PET INDUSTRY Santa will be good to Fido and Fluffy this Christmas
Pet owners will shower animals with $5 billion in gifts this holiday season.
ORLANDO SENTINEL
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Santa Claus has something special up his sleeve for Gracie this year. Tucked in the 4-year-old's stocking this morning will be a music CD -- and an assortment of rawhide treats.
Gracie is a salt-and-pepper miniature schnauzer.
"She is a member of our family," said Lynn Katz of Orlando. "She feels the excitement of Christmas just like we do."
To celebrate the holidays, Gracie's "parents" decorate her crate with twinkle lights and set up a miniature tree just for her. Even her presents are wrapped and tied with bows.
"We have to help her open the presents, but she knows they're hers," Katz said.
Including pets
Millions of pet owners now shower their animals with gifts, toys and treats each year, accounting for more than $5 billion in sales during Christmastime alone. The pet industry, whose sales overall have grown 76 percent since 1994, to $30 billion a year, is doing all it can to capitalize on people's desire to include their pets in the holidays.
From store Santas to paw-shaped stockings and doggie Hallmark cards, animal lovers are scooping up pet-oriented Christmas items by the armfuls.
"More than ever, people are including their animals in the holidays," said Funda Alp, a spokeswoman with the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. "Even though the economy has slowed down, pet spending has not. In a way, the industry has proven to be recession-proof."
According to industry estimates, the average American household will spend $460 this year on its pets, and about 85 percent of all households will include their pets in holiday celebrations. That's big business, considering 62 percent of U.S. households own animals.
Hundreds of millions
There are 181 million dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and small, furry creatures in American homes. Add fish, and there are more than 353 million pets nationwide.
According to Kansas City, Mo.-based Hallmark Card Inc., 84 percent of pet owners refer to themselves as their pet's "mom" or "dad," indicating the general trend, reiterated by experts, of pets being treated like members of the family. To accommodate customers, Hallmark created pet-themed holiday cards and sells eight varieties -- some "from the cat" and others "to the dog."
"In the same way people give gifts to their children, they're giving gifts to their pets," said Alp, the spokeswoman for the pet-products trade group. "The pets give so much unconditional love and affection throughout the year, it's very natural to want to give them something in return."
Flourishing sales
From Christmas to birthdays to Valentine's Day, pet spending continues to flourish even as retailers complain about weak sales in so many other categories, Alp said.
Brian Wettstein, co-owner of The Doggie Door in Winter Park, Fla., said his merchandise sales have steadily increased the past four years. Everything from ornaments to doggie sweaters and scarves gets scooped up. The company is doing so well, the store is in the process of moving to a bigger location.
Mack Johnson, who runs Interplanetary Pet Products Inc., said sales at his 6-year-old, Internet-based company in Denver have doubled every year since startup. Paw-shaped stockings and gingerbread-man treats are steady sellers.
"The price is inconsequential if the owner likes the product -- that's why the industry is doing so well," Johnson said. "It's hard to look down at Fido and say, 'I'm sorry, Fido, I couldn't afford that new chewbone you wanted this year.' It just doesn't happen."