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APPMA 2001-2 Survey Statistics

The 2001/2002 National Pet Owners Survey is now available. More than 18,000 responses were received. Copies of the survey are $450.00 for non-members. Call 800-452-1225 or visit www.appma.org.

According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) more pet owners are shifting their purchases of pet supplies from discount stores, instead of grocery stores and pet superstores. There are indications that some pet owners are also switching from pet superstores to locally-owned pet stores.

Although not a grooming intensive survey, there were some good statistics made available. Here are some highlights. Three out of 10 dogs visited a pet groomer in the previous 6 months, up slightly from 1998. Forty-two percent of mall dogs were groomed by a groomer, making small dogs more likely to be professionally groomed compared to medium and large dogs. The number of large dogs being groomed increased to 25%, up from 15% in 1998.

Estimating an Area's Dog & Cat Population

The American Veterinary Medical Association provided a formula for estimating local pet dog and cat populations in the late 1990's which still works well.

First determine the number of households in the area you have defined. You can usually acquire this information for the local Chamber of Commerce, County Government or US Census site. Once you have the number of human households, it only takes a little math as follows:

• For the number of pet owning households, multiply 61% times the number of human households in your defined area.

• For the number of dog owning households, first multiply the number of human households in your defined area by 32%. Next multiply the result by 1.69, and that is the estimated dog population.

• For the number of cat owning households, first multiply the number of human households in your defined area by 27%. Next multiply the result by 2.19, and that is the estimated cat population.

Be sure to indicate in any published results that you used the AVMA 1997 formulas.

2004 Pet Industry Market Update

In 2004, Americans spent $34.5 billion on pet care, grooming and other luxuries.

There are 377.8 million pets in the United States -- and 290 million people. 62% of households in the United States own a pet. About 1 million dog and cat owners in the United States have bought health insurance for their pets. The greatest expense for pet owners each year is veterinary care, followed by food, then supplies. Dogs or cats are found in at least 1 out of 3 households in the United States.

Many local pet groomers have seen it all. Painted toenails, specialized haircuts, sensitive-skin shampoo and rhinestone collars are only a few examples of the care people take to ensure their pets are getting the best. It's a national trend that has the pet industry bucking almost all the signs of a slow economy. While most consumer-based markets are reporting little or no growth, businesses catering to pet owners are booming -- including locally.

Americans spent about $34.5 billion last year feeding and pampering their pets, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association Inc. That's more than double the amount spent 10 years ago and slightly up from 2003's $32.4 billion. The association's detailed spending survey for 2004, to be released in the next few weeks, expects $36 billion will be spent in the pet industry in 2005.

Food leads the pack of itemized pet expenditures. American pet owners spent $13.7 billion to feed their pets in 2003 and tallied about $14.3 billion in 2004, according to the manufacturers association's report. The days of buying Fido the cheapest kibble on the shelf and throwing in some table scraps to make the bag last longer are over for many pet owners. Specialized diets for animals, often veterinarian prescribed, ranging from dogs to lizards, partially explains the billion-dollar expense. Pet owners' desire to provide the best food for their animals also plays a role.

Also included in the $32.4 billion 2003 sales figures are:

• $7.9 billion on veterinary care.

• $7.2 billion on supplies and medicine.

• $1.5 billion to buy live animals.

• $2.1 billion on pet services such as grooming and boarding.

Estimates increased in each category for 2004.

Designer trends for pets are strong. Cosmetic manufacturer OPI Products. Gucci. Land's End. Old Navy. These are just some of the companies that have expanded their markets to include the family pet. With a container of OPI's Yuppy Puppy Nail Pawlish selling for about $10 a bottle, or a pair of Land's End pewter dog dishes ranging from $50 to $90 a pop, there's no sign the industry's growth will slow soon.

Opportunities abound. Americans' willingness to spend more on pets is creating opportunities for many pet industries, such as Priess' mobile pet-grooming business. Kennels no longer are just pooch-holding cells while you're on vacation. Many of the operations have been transformed into "pet resorts" and "doggy day cares" offering ways to pamper pets or keep them occupied. Expanded business ventures are all part of the healthy pet economy.

2006 Market Update

EXCERPT ONLY

Pampered pets are big business The field of catering to our four-legged friends is booming

Sunday, January 08, 2006 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

At the Cozy Inn in Plum, pampered guests can indulge in hydro and Swedish massages, hot oil treatments, therapeutic body scrubs, pedicures and facials. Of course, there's also the standard flea bath, the first hint that the clientele at this spa will be walking in on all fours.

"Business is tremendous. I can't keep up with it," said Carol Boerio-Croft, proprietor of the 3-year-old, 200-room pet resort offering day care, vacation boarding and "days of indulgence" for the discriminating canine. From pet resorts and pet sitters to doggie day care centers and mobile pooper-scoopers, the business of catering to pets is booming as Americans pamper their furry -- or sometimes feathery or leathery -- companions like never before. It's expected that once the final tally is in, consumers will have spent $36 billion last year on pet food, supplies and care, double what they spent a decade earlier, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Sales for pet services alone, including grooming and boarding, were projected to reach $2.4 billion in 2005, up nearly 40 percent over the last five years. The pet manufacturers association says pet services will be this year's hottest trend in the pet industry, ranging from behaviorists and massage therapists to pet butlers who spend the day waiting on their finicky clients, pet hotel operators and pet travel agents who specialize in finding pet-friendly accommodations for owners vacationing with pets.

