and they adore us. Maybe we adore them because they adore us. We come home from work grumpy and tired and we get licked, nuzzled and pounced on … and we like it. Our pets are the providers of infinite supplies of unconditional love. When we are sick or sad, they comfort us. When we are depressed, they somehow manage to choose that moment to humiliate themselves for our amusement (like the time my dog walked into a telephone pole).
And how do we reward Fido and Mr. Piddles? By torturing them, of course. We dress them up in silly clothes or costumes. We buy laser pointers and toys on strings that they will never, ever catch. We fill their dishes with dry, hard, odourless nuggets that taste like recycled diapers, while we are dining on steak and mashed potatoes with gravy.
They don’t always forgive us those small transgressions, but in the big picture, they are our stalwart companions. Children, however, are less forgiving. Try giving a tweenager the evil eye. She’ll probably slam her bedroom door and threaten to never speak to you again. One could only hope …
Aside from the amusement factor, pets provide us with much, much more. Healthcare industries have done oodles of studies on how dogs and cats are good for our health. Petting a cat lowers blood pressure. Owning a dog may make babies grow up healthier. The presence of any creature that requires care, be it cat, dog or lizard, strengthens our social skills, lowers depression and prolongs the life of the elderly.
Specially trained animals also provide us with services that humans can’t. Bloodhounds track missing persons. Service dogs aid the blind, the deaf, those prone to seizures, and a long list of others with physical or emotional challenges. When a building collapses, we send in search and rescue dogs to find the survivors. Canines are gainfully employed as narcotics-sniffing police officers. Farm cats make a lucrative living as rodent control specialists.
When you compare what pets have done for us, to what humans have done for each other, why wouldn’t we worship our furry companions? The divorce rate and the average teenager’s collection of facial piercings might be enough to convince many people to invest in a hairy lap ornament before getting married or having children.
I have nothing against husbands or children; I love them both. But for those who do not have either — or those who don’t want either — pets are more and more often becoming the accepted alternative. There has been a very noticeable shift in the acceptance of pets in every aspect of our daily lives. The reason, or perhaps catalyst, is a societal attitude which has made special accommodations for our dependant little companions.
There are two kinds of pet people: those who have and adore their creatures, and those who want them, but can’t have them. These are the people who are driving the growth of the pet industry. That growth doesn’t just mean an increase in the purchase of squeaky toys and gourmet kibble that could pass for Beef Bourguignon. A whole new world of services has erupted for our four-legged friends. Those services have invaded every sector of the business world. Insurance, hospitality, aesthetics, high fashion, restaurant management and urban planning are just a few of the business areas formerly off limits to pets, which now cater to them.
People are very attached to their pets, treat them like family, and want them to enjoy the same life that their human companions enjoy. In my opinion, it comes down to two basic reasons for this. Firstly, animals are emotional creatures. Secondly, they’re cheap.
Earlier in the last century it was believed that dogs and cats were incapable of having or expressing emotions. Whoever came up with that theory never saw the expression on my dog’s face when I’m packing my suitcase, but not hers. It has now been scientifically proven that dogs can and do have facial expressions. If you need proof of their emotional attachments, there are a slew of internet videos, blogs and news bits illustrating instances of dogs rescuing people or other pets, guarding their companions from harm, or having a tantrum when you take away a favorite purple squeaky hedgehog toy. Okay, that last one is admittedly a personal experience, but I’m sure other pet owners can relate with similar stories.
Some of the more recent viral videos include that of a black lab lying in busy traffic guarding the body of his fatally struck canine companion. Another video shows a mixed lab-shepherd protecting his mom, a golden lab, from on-coming traffic. Youtube.com has scores of videos depicting dogs and cats rescuing humans, each other and other creature friends, and dogs and cats nurturing offspring that are not their own. Some of us humans could certainly stand to learn a few lessons by their example.
Dogs and cats are a naturally nurturing species. They care, they emote, and they are the ambassadors of inter-species love. They do not harbor ill will if you forget a birthday or lose your job. They curl up next to you when you have the flu or the world’s worst hangover. Try getting a husband to cuddle you when you’re contagious. Ain’t gonna happen.
We love animals in our lives because they nurture us, they listen to us, they comfort us and they play with us. Dogs enjoy our companionship just as much as we enjoy theirs. Cats, on the other hand, only love us when they hear the can opener working on a tin of tuna.
Just remember that when your divorce becomes final, your teenagers take off to college and your adult children have stuck you in a nursing home, we can still count on our pets to be there until the bitter end.
The state of our emotional attachment to our pets is clear. But there is another reason why so many people are opting to bring pets into their lives instead of getting married or having children. Although pets are just as big a commitment as saying “I do” or dedicating the rest of your life to raising a Mini Me, the financial obligations are much easier to commit to.
One website warns of the cost of raising a pet through their lifetime. Conservative estimates place the value of a canine or feline life at approximately $8,000 to $10,000 for basic care. Another website declares that depending on the breed and bloodline of your animal, how much fru-fru attention you lavish on them, and whether they have any medical issues, you can spend as much as $30,000 or more on your pet over their lifetime. That seems like an awful lot for pooper scoopers, kitty litter, and liver snaps, but the alternative might make you agree that pets are pretty darn easy on the wallet.
