The American Animal Hospital Association recently released the result from their new pet ownership trends survey. The association surveyed 1,242 pet owners, all AAHA hospital clients, in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Seventy-one percent answered as dog owners, 27 percent as cat owners and the remainder as some other companion animal owner. 66 percent of pet owners reported traveling with their pets, and 36 percent of those said that their pets had special luggage.

Love and attention ranked as the No. 1 step pet owners take to ensure their pets’ quality of life, according to the AAHA survey. Cited by 95 percent of pet owners in the veterinary association’s annual pet owner survey, love and attention was closely followed by regular veterinary checkups and vaccinations (93 percent).

Other steps included:

• Spay/neuter - 86%
• premium pet foods - 85%
• grooming - 80%
• regular exercise - 71%
• pet identification tags, tattoos and microchips - 66%
• veterinary dental care - 49%
• home dental care - 27%
• use of car seat, harness or crate for travel - 26%
• pet health insurance - 5%

Most pet owners believe that their pets relieve stress and improve mental health. 92 percent said their pet provided them with health benefits. Of those, 84 percent said their pets relieved their stress and 71 percent said their pets improved their mental health. 34 percent said that providing exercise for their pets improved their own physical fitness, and 32 percent noted that having a pet lowered their blood pressure. 94 percent said their pet caused them to smile more than once per day. Less than 1 percent of owners said that their pet caused them to smile less than once a week. 85 percent said that their pets show concern when the owner is ill.

The main reason for acquiring a pet:

• companionship - 84%
• child’s playmate - 5%
• rescue/stray - 4%
• security/protection - 3%
• recreation/sport - 1%
• profit breeding - (less than) 1%
• teach a child responsibility - (less than) 1%

Pets and holidays:

• include pets in holiday celebrations - 86%
• special holiday treats - 80%
• hanging stockings - 75%
• wrapped gifts to/from their pets - 72%
• include pets in holiday photos - 58%
• sign pets’ names on greeting cards - 70%
• dressing pet in costume - 30%
• include pets’ name on answering machine message - 5%

Most common holiday celebrations are:

• Christmas - 97%
• Thanksgiving - 53%
• Halloween - 41%
• Easter - 35%
• Valentine’s Day - 30%
• New Year’s - 26%
• Hanukkah - 4%

How much of your free time do you plan around your pet:

• Some - 51%
• Most - 37%
• All - 9%
• None - 3%

How many photos do you have of your pet versus of your spouse or significant other?

• More pets - 39%
• About the same - 24%
• More spouse/other - 21%
• Not applicable - 16%

The survey also asked about clients’ experience with pet loss. Ninety-one percent of respondents had experienced pet deaths. Of those, 53 percent reported burying their pets on their property, 6 percent in a pet cemetery; 47 percent got a new pet, 17 percent held a funeral, 15 percent made a charitable donation in the pet’s name, 13 percent read books about pet loss, 8 percent cremated their pet, 6 percent kept the remains and 2 percent joined a support group or sought counseling.

Sources:

• American Animal Hospital Association, 2002 Pet Owner Survey
• Pet Product News, February 2003