"It's a healthy segment, no question about it," said Bob Vetere, the association's managing director. He attributes the strength to the so-called humanizing of pets by two growing groups: baby boomers turned empty-nesters looking to fill a void in the home and young professionals delaying marriage and children. "These are folks with a little more disposable income and they are looking to make sure their pets are well taken care of." Ms. Boerio-Croft of the Cozy Inn, whose Web site features dogs swimming laps in an indoor pool, frolicking on playground equipment and donning sunglasses while sunning themselves on lounge chairs, says she isn't surprised by the attention owners lavish on their pets. "Relationships between humans are getting more difficult -- 50 percent of marriages end in divorce -- and pets are necessary to teach us love, compassion and sympathy," said the self-professed animal lover and owner of six dogs, two cats, two horses and two parrots. She's in the midst of a divorce herself. "Next to my daughter, they are my family," she said. "My dogs are my babies." She has plenty of company.

Surveys in recent years by the American Animal Hospital Association found that 83 percent of pet owners refer to themselves as the pet's mom and dad, while 70 percent sign their pet's name on greeting cards. Almost 75 percent hang a Christmas stocking for their pet. And 39 percent say they have more photos of their pets than their spouse. As new pet services continue to emerge, Americans' devotion to their beloved companions is catching the attention of a growing number of corporations. A survey last year by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 5 percent of firms nationwide offered pet insurance as part of their employee benefits packages, up from 1 percent in 2000. While workers typically paid the cost of the coverage, they got cheaper group rates. Congress also has taken notice. After so many New Orleans residents refused to flee Hurricane Katrina last summer to stay with their pets, legislators began considering proposals that would require future evacuation plans to include evacuees' animals. Whatever the reasons, Americans' infatuation with their pets has sprouted a host of human-like pet services. Chris DiIorio said attracting customers has never been a problem for his 4-year-old business, Doodle Scoopers, a sort of doggie diaper service based in Brookline. For a couple of bucks, Mr. DiIorio or another of his team of four doodle handlers will clean up what pets leave behind in lawns, flower beds and driveways. Prices are based on the size of the yard, number of pets making deposits and frequency of visits. A typical once-a-week job runs $7 for one dog and $1.50 for each additional pet. A one-dog, one-time clean-up is $35. Mr. DiIorio's wife got the idea for the business watching a program about odd jobs on Animal Planet. They started it as a sideline, but demand took off so fast that Mr. DiIorio soon quit his job as general manager at Hidden Valley ski resort to focus on do-do full time. The business now averages 425 yards a week, except for some down time when the snow is deep. Mr. DiIorio uses the break to focus on his canine "barkery" -- baking biscuits for local pet stores and for home delivery. When doody calls, so to speak, Mr. Dilorio is ready with his tools of the trade: shovels, a kid's rake, plastic bags and buckets. In general, the nastiest jobs are cleaning up after multiple dogs following a long winter. "Springs are really rough," Mr. DiIorio said. While entrepreneurs such as Mr. DiIorio are cleaning up outside, pet sitters such as Joyce Frankulewski of Mary Puppins Pet Care are busy tending to needs inside. Ms. Frankulewski, who did pet sitting informally for about five years before quitting her job at an environmental engineering firm a year ago to incorporate the business, makes 30-minute house calls once or more a day to feed, walk and play with pets while their owners are away. Clients are mostly dogs and cats, but she also has watched rabbits, fish, birds and even a toad. To ease their pets' loneliness, most owners ask her to tune the TV to a certain channel when she leaves. Animal Planet is a favorite, Ms. Frankulewski said. Each visit costs $12 during the week and slightly more on weekends and holidays. Overnight stays are $50. Business couldn't be better. "I get more calls than I can fit in, even with my contractors," said Ms. Frankulewski, who lives in Troy Hill with her dog, Hero, and cats Little One and Giani, all rescued from animal shelters.

She also runs a small pet taxi service, charging $20 a call to shuttle pets to the veterinary office, groomers and other appointments. Her most unusual gig? Driving two smart-looking hounds to a wedding to have their pictures taken with the bridal party. Amid pets' increasing role in society, some wonder if pet owners are going too far. Ms. Boerio-Croft of the Cozy Inn Pet Resort isn't among them. She says some customers routinely send their T-shirts along with their pets to comfort them at night. One even mailed her pooch a postcard she had rubbed under her arm to carry her scent. "That is not bizarre to me," Ms. Boerio-Croft said. Business is so good that she's planning a "chateau" wing at her facility where rooms will be furnished with human-size beds, big TVs and nanny cams. Staff will be available to sleep next to homesick pets.