Daycare, birthday parties, clothing, special food and sitters are typical requirements of parenthood. These kinds of services, events and products more frequently also are becoming the norm for those with four-legged fur babies.
Places like the Shamrock Pet Resort in Prairie du Sac, the Dells Pet Retreat in Wisconsin Dells and Lazy J’s Doggie Spa in New Lisbon offer a variety of pet-pampering products and services, from high-quality food and kennel suites boasting TVs, cameras and soft cots to daycare for dogs with giant play structures, training and agility courses.
“I think from one standpoint we have always cared about our pets but people are now more than ever considering them part of the family,” said Sauk Prairie Animal Hospital and Shamrock Pet Resort administrator Jodi Kelley. “I think most often pet care is about the comfort of the pet owner.”
“You wouldn’t believe the amount of customers who say mom and dad will see you later,” Sandy Jordan, owner of the Dells Pet Retreat in Wisconsin Dells. “Probably for other people to hear it sounds crazy, but to us, it’s perfectly normal.”
“When I first started out 21 years ago in this area, I noticed we were kind of switching from a farm community; people were starting to treat animals like people,” Zablotski said. “There was this great shift in how people were treating their dogs. In my grandparents’ day, they weren’t house pets and had to stay outside.”
Mary Hamburg of All God’s Creatures Pet Sitting in Portage said people call on her to take care of everything from dogs and cats to birds, reptiles and even small farm animals.
“It’s really just about loving on the animals and watering and feeding them,” she said.
Hamburg said her clients don’t mind spending money on their pets.
“When I first started out I would bring the animals into my home, and they became part of her family, even if only temporarily,” she said. “That’s what they looked for and expected.”
A desire for the safety and security of their pets is what leads people to spend money on services such as boarding and dog daycare, Zablotski said.
“I think people are realizing it’s safer to board or do daycare… who really wants to leave their dog at home all alone?” she said. “Certainly it’s better for them. It’s good for the dog to socialize.”
Sebastian Zang runs Naughty Paws Dog Training in Sauk City and said pet owners can get more enjoyment from their animals if they invest more time in them.
“People find the more they invest in their dog, the better their relationship can be with it,” he said.
Zang said time and training are important regardless of whether a dog owner spent $1,400 on a purebred or a $250 adoption fee for a rescue.
“Certainly when you spend that much money on a purebred, that alone is an investment,” he said. “And rescue pets can sometimes come with baggage that investing a little time and money in them can help fix. It’s well worth spending the money to help get them trained.”
Zang said regardless of the breed or situation, training and behavior modifications help the animals and their owners live better, fuller lives.
Brickl said her two shih tzu mixes get baths and haircuts as well as boarding services from Shamrock.
“They know our dogs’ names when we walk in,” she said. “We’ve never had a problem. We know they will take good care of them.”
When her dogs go to Shamrock they usually stay in one of the suites. She is particularly fond of the Badger Suite, which features a Wisconsin Badgers theme and even has a TV.
“That’s just what they are accustomed to,” Brickl said. “When our daughters were little we used to get the suite with a webcam so we could check in on them from our computer while we were away. They used to get a kick out of being able to see them.”
Shamrock veterinarian Joe Kelley said one client called him to ask why her dog didn’t have its favorite blanket.
“She checked in on him over the camera and could see he didn’t have it,” he said. “But I explained to her it was a Thursday and that’s when we do the bedding. The reality is for some people their pets are their kids and we have to accommodate that.”
Joe Kelley said when he started in the early 1990s, boarded dogs had outdoor dog houses. Most pet owners expect more when they board their animals today.
“I think more people are having less children and so these animals become their whole world,” he said. “Naturally, then they are taking better care of them.”
The Association reports Americans spend nearly $5.5 billion on pet-related services such as grooming, boarding, walking, training, pet sitting, exercise and yard services. Spending on these activities saw the largest growth in pet expenditures in 2016 by more than tripling growth in any other category.
Susan Roraff owns the pet supply store Susie’s Petpourri in Reedsburg and said the growth in expenditures affects all kinds of pet owners.
“It’s the same across the board; cat people spend more on their cats and dog people spend more on their dogs,” Roraff said.
Following the Great Recession, people still were willing to purchase premium products, but with an improving economy, Roraff said pet owners are more willing to try new things.
“They are definitely opening their wallets more,” she said.
Pets even can have their own birthday parties.
“You didn’t really hear about people doing that years ago,” Jordan said. “We make a dog-friendly cake and any dog that’s here for daycare gets to participate.”
Every dog gets a piece of cake and goes home with a doggie bag of treats.
Jordan said she loves seeing the animals become more confident as they become accustomed to the facility and the other animals.
“We had this one little guy who started coming to daycare and was scared to death,” she said. “Now he’s older and just charges right in. It’s fun to watch and see them grow from the time they’re puppies.”