The Baby Center child cost calculator will ask you to enter some information regarding your first year child care choices. The calculator will generate a rough figure for the cost of raising your child through their first 12 months. A low-end estimate exceeds $11,000. According to a Global News article, your child will cost you more than $250,000 to the age of 18. Also keep in mind that due to a tough economic environment, more and more young adults are finding it necessary to remain living at home while suckling off their parent’s retirement fund.
Suddenly, spending $30,000 on a life time’s worth of Scooby snacks and doodle bags doesn’t seem like so much.
Even if you are the kind of owner who lavishes attention on your canine companion or feline friend, the costs that pets require can’t compete with the wants and “needs” of the average teenager. By the time you finishing doling out for the iPhone, iPad, iPod and all the other iThings, you have probably paid for a lifetime’s worth of poopy bags, squeaky toys, catnip, semi-annual attitude adjustments (veterinary visits), and flea treatment put together.
Dogs do not require designer jeans. Cats don’t require a 2000 message phone card every month. And a guinea pig certainly isn’t going to ask you to pay the tuition required for a law degree. Even those children that do not constantly have their hands out asking for more still have expensive needs. You have to buy a new wardrobe every time your kid grows an inch. You have to find new and interesting ways to please their pallets with each meal you cook. And keeping them entertained during summer vacation either results in listening to the “I’m bored” rhetoric, or sending them off to computer camp or basketball camp or fat camp or some other kind of camp at a minimum cost of $800 for a week or $3000 for a month.
A full splurge trip to the doggie day spa costs a grand total of $75 — and that includes free treats.
All things considered, more and more people are adding up not only the costs, but the rewards. Pets provide more rewards and demand less of our money, for the same amount of attention. Pets provide unconditional love. All you have to do is feed them and scratch a furry belly and they will follow you anywhere. They don’t require an entertainment budget. A wayward tail can keep even the most intelligent dog entertained for up to 20 minutes — which is about 19 minutes longer than your pre-teen son can keep himself entertained (unless expensive electronics are involved, of course).
Businesses are cashing in on the windfall. They know how much our pets mean to us and they want to make sure that they reap the rewards of catering to pet parents and their progeny. Not catering to this vast market of finicky consumers would be a big mistake. With all the money they have saved by not having children, pet owners tend to spend just a little more on their companions, who don’t require a lot anyway.
Some of the businesses that once barred animal companions are now competing for their owner’s attentions. More often than not, pets are now accepted at major hotel chains for a miniscule fee. They want to make it easy for pet parents to bring along the “children” who are so engrained in their lives. Pet cafes allow you and your dog to dine together while enjoying treats at the same table — biscotti and java for us, carob chews and liver-flavoured water for them. A certain big box home improvement warehouse has always allowed pets to accompany their humans on a shopping excursion. Even smaller businesses which did not allow pets within are, at the very least, turning a blind eye and allowing properly restrained animals on the premises.
Then, of course, there are the businesses that have been created exclusively to cater to our pets. But really, to whom are they truly catering? Us or our furry companions? The purpose of a doggy day care facility, for example, is twofold; our dogs get play and social time with other dogs while human owners are relieved at the prospect that our homes will not be shredded by a bored Benji while we’re away at work. When we do leave them alone and cooped up all day, not only is there the risk of dastardly doggie damages, but we humans feel guilty that they are spending so much of their lives being caged and un-stimulated. It’s that concern which has opened the door for other pet pampering services, such as posh kennels, doggie boutiques and puppy party planners.
The pet industry doesn’t just cater to we, the doting pet owners, however. There is also a whole new world of services which cater to those creature-less pet people who desire healthy interaction with cats and dogs which they are unable to own for some reason or another.
Again, pet cafés. But these cafes do not serve humans and their leashed lieges. No, these establishments have been created specifically for those without pets. Originating in Taiwan, the cat café is a trend that has quickly been adopted by and is now flourishing in Japan. Many other countries have since followed suit, and their popularity is still growing.
The reason for the cat café began because of a combination of family planning restrictions of Far East countries and dense living conditions which do not allow inhabitants to own pets in their apartments. For a small cover charge, cat cafés allow the petless to spend time with the feline inhabitants. Patrons can socialize, pet, cuddle and play with a variety of breeds while they dine. For those who do not have the option of adopting a life-long friend, this is the next best thing. And not only does the cat café serve as a refuge for the cat-lonely customer, the cafés also serve as a refuge to the shelter orphans and strays that they rescue.
Notably, Japan has set the pace for the growth of the world-wide pet industry. The population of the country is aging rapidly as the birthrate decreases at a similar pace. As a result, the Japanese have turned to dogs, cats and other creatures for their companionship. In fact, ownership of pets is becoming more popular than having children. That trend, like other Japanese influences, is beginning to appear in other countries throughout Europe, and even into North America.
Although the lives of North Americans are indelibly rooted in the kinship of our family networks, it could very well be that pets will become the newest and most popular members of our immediate family. We will never give up the passing on of our lineage to our offspring, but we just may have to consider the fur factor when deciding on the next new member of our pack.
