If you want to save money, it’s simple. One way you can cut down on trivial purchases is to spend less on your pet. This may not go down too well for serious pet lovers out there, but it’s a suggestion. If your pet could talk, he’ll tell you that he just wants a simple life that consists of basic meals, nice romps in the sunshine and a dry spot on the ground for when he rests. Enough with the trinkets already.
But on that note, I wouldn’t necessarily classify these as trinkets, but I was shocked to think that there was a market for these products. I’d be very impressed if you can identify what these are:
Answer: Eye implants for the sight-challenged animals in your life.
and how about these?
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Answer: Implants for your neutered pet.
You can check out more at Neuticles.com, or my product listing below, where I talk about the amazing and amazingly expensive products that are pitched to pets and their owners today.
Anyway, if you must know, this is America, the land of the $40 billion dollar a year pet industry. Here is some eye bugging info about the business of pets (from MSNBC):
Facts About The Pet Industry
- 63% of American households own a pet.
- Most popular pets in order of population totals: Cats (88 million), dogs (75 million), fish, ferrets, the rest.
- Most pets used to be owned by families. Today, 61% of pet owners are childless: singles, unmarried couples waiting to have kids, gay couples, empty-nesters. Hence, they tend to treat their pets like their own children.
- Spending on pets have increased because of demographics, better marketing and a more affluent client base.
- Some 56 percent of dog owners and 42 percent of cat owners buy their pets Christmas presents.
- 63 percent of cat owners and 42 percent of dog owners sleep with their pets.
- Veterinarians say obesity is the greatest health threat facing America’s pets, with at least a quarter of the population overweight (that compares with a 30 percent obesity rate in American adults).
- Be careful with what you feed your pets. Altering their diets with human food can be harmful to their health.
- The latest spending figures show that between 2002 and 2004, while household spending on pets increased 18% after inflation, toy sales dropped 25%, spending on day-care centers fell 15%, and spending on children’s clothes was down 15%.
Want to see how extreme this industry has become? Just check out the following….
Fabulous Pet Products… For The Special Critter In Your Life
Pet Hotel
Why not book your pet in a hotel of their own? The Ritzy Canine is a spa or hotel or luxury boarding place for your dogs and cats. Don’t forget there are massages, training, grooming, gourmet cuisine, entertainment and the gym for your loved one as well. Cost: Using their services can set you back $175 for your pet’s Presidential Suite accommodations.
Strollers
If you’d rather get the exercise while your pet relaxes, then this is right up your alley! Checking out Just Pet Strollers, you are warned of “cheap look-a-likes” that admonish you to make sure you only buy the best brands from a trusted source.
Implants and More
Wha??? I never knew in my wildest dreams that such a market existed, but apparently there is. Do you know that you can help out your pet’s self-confidence by replacing its missing private parts after it gets neutered? Yes! Available in various sizes and firmness selections, you can try Neuticles.com for your dog (canine), cat (feline), horse (equine) or even bull! You gotta love their tag-line: it’s like nothing ever changed! Cost: around $100 to $1000 a pair, plus veterinarian’s charges. Additionally, you can also get your small animal or horse a solid silicone eye implant if need be and order scar removing gel for those unsightly post neutering scars.
Pet Birthday
PetBirthdayParty.com can help you organize your pet’s special birthday event. Amazing, since I don’t even use an event planner for human birthdays.
Pet Wedding
There are now specialists who offer a variety of services including helping you organize your pet’s wedding. It’s the new hip thing to do now: have your pet get hitched (even hotels get into the act). Wedding Cost: $250 for wedding, more for dress and tuxedo, but it’s not going to beat this most expensive pet wedding of them all.
Pet Videos
How about some DVDs and CDs not for you to enjoy but for your beloved bird, or dog, or cat. With Feathered Phonics, You can have your bird listen to training CDs to bring out his talents. You can start out with simple words and phrases, then move on to songs, tunes and rhymes then graduate to higher studies involving foreign language (e.g. English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Chinese)! And to keep your furry friends company while you’re away, have them watch videos and be entertained by their own kind!
Doggie Eyewear
There’s a company called Doggles that sells eyewear for dogs, as well as your more standard fashion harnesses and leads, jewelry and outdoor wear (flotation jackets, backpacks and reflective vests). Not only that, if you really care about your best friend, you’ll need Pet Sunscreen, Hot Spot Cream (heal bug bites and minor cuts and irritations), and the Wearable Pet Ionizer (wonderful for pets with airborne allergies)! I honestly cannot believe this is for real.
Pet Cell Phone
No it’s not a toy, it’s a real gadget. At least, that’s what it looks like to me! Petsmobility has come up with a waterproof and scratchproof product called PetCell. This device is attached to the collar to help you keep in touch with your pet, although I fail to see how this truly works. It’s supposed to help in the remote chance your pet gets lost while wearing this thing so that somebody can just easily call back using the “phone”. I guess it’s a glorified id charm and one way walkie talkie in one! Cost: The phone is priced around $300. The monthly calling plan, costing around $15.