For example, Roraff said dog beds can come in a wide range of prices, and many pet owners are willing to purchase the most expensive ones.
“But really does the dog care as long as it has one? Roraff said.
Roraff has also seen an uptick in the sale of pet supplements.
“Right now the trend is to go grain free; whether or not that is truly necessary is still debatable,” she said. “People think they need to but we don’t have a lot of the high-working dogs that necessarily need more protein.”
Joe Kelley pointed to changes in marketing that are driving the food industry.
“You see these commercials from dog food companies that liken your dog to a wolf, but let’s face is, your schnauzer was never out in the wild taking down caribou,” he said.
He attributed some of the increased spending to a dramatic rise in available options for pet owners.
“It used to be cats were boarded in a single, stainless steel cage,” he said “Now they offer kitty condos that have a separate bathroom area for the cat.”
Just as options for boarding have expanded, so too have options for food.
“There used to be like six dog food companies, for example,” he said. “Now you have gluten-free dog food, wet dog food, dry food, refrigerated food… how do you choose? Sometimes people think buying more expensive is best but that’s not always true.”
Jordan said Dells Pet Retreat has had to grow to keep up with demand.
“We’ve been here for 10 years and already added on,” she said. “We added a big, huge daycare room and added a lot of grass for outside play. Training just came on board last year and that also seems to be really popular.”
Jodi Kelley said daycare is so popular because people know the dogs enjoy it.
“They come home happy and exhausted, and that means you get more out of your pet,” she said.
Because Shamrock Pet resort and the Sauk Prairie Small Animal Hospital are connected, Jodi Kelley said they are able to take on many special needs boarders, such as dogs and cats with seizures or diabetes.
“It makes people feel better knowing their pet is safe rather than leaving them at home by themselves,” she said.
Ultimately, Jodi Kelley said, people are asking for much more from their pets.
“It’s about that unconditional love,” she said. “When you are tired and you’ve had a bad day at work you can come home and cozy up to your cat or dog. People just want to be able to give back to them. The pet is the major part of their life. It’s a constant.”
Places like the Shamrock Pet Resort in Prairie du Sac, the Dells Pet Retreat in Wisconsin Dells and Lazy J’s Doggie Spa in New Lisbon offer a variety of pet-pampering products and services, from high-quality food and kennel suites boasting TVs, cameras and soft cots to daycare for dogs with giant play structures, training and agility courses.
Massive industry
Americans spend billions to keep their pets happy, safe and feeling at-home even when they’re not. The American Pet Product Association says Americans spent an estimated $63 billion on pets in 2016, up from $17 billion in 1994.
“I think from one standpoint we have always cared about our pets but people are now more than ever considering them part of the family,” said Sauk Prairie Animal Hospital and Shamrock Pet Resort administrator Jodi Kelley. “I think most often pet care is about the comfort of the pet owner.”
“You wouldn’t believe the amount of customers who say mom and dad will see you later,” Sandy Jordan, owner of the Dells Pet Retreat in Wisconsin Dells. “Probably for other people to hear it sounds crazy, but to us, it’s perfectly normal.”
Shifting views
Lazy J’s Doggie Spa owner Janice Zablotski said the changes in the way pets are treated are relatively new.
“When I first started out 21 years ago in this area, I noticed we were kind of switching from a farm community; people were starting to treat animals like people,” Zablotski said. “There was this great shift in how people were treating their dogs. In my grandparents’ day, they weren’t house pets and had to stay outside.”
Mary Hamburg of All God’s Creatures Pet Sitting in Portage said people call on her to take care of everything from dogs and cats to birds, reptiles and even small farm animals.
“It’s really just about loving on the animals and watering and feeding them,” she said.
Hamburg said her clients don’t mind spending money on their pets.
“When I first started out I would bring the animals into my home, and they became part of her family, even if only temporarily,” she said. “That’s what they looked for and expected.”
A desire for the safety and security of their pets is what leads people to spend money on services such as boarding and dog daycare, Zablotski said.
“I think people are realizing it’s safer to board or do daycare… who really wants to leave their dog at home all alone?” she said. “Certainly it’s better for them. It’s good for the dog to socialize.”
Pet interaction
Sebastian Zang runs Naughty Paws Dog Training in Sauk City and said pet owners can get more enjoyment from their animals if they invest more time in them.
“People find the more they invest in their dog, the better their relationship can be with it,” he said.
Zang said time and training are important regardless of whether a dog owner spent $1,400 on a purebred or a $250 adoption fee for a rescue.
“Certainly when you spend that much money on a purebred, that alone is an investment,” he said. “And rescue pets can sometimes come with baggage that investing a little time and money in them can help fix. It’s well worth spending the money to help get them trained.”
Zang said regardless of the breed or situation, training and behavior modifications help the animals and their owners live better, fuller lives.
