Litters, We Get Litters: A Few Final Scratchings
Counting the kibble. Sixty-three percent of U.S. households — 69.1 million homes — own a pet, and 45% own more than one, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Some 43.5 million households have dogs, 37.7 million, cats; 13.9 million, freshwater fish; 6.4 million, birds; 5.7 million, small animals; and 4.4 million, reptiles. An estimated $38.4 billion will be spent on pet supplies in the United States this year, up from $21 billion 10 years ago. Food is the biggest expense ($15.2 billion), followed by veterinary care ($9.4 billion), supplies and over-the-counter medicines ($9.3 billion). On average, the typical dog owner spends $574 annually for surgical vet visits, $241 on food, $211 for routine vet visits, $68 on treats and $45 for toys.
Oops! Britney’s in the doghouse. Britney Spears was voted the World’s Worst Celebrity Dog Owner for 2006 in an online poll by readers of The New York Dog and The Hollywood Dog magazines. She beat out last year’s pick, her new BFF Paris Hilton, who came in second. Oprah Winfrey was readers favorite celeb dog owner, beating out Tori Spelling, Nicollette Sheridan and Beth Ostrosky, Howard Stern’s girlfriend and a national spokesperson for the North Shore Animal League.
Drinking buddy. When a human hears their glass talk, they know its time to pay the tab, go home and sleep it off. But the creators of Chatterbowl think lonely pets might want a bit of conversation from their dinnerware. The new bowl, invented by Jay Taylor of Tucson and his company Talk2Pet, allows pet owners to leave a 10 second message on a recorder that fits under the bowl. The idea is that the words will encourage pets who miss their owners to eat or drink what is left for them. The Chatterbowl sells for $19.95; for more information visit http://www.chatterbowl.com.
Ruff Royalty. After seven years of development, Canine Kingdom.com debuted last week to help dog owners find everything from training methods to gifts. The site will also offer information from experts about dog care. Site founder Mary Beth Close says she hopes the site will increase understanding between dogs and humans. “Man’s best friend may also be his most misunderstood,” says Close. “While there are mountains of information about dogs out there today, much of it is mired in theory, old wives’ tales and wishful thinking.”
