Johnson: Being loved family member good place for pets

You know you love them, as if there could be any doubt. After all, you welcome them into your life and devote copious amounts of time to them.

link Sharna Johnson

For many people, the list of folks they would stand outside waiting on during a snowstorm in the middle of the night is pretty short. Yet when the pooch whines at 3 a.m., out you go, even if you do a little whining of your own.

As unpleasant as it is, the litter box is painstakingly scooped, and the fact that it exists at all is a fairly strong testament.

The bird throws seeds everywhere, indiscriminately drops “bombs” and makes a ton of noise, particularly when he sees the sun in the wee hours of the morning.

And yet, day after day, the ear-piercing mornings, midnight walks and cat-box scooping continue.

Truth is, it would seem that with all the downsides that come with pets, it would require a pretty significant upside to justify dealing with their sometimes unpleasant, quirky little traits and the attention they require.

However, well over half — 62 percent to be exact — of Americans own at least one pet, according to Nielsen data released Monday.

Not only do the majority of Americans have a pet in their home, a whopping 95 percent of them consider their pets to be members of the family.

It makes sense that pets are viewed as part of the family, after all, from the time they join the family, they are there for every birthday, holiday, special occasion, good, bad or in-between days and are on hand to watch with mom and dad as the kids grow up.

A fair number of critters even vacation with the family and are included on camping weekends, stay in posh hotels and take cross-country road trips.

Midnight walks, clean litter, vacations, and being part of the family aside — a lot of pets are in a pretty good place apparently, because while they invest their lives with their people, it turns out they are getting a decent return.

American pet owners spent nearly $20 billion on pet products last year, a pretty big chunk of which went to fun stuff, the Nielsen data shows.

Dropping $389 million on toys — $32 million on chew toys and $8 million on pet ropes — one of the biggest perks of being part of the family might be just getting presents.

Oh, and treats — $2.6 billion for special dog goodies and $476 million in delicacies for cats.

Not only are they getting presents and special treats, they must look pretty good too, since Nielsen also reports that last year, the pets of America received $177 million in grooming services and new brushes.

And of course, the not-so-fun but important stuff like medicine, insect repellents and treatments are part of the experience, accounting for almost $800 million in spending by pet owners.

While not all critters are lucky enough to be part of a family, it’s easy to see that there are a significant number that are a relatively high priority and are well invested in as family members.

There are a lot of ways people show their love — shivering a snowy night while waiting for the pooch to do the deed, scooping nasties from the cat box, booking pet-friendly hotels or dropping obscene amounts of money on chew toys and treats — but regardless of how it happens or what perks it includes, being a loved member of a family is a pretty awesome place to be.

Sharna Johnson is a writer who is always searching for ponies. You can reach her at:

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