Pampering pets pumping cash into growing niche
Mon, Feb 11, 2008
By LINDSEY ADKISONThe Brunswick NewsTwenty years ago, a dog was a dog and a cat was, well, just a cat. Now, they're much more than that, and businesses that cater to pets and their owners are springing up everywhere, including here in Brunswick and the Golden Isles.More and more owners are treating their pets like children, a new attitude that's making pet care a big industry today. Pet related goods and services are scattered about the Golden Isles. They include six pet supply stores, five pet sitting services and 12 veterinarians, and that doesn't include pet groomers, many of whom work from the homes. It's no wonder the business is booming. According to the 2007 to 2008 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 71 million households in the United States have at least one pet. That figure translates into huge dollars. The total U.S. pet industry expenditures for 2007 are estimated at $41 billion, an incredible increase compared to the $17 billion spent on pets in 1997. Jennifer Anderson, hospital administrator at Southeast Georgia Veterinary Clinic, offers a few opinions of what's fueling the pet industry."One (reason) is that a lot of people are having pets instead of children," she said. "Pets are their kids."It's also due to people's changing attitudes toward the animals of the household."People are spending their funds on their pets and that is why pet daycare and pet hotels are so popular," she said. "Our clinic is expanding its building to include a daycare and a hotel that will open the first week of March."The hotel, called Southeast Georgia Vet Clinic Pawed Rock Hotel and Day Get Away, will feature 15 rooms for dogs and cats, all equipped with flat screen TVs and cozy beds. Pets that check in will never be left alone and all rooms will have Webcam access so clients can go online and see what their pet is doing at any time during the day.Expensive? Not really. The cost of the Webcam overnight rooms at the hotel are $37 for the first dog and $18 for each additional dog. Webcam daycare rooms are $25 for the first dog and $12 for each additional dog.There is a discount for pet owners who pay for rooms weekly. "It's no different than taking child to daycare," Anderson said. "It's a huge, huge industry up and down coast. These things are popping up all over the place."Heather Clarke, owner of the Dog Den pet sitting service, is familiar with the high standards of pet owners. A former veterinary technician, Clarke is licensed, insured, bonded and state certified in pet CPR. She offers a variety of services which not only include taking care of a pet while the owner is away, but also transporting animals to and from the veterinarian or groomer. Clarke even takes pets to frolic on the beach or to meet other pets for play dates. "People take much better care of their pets than they used to," Clarke said. "I remember when I was a kid, the dog was a dog and it stayed in the yard. It wasn't part of the family then."Now dogs are like family. I even have some (pet owners) with amazing houses that have entire rooms for their pets."Walter Littleton, owner of The Dog House pet grooming service, said the influx of residents in the area is another major factor in the pet industry's expansion. "The population is growing," Littleton said. "There are more people and with more people come more dogs. There is just a greater need now."
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