“Australia spends more on pets than on foreign aid,” reports The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. “Doggie lifejackets, diamond jewellery and breath fresheners for pets are among other items that have sent Australians’ spending on their pets soaring to $2.2 billion a year.” Jason Gram, a pet shop owner, noted the change in attitude toward pets in the last decade. “Dogs used to be in the backyard, covered in fleas and chewing on a bone,” he said. “Now they’re indoors, sitting on a fluffy bed and wearing a diamante collar.” He noted, though, that the shift has been good for business, as dogs are now treated as members of the family and lavished with expensive goods. While some pets are “cared for as if they had human needs, desires and aesthetic standards,” said the paper, there is “no evidence that dogs preferred a $50 toy to a $5 toy. But the indulgence appeared to satisfy the owners’ need to demonstrate love.”
It’s a Dog’s Life
“Australia spends more on pets than on foreign aid,” reports The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. “Doggie lifejackets, diamond jewellery and breath fresheners for pets are among other items that have sent Australians’ spending on their pets soaring to $2.2 billion a year.” Jason Gram, a pet shop owner, noted the change in attitude toward pets in the last decade. “Dogs used to be in the backyard, covered in fleas and chewing on a bone,” he said. “Now they’re indoors, sitting on a fluffy bed and wearing a diamante collar.” He noted, though, that the shift has been good for business, as dogs are now treated as members of the family and lavished with expensive goods. While some pets are “cared for as if they had human needs, desires and aesthetic standards,” said the paper, there is “no evidence that dogs preferred a $50 toy to a $5 toy. But the indulgence appeared to satisfy the owners’ need to demonstrate love.”