The results are out, Australians love pets

How much do Australians love pets?   If you consider Australia has one of the highest rate of pet ownership in the world with 63 per cent* of us owning a domestic animal (that’s an an estimated 25 million pets), it seem the answer is a resounding “very much!”

And boy, don’t we just love to have them be part of our day to day life as much as possible?  Well I know I do, as do many of our readers.

In July last year PETstock conducted an online survey with more than 800 Australian dog and cat owners and the results definitely show that Australians love pets.   

More and more owners are holding birthday celebrations (sorry Darcy I know I missed yours the other week, bad mum), taking them on pet friendly holidays (I definitely do that whenever I can!) and even investing in technology to keep an eye on them when they’re home alone (since he’s mostly always with me I haven’t done that yet).

When it comes to spoiling our pets, the survey found that:

• 58%of owners purchase Christmas treats for their pets
• 44% of owners would consider purchasing an airfare to take their pet on a holiday whilst 4% already do
• 27% of owners had given their furry-friends their own pet birthday cakes
• 21% had provided pet-friendly chocolate at Easter
• 60% of owners had considered including their pets in wedding ceremonies
• 25% take them to restaurants
• 23% include them in family portraits

Important family time

What I love most about the fact that Australians love pets is that they are increasingly being treated as a member of the family and are included in  more of our day to day activities, which is particularly important for dogs who thrive on being a part of family and spending as much time as possible with their human friends.

The survey also highlighted how technology plays its part in pet care, revealing that 55% of owners said they would consider installing a pet cam to keep their animals safe, whilst some owners also invest in interactive toys to keep their pets entertained while they’re at work.

As I’ve discussed in many of my behaviour and training blogs, interactive toys and other environmental enrichment are vital in keeping our dogs mentally and physically stimulated whilst they’re home alone.

Fortunately there has also been a massive growth in pet friendly holidays , places to go and things to do with our pets, as well as an array of products and services that can help us provide them with everything their little hearts may desire.

There’s plenty of these and other tips on our website to help you pamper your pet, so if you’re feeling like you are lagging a little behind in keeping your pet happy, then there’s no more excuses.  Your pet will love you (even more) for it!

Lara & Darcy x

Sources: *Pet Ownership in Australia Summary, Animal Health Alliance 2013 and PETstock online survey Sept 2017.

About the Author: Lara Shannon is co-Host of Pooches at Play and has completed a Certificate III in Dog Behaviour & Training with the National Dog Trainers Federation. Lara also runs her own dog training, minding and walking business in Melbourne’s Bayside area.