Pets are People Too

Americans are spending billions on their pets. Retail sales of pet supplies, not including food and services, amounted to $8.5 billion in the United States in 2004, more than was spent on baby supplies. There are 69 million households with a pet, there are 90 million cats and 77 million dogs. There has been an increase in the number of social activities that people engage in with their pets, like dog runs where animals can run freely as their owners mingle. Kate and I mingle with the dogs and ignore the people when we take Diesel to the dog park.