Pampering Pets Pumping Cash Into Growing Niche

The Brunswick News:

Twenty years ago, a dog was a dog and a cat was, well, just a cat.

Now, they’re much more than that, and businesses that cater to pets and their owners are springing up everywhere, including here in Brunswick and the Golden Isles.

More and more owners are treating their pets like children, a new attitude that’s making pet care a big industry today.

Pet related goods and services are scattered about the Golden Isles. They include six pet supply stores, five pet sitting services and 12 veterinarians, and that doesn’t include pet groomers, many of whom work from the homes.

It’s no wonder the business is booming. According to the 2007 to 2008 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 71 million households in the United States have at least one pet.

That figure translates into huge dollars. The total U.S. pet industry expenditures for 2007 are estimated at $41 billion, an incredible increase compared to the $17 billion spent on pets in 1997.

“People are spending their funds on their pets and that is why pet daycare and pet hotels are so popular,” she said. “Our clinic is expanding its building to include a daycare and a hotel that will open the first week of March.”

The hotel, called Southeast Georgia Vet Clinic Pawed Rock Hotel and Day Get Away, will feature 15 rooms for dogs and cats, all equipped with flat screen TVs and cozy beds. Pets that check in will never be left alone and all rooms will have Webcam access so clients can go online and see what their pet is doing at any time during the day.

Expensive? Not really. The cost of the Webcam overnight rooms at the hotel are $37 for the first dog and $18 for each additional dog.

Webcam daycare rooms are $25 for the first dog and $12 for each additional dog. There is a discount for pet owners who pay for rooms weekly. “It’s no different than taking child to daycare,” Anderson said.

Photo by MSDesigns.

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