AP-Petside Poll: Pet Holiday Gift Spending Up in 2009
Although spending for friends and loved ones is expected to fall this Holiday season, more people plan to buy presents for their pets this year compared to last year.
An AP-Petside.com poll revealed that 52 percent of pet owners plan to purchase a holiday gift for their pet this year.
Last year only 43 percent of pet owners answered "yes" to the same question. This is a 9 percent increase in people planning on pet holiday gifting, even as the economy continues to suffer and unemployment rises.
Comparatively, according to a recent AP-GfK poll, 93 percent of Americans say they'll spend less or about the same as last year on their holiday shopping.
So while nephews and nieces may not be getting as many goodies, it appears more pets will be recieving a visit from Santa this year.
This data resonates with an earlier AP-Petside poll showing that 50 percent of pet owners consider pets full members of their household, as much as any person. Read more about that poll here.
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Comments (8)
Dawn B. November 24, 2009 10:50 AM
Many individuals leave their pets for the holidays but have worry that they are not being cared for. Take a few dollars of what you would have spent on gifts and find a great pet sitter along with incorporating PETZcheckIN.com. This service provides a notification system that your pet sitter arrived and has cared for your pets. If they do not receive notification they contact them for you and if they cannot locate them they activate a backup plan that you have set up prior to your vacation. Ultimately you know who has cared for your pets, how long the sitter stayed with your pets and have peace of mind with just a simple e-mail.
What more can you do for your pet than to make sure they get to stay in the comfort of their own home and get the best care possible.
Check it out PETZcheckIN.com you'll love it.
Maxine November 26, 2009 4:05 AM
I'm not sure if pets can appreciate Christmas presents, but the ideal gift for a dog lover relative or friend could be a T-shirt with their favorite dog breed on it. Check out houndbound.com for some wonderful designs! (pug, bulldog, Frenchie, beagle, westie, yorkie)
lesliek December 4, 2009 2:16 PM
another great gift for any pet lover is to make a donation in their name at a pet charity. pet shelters need more donations because of the influx of animals being turned in when their owners can no longer afford to care for them.
Steve December 4, 2009 9:12 PM
Now I KNOW pet owners have lost their minds. They'd rather skimp on holiday gifts for family & friends, and instead buy stuff for clueless animals.
Steve December 4, 2009 9:15 PM
The above article is really ticking me off. Pets getting a "visit from Santa"? Can pets believe in Santa? Can pets look forward to Christmas? Can a mere animal understand what it means to receive a gift? NO? Well it looks like pet owners will be WASTING a lot of money this season.
Steve December 4, 2009 9:16 PM
If spending on pet gifts is increasing, then Americans are getting dumber and dumber. How dumb can we go?
Turbo December 4, 2009 9:19 PM
I agree, this pet pampering foolishness has gotten totally out of control. Who would ever have thought Americans would become so stupid, to the point of buying presents for lobotomized wolves and hairball-spitting cats, during a bad economy no less????
Dexter December 9, 2009 11:03 AM
I agree with the article, I give my pets gifts. The service that Dawn describes at www.petzcheckin.com sounds like a cool thing to use when I board my pets.
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