Grooming services
Prairie du Sac resident Regina Brickl takes her two dogs Charlie and Henry to Shamrock Pet Resort for myriad services.
Brickl said her two shih tzu mixes get baths and haircuts as well as boarding services from Shamrock.
“They know our dogs’ names when we walk in,” she said. “We’ve never had a problem. We know they will take good care of them.”
When her dogs go to Shamrock they usually stay in one of the suites. She is particularly fond of the Badger Suite, which features a Wisconsin Badgers theme and even has a TV.
“That’s just what they are accustomed to,” Brickl said. “When our daughters were little we used to get the suite with a webcam so we could check in on them from our computer while we were away. They used to get a kick out of being able to see them.”
Shamrock veterinarian Joe Kelley said one client called him to ask why her dog didn’t have its favorite blanket.
“She checked in on him over the camera and could see he didn’t have it,” he said. “But I explained to her it was a Thursday and that’s when we do the bedding. The reality is for some people their pets are their kids and we have to accommodate that.”
Joe Kelley said when he started in the early 1990s, boarded dogs had outdoor dog houses. Most pet owners expect more when they board their animals today.
“I think more people are having less children and so these animals become their whole world,” he said. “Naturally, then they are taking better care of them.”
Growing trend
“The pet humanization trend is alive and well and continues to drive growth at the premium end of the market,” said Bob Vetere, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association. “As millennials prepare to take the reins from the baby boomer generation as the primary demographic of pet owners, they stand to further develop this trend.”
The Association reports Americans spend nearly $5.5 billion on pet-related services such as grooming, boarding, walking, training, pet sitting, exercise and yard services. Spending on these activities saw the largest growth in pet expenditures in 2016 by more than tripling growth in any other category.
Susan Roraff owns the pet supply store Susie’s Petpourri in Reedsburg and said the growth in expenditures affects all kinds of pet owners.
“It’s the same across the board; cat people spend more on their cats and dog people spend more on their dogs,” Roraff said.
Following the Great Recession, people still were willing to purchase premium products, but with an improving economy, Roraff said pet owners are more willing to try new things.
“They are definitely opening their wallets more,” she said.
New activities
Pets even can have their own birthday parties.
“You didn’t really hear about people doing that years ago,” Jordan said. “We make a dog-friendly cake and any dog that’s here for daycare gets to participate.”
Every dog gets a piece of cake and goes home with a doggie bag of treats.
Jordan said she loves seeing the animals become more confident as they become accustomed to the facility and the other animals.
“We had this one little guy who started coming to daycare and was scared to death,” she said. “Now he’s older and just charges right in. It’s fun to watch and see them grow from the time they’re puppies.”
Changing focus
Roraff said she has seen people’s purchases shift from what pets need to what owners want to have for their pets.
For example, Roraff said dog beds can come in a wide range of prices, and many pet owners are willing to purchase the most expensive ones.
“But really does the dog care as long as it has one? Roraff said.
Roraff has also seen an uptick in the sale of pet supplements.
“Right now the trend is to go grain free; whether or not that is truly necessary is still debatable,” she said. “People think they need to but we don’t have a lot of the high-working dogs that necessarily need more protein.”
Joe Kelley pointed to changes in marketing that are driving the food industry.
“You see these commercials from dog food companies that liken your dog to a wolf, but let’s face is, your schnauzer was never out in the wild taking down caribou,” he said.
Endless options
He attributed some of the increased spending to a dramatic rise in available options for pet owners.
“It used to be cats were boarded in a single, stainless steel cage,” he said “Now they offer kitty condos that have a separate bathroom area for the cat.”
Just as options for boarding have expanded, so too have options for food.
“There used to be like six dog food companies, for example,” he said. “Now you have gluten-free dog food, wet dog food, dry food, refrigerated food… how do you choose? Sometimes people think buying more expensive is best but that’s not always true.”
Jordan said Dells Pet Retreat has had to grow to keep up with demand.
“We’ve been here for 10 years and already added on,” she said. “We added a big, huge daycare room and added a lot of grass for outside play. Training just came on board last year and that also seems to be really popular.”
‘Unconditional love’
Jodi Kelley said daycare is so popular because people know the dogs enjoy it.
“They come home happy and exhausted, and that means you get more out of your pet,” she said.
Because Shamrock Pet resort and the Sauk Prairie Small Animal Hospital are connected, Jodi Kelley said they are able to take on many special needs boarders, such as dogs and cats with seizures or diabetes.
“It makes people feel better knowing their pet is safe rather than leaving them at home by themselves,” she said.
Ultimately, Jodi Kelley said, people are asking for much more from their pets.
“It’s about that unconditional love,” she said. “When you are tired and you’ve had a bad day at work you can come home and cozy up to your cat or dog. People just want to be able to give back to them. The pet is the major part of their life. It’s a constant.”
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