11 hours ago
Luxury hotels, dog walkers and wedding chaperones. Are we spending more than ever on our pets?
We don't need the data to tell us what we already know: we're spending more than ever on our pets.
In fact Australians spend to the tune of about $33 billion a year on average — more than $3,000 for every dog and $2,000 per cat.
That figure has almost tripled since 2019, according to Animal Medicines Australia.
Feeding our pets takes up about half that amount alone but the spend on boarding, grooming, walking and healthcare have all increased.
Experts say some of that increase can be attributed to the more tight-knit roles our pets play in our daily lives, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
They also say with our lives being busier than ever, pet owners are more willing to spend extra money keeping their animals happy.
The desire for a "premium" experience for pets extends to holidays and weekend getaways as well.
Blake de Bruin and his family have been involved in the pet accommodation industry for 50 years.
He said the industry has changed rapidly in the last five years.
"Back in the day people were just looking for somewhere to look after the animal while they were away on holidays," Mr de Bruin said.
"Today the business has changed significantly because we're humanising animals more than ever."
Mr de Bruin's business offers a range of rooms but the premium options — the luxury, destination and royal suites — are usually the first to book out.
A private luxury room for a dog at the resort costs $124 a night, bumping up to $144 over the Christmas period. A luxury cat room costs just under $60 a night.
Bookings for peak holiday periods can fill up six months ahead and Mr de Bruin said customers would change their holiday plans if they couldn't book their pets into a preferred accommodation.
He said the way families interact with their pets had "drastically changed".
"From the animals living outdoors in the kennel outside to now sleeping on the ends of our beds and going everywhere with us," he said.
"Gone are the days of what people typically knew of a kennel. They're definitely more pet resorts these days and that's what we're striving to achieve.
"Premiumisation" is the word of the future when it comes to the pet industry, Mr De Bruin said.
The pandemic saw a huge boom in puppy-buying as millions of workers and families were forced to work and study from home.
A 2021 report from Animal Medicines Australia found one-fifth of all Australian dogs — more than one million — were acquired during the pandemic.
Five years on many workers are now back in the office at least a few days a week, leaving dogs who were used to human company home alone.
It's opened a lucrative and popular market that S.J Brooks was happy to step in to.
What started as a side-hustle walking dogs during the pandemic has turned into a full-time business specifically catering to the immensely popular "oodle" breed of dogs.
Each morning, she drives her van around Brisbane picking up eager dogs ready for a day out at a dog park or even pet resorts further afield on the Sunshine Coast.
"I think they're becoming a part of the family — which they always have been — but I do truly see the difference in how people are treating their pets," Ms Brooks said.
"They just want them to be happy."
She also travels all over the state for another service that she offers as a dog chaperone at weddings.
"It's a seasonal service so I do roughly 20 weddings a year," she said. "Most of them are little ring bearers."
In the end, Ms Brooks said it came down to the fact that our relationship with our pets has changed considerably.
"I think that sheer experience of having those dogs completely improves our own lives, our own mental and physical health and I think that's just a huge important part of life. And that brings you so much happiness," she said.
Animal Medicines Australia executive director Ben Stapley said there was a substantial increase in spending across all "lifestyle" categories of the pet sector.
"Walking services, boarding and minding services and alternative healthcare treatments," he said.
"A range of products which really recognise the fact that pets are seen as members of the family."
While small businesses are taking advantage of the boom, big business is getting in too.
Woolworths Group snapped up major pet retailer PETstock in 2022 for more than half a billion dollars,
Mr Stapley said similar trends towards more premium products and higher pet expenses were part of a global trend, but Australia remained among the highest.
"Australia is generally a bit of an outlier in the rate of pet ownership so, per capita, our expenditure is pretty high globally," he said.
