In my lifetime I have had many different types of pets from dogs, cats, horses, goats, sheep, pigs, rats, mice, hamsters, birds, chickens, ducks, fish, an alligator, and several reptiles. Growing up, animals have been a major part of our household.
In the United States dogs are the most popular pets and are found in over 69 million households.
In Bali and Thailand, almost every household had at least 1 dog. The dogs are used for protection, so they live outside and did not come into the house or sleep in bed with their masters.
What intrigued me was that I did not see dog poop anywhere... One would think that with all the dogs there would be lots of excrement. Who cleans it up? - abstract thoughts.
In the U.S. over 45 million households have cats.
Cats were not as prevalent or revered in Bali, but there were many cats in Thailand. The cat owners treated their felines well. Many cats lived in the businesses where their owners worked, mostly because the owners worked every day and for long hours.
In America, we love our pets so much that many of us treat our pets as part of the family, they sleep with us and go anywhere with us. We buy them toys, treats and outfits, teach them cute tricks and post it on social media. We even spend hours watching animal videos on YouTube.
Americans spent over $120 billion on their pets in 2021.
This includes food, toys, supplies, vet bills, boarding, grooming, etc.
I've done my part to add to this figure.
Some pet owners have gone so far as to spend $75 for a multi-course dinner for their beloved canine at a San Francisco doggie diner.
Expensive and elaborate structures are built to keep our critters housed and occupied.
People spend hundreds of dollars monthly on pet sitters and therapists.
This exorbitant spending is expected to continue in the future. Morgan Stanley forecasts that pet industry spending will nearly triple to $275 billion by 2030.
So what are you getting your animal companion for Christmas? #weloveourpets #lovepets #petlove #pets #lovedogs #lovecats #loveanimals #animallove
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