Written By Sherwood Kohn
According to the Humane Society, Americans own 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats.
Last year, reports MarketResearch.com, as the U.S. was clawing its way out of the worst economic recession since the great Depression, Americans spent $57 billion on pet products and services (see article, p. 29 of the June/July issue of Carroll Magazine); more money than the entire budgets of some developing countries.
What does that mean? Does it imply that people desperately need the comfort and companionship of pets during times of stress? Does it imply that Americans are so fond of their dogs and cats that they buy pet food before their own? Does it mean that American priorities are so out of whack that people will take Fido to the vet before spending money on their own health care? Or is it simply an indication that Americans are so empathetic that they cannot bear the thought of any being, even a puppy or kitty, being sick or going hungry?
Obviously, the answers to those questions are highly complex. At least one indicates that many Americans are well-off enough to share their food with household animals. Most do not have to make a choice between eating and pet ownership.
As the former owner of dogs and cats, I would like to think that my fellow citizens are motivated by the most noble of reasons; that they appreciate the unconditional love that pets often bestow, regard these animals as family members, are loyal to them as fellow inhabitants of Earth, and often love them as they would children.
Having said that, the fact that the recent recession had little or no effect on the pet products market defies logic. One would have thought that the purveyors of dog and cat food, as well as pet accessories and veterinary services, would have felt the pinch like the rest of us.
Apparently not. But then, logic has very little to do with love. Here at Carroll Magazine, we found a kitten on the loading dock – apparently abandoned by its mother – and everyone in the office has taken turns bringing it home on weekends and spoiling the hell out of it.
There have been proposals to recruit the kitty as our office mouser, but so far, no one has been hard-hearted enough to leave Zippy (a reference to ZIPcode, in honor of the Post Office origins of Kohn Creative) alone on Saturdays and Sundays.
Do you want to guess how that is going to work out?
