With more than 65 percent of Aussie households home to a pet, one of the highest rates in the world, there's no doubt we're a nation of pet lovers.
And also there's also no doubt that we see them as part of the family rather than just an animal, with a study by Pet Industry Association of Australia showing that only fifteen percent of canine owners would reduce spending on their pets if their income fell.
The research also revealed that before reducing on their pet's expenses, forty five percent of dog owners would look at ways to reduce their power usage; forty nine percent would reduce their own essentials, 34 percent would use cheaper products and seventeen percent would ever consider applaying for a second job.
So, regardless of how you look at it, pets are serious business, and small businesses are cashing in. Gone are the days of feeding your pup 50c cans of chicken, or throwing your pooch a dried up bone as a treat.
The last few years has seen a whole new kind of small businesses stocking, pet clothes, pet spas, and even high-end dog accessories.
One such extravagant shop is Melbourne small business, Aussie Pet. An online-only store, Aussie Pet has a range of designer dog collars for your four-legged friends including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and more!. They also have high-tech products such as LED dog collars, GPS tracking equipments, and no stink waterproof collars.
And the dog market keeps on expanding too, from practical and useful items such as squeaky toys, slow feeding bowls, and rainproof crates, to the downright extreme; a $2000 18K gold-thread dog collar; Swarovski crystal leads that can cost up to $900, Roberto Cavalli-designed pooch clothes and $100 bottles of canine perfume called Sexy Pooch.
The Important Factors to Consider Before You Adopt a Pet
A puppy can be a joyful companion, a whacky buddy, an exercise partner, and more, but doggy ownership is also a lot of work. Training and caring for your canine requires time and cash, and adopting a puppy is a big decision that shouldn't be taken lightly.
I'll center on the negative aspects since most individuals looking for a doggy are already aware of the positives. This is a pretty extensive question, so let's assume you have already found a breed that will work for you.
Young pups are about 20 times more difficult for the first 1-2 years than an adopted doggy. If you don't spend the time, you'll pay in other ways (like lost sneakers, noise complaints from neighbors, hostile behavior, and more). It will take multiple hours each day to educate and exercise your new puppy, but it will really payoff in the long run. You know those really cool dogs that happily wait outside of shops without a leash, or sit quietly at an outdoors restaurant even when other pets are present? That didn't happen by mishap. Adopting an older doggy is a great shortcut to a fantastic companion but there are things you still need to do to make sure your new doggy is compatible with your daily life.
Nails need to be clipped, fur needs to be cleaned, and they need to be bathed. Professional dog grooming runs from $60-$ 120 and you'll need to do it every couple of months for a dog with long fur.
And speaking of fur, it will be pretty much everywhere. It will be on your clothes, in your child's mouth, and occasionally in your food. Lint rollers are great, but you'll never reach pre-dog levels again. I find my dog's fur at friend's homes that my dog has never visited. It's a plague.
You also need to be mindful of allergic reactions-- are you hypersensitive? Is anyone that's going to be around the pooch allergic?
We spent $8000 in vet bills during the first two yrs of our pup's life (our very dynamic doggy had a couple of serious injuries, so this is a high estimate, but not unheard of). There are health insurance options out there, but be sure to get one without lots of exclusions. Expect to pay $50-100 per month for insurance, which doesn't cover normal veterinarian visits.
Major medical issues are quite typical over the lifespan of a dog so be prepared to make tough decisions. If you needed to pay $10,000 to preserve a high quality of life for your pooch or put her or him to sleep, what would you do? Where do you draw the line? This will be an inevitable question that you'll have to deal with.
If you live somewhere where leash legislations are strictly enforced (or somewhere that does not have open places where canines can play unleashed with each other), you'll probably need to pay for dog daycare or a dog walker. Without this, your pooch will likely form hostile behaviors toward other pets, which can be very alarming. Mutts are naturally social and segregating them can be very harmful.
Other Factors to Take into consideration
Dealing with Other Animals
Do you have squirrels, skunks, pigs, or other potentially risky or inconvenient wild animals in your region that your pup will run into? What will you do to avoid potential fights?
Your Liberty Will Be Reduced
You're committing to arriving home right after work for the following 9-14 years of your life. What will you do when you take a trip? Are you going to make sure your pooch is socialized well enough that you can leave him with another dog owner or pet daycare establishment?
Unless you expect to seriously breed puppies, you'll need to sterilize your dog. Not only do you prevent surprise puppies, but it reduces aggressive and odd behaviors (by yours as well as other pooches).
You'll need to know how to discipline your pup and set boundaries, and you'll need to be honest with yourself about your capacity to apply them. Even if they're arbitrary, boundaries are important to assist keep your canine comfortable with you being in charge. With larger doggies, if you fail to create boundaries and maintain disciplined habits, they could become a very serious problem.
Training Dogs around Children
It can be very hard to train a pup if you have kids. Our doggy was exceptionally well-behaved around food before we had our lad, but right now he'll loot food from plates near the floor (a mortal sin in my house). Getting this under control with a toddler that throws meals as a recreation is challenging.
Dealing with Death
As sad as it is, your dog will die and you'll probably be the one to determine when that will be. You'll also probably be there throughout the final moments. I've had bad dreams about this myself. I prefer the verbiage of "adopting a dog" to "buying a canine" because this is more about family and love than it is about a possession. This is a life time-- your pup's life commitment and I recognise I didn't completely realized what that meant until I had a dog of my own.
I believe the theme of what I'm expressing is go into it expecting it to be hard. If you're ready for a challenge, you'll be far more prepped to cope with it and you'll be appreciative of the parts that go well.
I don't always agree with his style, but Cesar's Millan show on the NatGeo channel is a good way to learn more about pups. It unveils the conduct complications you can create if you do not go into dog ownership prepared. Watch it and ask yourself how you would manage the situations the dog owners experience. You'll notice that a common point is that the owners not the pups are typically the problem.