State-of-the-Art Fish Bowl
Boost your feng-shui with pure water energy and the baby dragons (goldfish) that live in it. If you seek success, good luck and a healthy career, then you need this fancy aquarium bowl to help make things happen for you. All for: $129.99 at Reef-one.com.
Other Pet Products I’ve Encountered?
Apparel, Jewelry, Fur Coats, Furniture, Monkey/Ferrett/Small Animal Carriers, Bird Carriers, Fragrances, Aromatherapy, Fancy Water with Electrolytes, Organic Gourmet Food, Diet Pills, Pet Insurance, Memorials, and so on.
Given all that spending, you must be ready to find out how we can own pets without forking out so much. Here are some ways to enjoy a pet without going broke:
Ways To Cut Down On The Cost Of Pet Ownership
Get your pet from the local shelter.
Count this as among the noble things we can do to help out our beloved animals.
Get a simple, domesticated pet.
Don’t get tempted into buying and owning exotic creatures. I’m afraid that by doing so we’re just feeding into a market that could be damaging our environments and ecosystems.
Get a small pet.
The smaller they are, the easier and cheaper they are to maintain.
Don’t pamper your pet.
They are animals who’d prefer not to be treated like wusses. They’ll probably be as happy exerting their animal instincts as they would be being spoiled, if not more so. My cat lives outdoors, chases mice and leaves them by our doorstep. He fights the neighborhood cats and gets ripped up once in a while. I have no doubt he’s happiest than he’s ever been, being that he used to be an indoor cat.
Skip on pet insurance.
Pet insurance is a new invention and my family and I have owned pets throughout the years, surviving without needing insurance. I think it’s overkill to get it. It’s one of those few things we’re “que sera sera” about.
After seeing all the stuff and services that cater to living things of the non-human kind, I’m truly bewildered by this burgeoning business. The truth is, I don’t even buy the counterparts to most of these products for myself or kids. But I can see how tempting it is for pet owners to want to indulge their “children”. At least now you know how some of us are oiling this economy.
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I think today some people do go a little over board when buying things for their pet… but as long as there are people willing to buy, there will always be someone willing to sell.
There are a variety of great pet shelters here in the Silicon Valley. You’ll get a pet for a fraction of the price compared to some breeders. Plus you’ll be doing something good for an animal that might otherwise be destroyed.
For people who are emotionally stable and capable of coping with loss, the Humane Society of Silicon Valley has a program where they ask people to adopt old pets that no longer have a home. These are animals that are above ten years old and need a loving family at the end of their lives.
You’ll get a free pet who doesn’t want cell phone, neuticles or pampering. They just need a bit of love.
Gal
Oh. My. God. Neuticles. Wow.
@ A Finance Blog – yes, it’s all about supply/demand as the cliche goes! Don’t you just love capitalism at work
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@ 60 in 3 – thanks for the heads up on the pet shelters. Our readers will appreciate the tips. I’m sure other locales will have similar programs, so do check them out if you’re interested in making a new friend (or two).
@ Amber – LOL!
LOL @ the fake nuts
My dog is currently staying at a pet hotel that costs $35 per night. Not quite $35, but just as expensive as some of the Motel 6’s I’ve stayed in… It has a pool, and he gets his on 10×10′ area.
Jonathan, I guess these pet hotels have a going rate we’re all stuck with? I have a close friend who’s sent his dog to obedience school and know a few others who board their pets when they travel. Some things you can’t escape when you have a “best friend”! I’m glad I just have a cat that manages on his own while we’re gone though I’m sure if we leave for longer than a week, he’ll need a sitter or a hotel as well!
Okay I admit to being a little crazy about my dogs, but not neuticle crazy.
And the smaller the dog, not necessarily is it cheaper. Although it is cheaper to get a dog from a rescue or pound (we did both times) than buying a purebred. That’s one thing that really bugs me, buying a purebred dog.
Oops, I meant to say “Not quite $175 (like the spa mentioned)…”
He doesn’t get any of that other stuff though – stroller, birthday party, etc. I know that he has a better life than most children in even this country though, which is good or sad depending on how you think about it.
Actually, I’m all for pet health insurance. We just dropped $1600 on our black lab at the vet after she ate an entire package of hot dogs… and suddenly we were wishing we’d taken out insurance on her!
Money smart, only someone who has pets understand the joy they bring. Pets are also good for health – there are studies that show they lower blood pressure; also the kids that grow with pets have less allergies. Doctors are expensive too.
