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AMERICANS
SPEND
$41
BILLION
A
YEAR
ON
PETS
Around
6
million
dogs
travel
with
their
RVing
owners
...
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A
recent
article
in
"Business
Week"
estimated
than
Americans
now
spend
more
than
$41
billion
a
year
on
their
pets
-
"more
than
the
gross
domestic
product
of
all
but
64
countries
in
the
world."
As
a
comparison,
Americans
spend
about
$10
billion
on
movies.
APPMA
(the
American
Pet
Products
Manufacturers
Association)
recently
released
the
results
of
its
2007/2008
National
Pet
Owners
Survey.
Here
are
just
a
few
of
its
findings:
-
Pet
ownership
is
currently
at
its
highest
level
with
71.1
million
households
in
the
U.S.
owning
at
least
one
pet
(63%
of
all
U.S.
households)
-
According
to
The
Survey,
there
are
74.8
million
dogs,
88.3
million
cats,
142
million
freshwater
fish,
9.6
million
saltwater
fish,
16
million
birds,
24.3
million
small
animals,
13.4
million
reptiles
and
13.8
million
horses
-
"Over
the
past
two
decades
we
have
come
to
realize
people
consider
pets
a
part
of
the
family
and
treat
them
accordingly,”
said
Bob
Vetere,
president
of
APPMA.
“That
has
led
to
the
evolution
of
everything
from
new
and
improved
services
and
travel
accommodations
to
food
and
medicines,
all
of
which
make
spending
time
with
our
pets
more
enjoyable
and
help
fuel
the
continued
rise
in
pet
ownership”
-
Pet
owners
are
increasingly
choosing
specially
formulated
or
organic
pet
food
and
say
their
pets
are
enjoying
the
subsequent
benefits
including
prevention
of
obesity
and
other
medical
conditions
-
According
to
the
survey,
three-out-of-ten
dog
owners
have
dental
products
for
their
dog
including
a
toothbrush,
toothpaste,
mouthwash,
tartar/breath
control/whitening
products
or
floss
PETS
AND
TRAVEL
Pet
owners
prefer
family
or
friends
care
for
their
animals
while
they
are
on
vacation.
However,
other
arrangements
made
when
pet
owners
travel
include
professional
pet
sitting
services,
boarding
at
a
kennel,
taking
pets
along
on
vacation
or
leaving
pets
home
alone.
According
to
Survey,
dog
owners
are
the
most
inclined
pet
owner
to
bring
their
pet
along
with
them
on
vacation.
Roaming
Times
checked
with
PetSmart
about
boarding
charges.
("At
PetSmart,
we
understand
your
special
bond
because
we're
pet
parents,
too".)
A
4'x6'
pet
hotel
room
costs
$21
per
night,
A
5'x7'
room
with
bed
and
TV
(?)
costs
$31
per
night.
As
an
RVer,
you
can
take
your
pets
along
with
you
of
course.
That's
just
one
of
the
wonderful
advantages
of
RVing
...
According
to
the
RVIA,
some
1
in
12
US
households
now
own
an
RV.
Some
63%
have
a
pet.
That
equates
to
around
6.2
million
dogs
are
traveling
with
their
owners
in
RVs.
It's
a
dog's
life
...
RoTi
pets
section
Choosing
a
dog
6
million
RVing
dogs?
What
do
you
think?
...
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Readers'
comments:
Rena
:
Wish I were there already. Currently planning to buy my first motorhome at 62 for myself, my two greyhounds and my three cats. My two greatest worries are: first, leaving them alone in the motorhome while I visit some sites they are not allowed in, especially if it is very hot; and second, having some kind of portable playpen for them while at a campgrounds. Anyone has suggestions.
Thank you.
Judika Mc
:
When will RV Park owners & managers wake up? I'm a fulltime RVer & an early Baby Boomer retiree. I can't imagine a DOGLESS life! Husbands & kids come & go, but only death or human stupidity will take a well-loved dog away. Of course I spend money on my dog. It's the greatest ROI I've ever found.
Ruth Crossman
:
We think a dog is better than health insurance and thats why we've never been without a dog in 36 years of marriage. We have a common bond, our dog, currently a wonderful sheltie called grace, and we get our exercise, whether we want it or not we've got to take her for a walk. We've been fulltiming for 4 years and she loves it. Everyone should have a dog and of course we spend money on pets, they're a big part of the family.
Worried Doberman owner
:
My husband and I are great Dog lovers, we have been married 42 years and never been with dogs. We recently are finding that alot of rv parks are not accepting dobermans. Doberman's have received a bad reputation from what people see in the movies. In reality Dobermans are one of the sweetest dogs in the world, and would never harm a sole. Our current 8 year old doberman and our Yorkie go everywhere with us. They are one of the main reasons we bought an rv in the first place. If rv parks are going to be picking on dogs that are not allowed they should check the humane society top dogs that bite list. You will not find a Doberman in that list, but you will find Poodles, labs, cocker spaniels.
We hope this current trend will soon end, but we are worried that it won't due to some people's ignorance about dogs.
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