All for the love of a dog

“I know love. I had a dog.”

These words by Beth Brown, author of All Dogs Go To Heaven, sum up the special relationship many owners have with their dogs. In return, dog owners in Australia reportedly spend nearly $5 billion on their dogs according to the Pet Ownership in Australia 2013 survey for Animal Health Alliance.

This site looks at how dog owners engage with their pets, what their pets give to them and what they are prepared to do for their pets. It explores the shared experience of owning a dog, whether is is about owners rescuing their dogs or their dogs rescuing them. The site looks at how they look after their pet’s welfare and how pet owners’ lifestyles influence the way they bring up their pets. And it looks at how this has an impact on the growth of an industry catering solely to the needs of the four-legged family members of the Australian household.

No longer just the family pet but family

For indeed, nowadays, the dog is no longer just the family pet but simply, family.

As such, the pet industry has evolved over the years to provide pet needs that mirror pet owners’ needs. Pet food is now no longer just processed meats and dry foods but has been upgraded to freshly prepared gourmet human grade food and even catered home deliveries. Cafes are not just increasingly dog-friendly but some even cater to canines. 

New products and services have emerged, such as pet kindergarten, pet daycare, pet hotel and resort and even hotels catering to their guests’ pets. According to a 2013 report by Tourism New South Wales, around 840,000 dogs are taken on holidays each year sparking the growth in the pet accommodation sector.

Australians spend $3.5 billion on complementary medicines annually, with 89 per cent of consumers being regular or occasional users, according to University of Sydney’s medical school dean, Bruce Robinson. Thus it comes as no surprise that holistic healthcare for pets is growing in popularity with more vets practicing acupuncture and natural health medicines, while other complementary services such as reflexology, chiropractic services, massages and hydrotherapy are now readily available to enhance pet well-being. 

The table below shows a breakdown of what Australians spend on their dogs.

Margaret Hennessy of the Dogue Retail Group, says, “According to the 2015 Pet Care Industry Analysis, the growth in the pet industry is projected to be four per cent annually through to 2018 and the number of households owning pets is expected to increase.

Many owners see their dogs as an extension of themselves. So if you take a holistic approach, you will bring up your pet to embrace your holistic lifestyle; if you are the practical, no-nonsense type, your pet will live as you do; and if you are a  fashionista, your pet’s appearances will count.

Australians spent $283 million on pet products and accessories in 2013 and this figure is expected to grow. Thus exclusive pet boutiques such as Dogue are expanding and franchising its business. Margaret Hennessy says Dogue’s aim over the next 12 months is to build its network across Australia to between 40 and 50 stores. It has already set up a Canberra franchise and is now focusing on Victoria. 

On what’s new in the market, she says there is a trend towards solution-based items such as ‘boredom buster’ products that features interactive dog mazes and bowls. These offer an innovative solution to a growing problem for pet owners: dog boredom, excess energy and separation anxiety.

Not just any bowl.

A newcomer to the Australian market is Hachi, a Japanese pet boutique known for its high-end goods. It recently opened its first store in Melbourne but its products are available nation-wide through its online division. 

Many pet owners want their dogs to share in their leisure time. Sally and Jarrad Ingram are cycle enthusiasts who also love kayaking and take their three dogs, Chocco, Jelly and Hugo, with them. Sometimes, Teddy, who belongs to Jarrad’s parents, comes along, too. Life has certainly changed for Chocco and Jelly who came to the Ingrams from Monika’s Doggie Rescue!

In order to cycle together, they bought an enclosed bike trailer to carry the dogs and a pouch carrier which Sally straps to her body to carry Teddy, a small poodle.

Kayaking with the dogs was never on their agenda. Sally says the first time they all did it was an accident. They didn't realise the dogs would actually come in the kayak with them, but they swam out and got into the boat. From that time on, they have been kayaking with the dogs; and Sally has even had life vests made for them. This sporty couple also take the dogs with them on holidays.

The dogs wearing life vests. Photo: Sally Ingram

Sally, Jarrad and dogs. Photo: Sally Ingram

On the road. Photo: Sally Ingram

Teddy in the pouch Sally carries. Photo: Siam Lim

The 2013 pet ownership survey estimated Australia has a total pet dog population of 4.2 million living in 39 per cent of households. Households in strata properties are often prevented from having pets. The survey stated 600,000 households identified this as a barrier to owning a pet, with one in three saying they would be prepared to  pay more rent or strata fees to keep a pet.

A recent change to the NSW strata constitution should make it easier for pet lovers to keep a pet in new strata developments.

Duncan Bremner, Chief Executive Officer of Animal Medicines Australia, says, “We have campaigned successfully for the default position regarding the homing of pets in new strata-titled dwellings in NSW to be from ‘no’ to ‘yes’, with the onus now on body corporates to justify a potential pet owner not having a pet in their apartment.”

Rule change to allow pets in new strata title dwellings

He said the campaign will now extend to applying the same rules to existing strata-titled dwellings in NSW. He estimates success in this campaign could result in an additional two million pets in Australia.

“Once strata-title reform has been achieved, we will then explore the viability and complexity of such reform in the rental market.”

The benefits of owning a pet are many. They give love and companionship. They  also provide opportunities for people to interact and thus extend their social connections.

Research studies show the positive effects pets have on owners’ health, with one 1999 study, Health Benefits and Health Cost Savings Due to Pets: Preliminary Estimates From An Australian National Survey, by academic Bruce Headey, claiming pet ownership probably reduced national health expenditure by an estimated $988 million for the financial year 1994-95. 

Perhaps, it is for this reason that doctors sometimes write these three simple words on their patient’s script, “Get a dog.”