As to neuticles. I mentioned it in another blog, I see one use for them. Imagine a husband who is dead set against neutering, and is totally obsessed with his cat’s “masculinity”. So the cat is spraying, the wife wants to neuter the cat, but cannot do it because of the husband. Neuticles would allow her to do it and her husband will never know. I’ve met a couple of guys like this, by the way. Had one of them been my boyfriend, I’d have to look into neuticles. One of these guys kept telling me how his cat is making love to the blanket and was totally upset that my female cat is spayed.
Kitty, I have to say that I give you my vote as having the best comment I’ve seen in a while.
Whether or not you were trying to, you made me laugh heartily. Thank you for your positive views of this Neuticles product. As both a consumer and a business-minded person, I can certainly see NOW how there can be a market for it.
Thanks. Yes, I thought it was funny. The story about the guy obsessed with his cat’s masculinity is real – he also called his cat “little man”, and claimed the cat wasn’t spraying (“I saw him doing it once, then I had a talk with him and he stopped” -yes, right…) while wondering why his apartment smells and my doesn’t at the same time. He was renting, so I felt very very sorry for his landlord, especially as I was renting out a property at the same time.
Hi there – AWESOME blog. I love dogs and am involved in Boston Terrier Rescue and really appreciate you telling readers to hit the shelters for thier next pet.
However, in your *facts* section – you have this statement:
“Be careful with what you feed your pets. Altering their diets with human food can be harmful to their health. ”
This is an incorrect statement perpetuated by the large pet food brands (such as Purina) to keep people using thier products.
Feeding your pets “people” food can actually be cheaper, and is certainly healthier than using grocery store brands that produce thier foods using bad ingredients and poor processing methods. Home cooking is gaining popularity as well as raw diets for keeping your pets healthier (less in vet bills). Another alternative are the “premium” foods that you can find at specialty stores. Though they tend to cost significantly MORE than the grocery store brands, they are a more frugal purchase. These foods have more *food* and nutrition and last ALOT longer and go further because you feed less of the good stuff compared to what you can get in the grocery stores.
So if you want to save money in food costs and vet costs – it is a better option to either 1. feed home cooked “people” food or feed raw *people* food or 2. start using a premium brand of food such as Natura, Innova, Canidae etc.
Anyhow – that is my two cents as a person who has 4 dogs, and works with a group that brings in about 4-5 dogs a week into our organization.
Thanks so much for all the great tips on being frugal – I hope you will find mine interesting!
Neuticles, as ridiculous as they are, actually serve a practical purpose – sort of. Some people want to neuter their show-quality pets for health, behavioral, or convenience reasons, but the alteration makes the animal ineligible for showing. The implants are a way around that.
Not that people who raise and groom pets and farm animals purely for show are necessarily sane or normal, but I don’t think that anyone is dumb enough to actually pay for these implants just to satisfy some weird urge to make their pet look more ‘manly’.
i think some people do go a little overboard with buying stuff for there pets but if u love something that much then why not?
Nice Article. You are correct one way to cut down your expenses is by letting your pets experience a simple life. Don’t over spend for their accessories. also on the insurance. As long as you loved them, give enough food, space where they can sleep and relax. Go walking in the morning or afternoon so that they can exercise. I think pets also like this simple pampering for them.
Good one. But what really a pet really need is your time, care and attention. My dog don’t have much accessories (he also didn’t like those jackets and boots, beside chewing them) but he loves to run and play fetch with anyone. Luxury he got are two yummy meaty bones a week, yummy healthy treats and a liver cake on his birthday.
Good post. There truly are some extravagant (and even odd) products out there for pets these days. I mean, strollers?? Unless your dog has a medical condition, wouldn’t he or she rather walk? I know mine would. While mine wouldn’t like it if I suddenly started to skimp on the treats, their greatest pleasures in life are quite simple and don’t involve jewelry or clothing.
Food, shelter, water, love, attention and activity are what PETS want and need, the other stuff is for the OWNER. Things don’t impress animals, they’re just yet another symptom of overconsumption.
It’s tragic that people see fit to spend so much on pets when there are human beings doing without even the basics and often in close proximity to pet owners. And I say this as an animal lover, but there has to be a sense of perspective to go along with that.
My pet dog is the best example of simple living. Plenty of exercise and good food (rice, fish, and sardines) makes him a happy dog.
For people that have an “only pet” who buy lots of stuff for it, my recommendation would be to stop buying all that stuff and instead go to a shelter and get a playmate for the little guy.
I think that over pampering pets, especially dogs, does more harm than good…
I totally agree with you. I am a dog training lover, and so is my whole family. I bought a dog training shock collar yesterday, it is a little expensive for me. But i do not care, because I love my dog. It is worthwhile to spend money on it.
Wow! Neuticles, now that’s amazing. I had not heard of those before. : ) I really have to wonder though if a male dog misses anything for long after neutering. I have a lab that will soon undergo that procedure, but I don’t think he’ll be getting a replacement set.
This is so funny, fake nuts. But you know what, whatever works.