The Animal Industry is Booming, But Why?

In an economy that is low right now, one industry that is growing and will continue to grow is the pet industry. Everything from vetrinarian businesses, to grooming shops, to pet stores, to providers of pet medication and supplies have bloomed in today's world. But why, all of the sudden, is the industry growing so much?


There are a couple of factors that play into the growing pet industry. People all over the world are being educated on such things as animal abuse and animal care.


For example, everyone knows the name Michael Vick, not just for his famous football career, but for his scandel in a pit bull fighting ring. In the May issue of USA Today, an article stated all of the grueling accounts of what officers found after busting Vick. They talk about finding pit bull coprses, dogs with missing jaws, and various other horrid details. Not only animal lovers were outraged and appaled at this information, but anyone who heard about the case.


The light that Vick's case shed on the issue of animal abuse was immense. It forced people to realize that dog's were not simply property but beings, just like us.


Oprah also shed some light on animal abuse. Last year, and the beginning of this year, as well as today, Oprah hosted her show on puppy mills. As she stated on today's show, she recieved calls and e-mails from around the world from people that didn't even know what a puppy mill was and the extent of how much they were abused in the mills. Oprah, as well as others on the show, stressed how important it was to adopt instead of buying pets because there are over eight million dogs out there without homes right now.


The horror of what the Oprah show exposed on the abuse and need of animals was huge. There was not a dry eye in the crowd on these episodes. So what does this have to do with the growing pet industry? A LOT! Learning about abuse has opened millions of eyes. Just watching Oprah alone, millions of dogs and cats have been adopted. Also, millions of dollars have been donated to shelters and rescue orginzations that she has mentioned on her shows.


With various court cases such as Michael Vick's and the shows hosted by Oprah, it has helped to boom the animal industry. "The general public is becoming more educated about pet care, largely through the media for instance with the popularity of animal documentary shows highlighting the care and welfare professions." This statement made in the Lantra document proves that people are becoming educated about the care and need of homes for animals. Therefore, more people are going to shelters, various rescues, and pet stores adopting animals. And because they have been eductated on the care for animals from the media about vaccines and care, they are taking their pets to vetrinarians, groomers, and buying the proper supplies and medications to support their pet.


These factors and more, such as new innovations in care and supplies has landed the pet industry in one of the top spots for growth. The only question is, how much more will it grow? The more exposure animals get in the media, the bigger the industry will get.




Check out these sites:





http://www.lantra.info/Documents/Animal%20care%20stage%203.pdf





http://www.calpoly.edu/~smwong/Pets/Pet-Grooming.html





http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/falcons/2007-07-18-vick-cover_N.htm



http://www.oprah.com/index