Pets are more frequently being seen as a family member as opposed to the animal who sleeps in the laundry, and it’s being reflected in our spending.
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Massages, costumes, designer cat beds, aromatherapy, hair colouring, facials, manicures and weekends away at pet retreats are just some of the services currently on offer around the Illawarra.
More than $743 million was spent on pampering pets in 2017 – an increase of 90 per cent in two years, according to a Commonwealth Bank survey of their customers. While New South Wales owners spent the most and attributed for 31 per cent of total spending.
“They’re becoming more part of the family now and the owners want to know they’re okay,” said Natalie Kelly, owner of Green Paw Republic in Wollongong.
Ms Kelly offers a holistic day spa for pets including homeopathy and aromatherapy, as well as doggy daycare which is also becoming widely popular.
Other statistics from the survey showed $4.5 million was handed over at pet stores in 2017, up from $2 million in 2015; while under 30s were the most budget conscious, and only spent $104 million on their companions last year.
Owner of Corrimal’s Foxy Hounds Grooming Parlour, Leah Wills, said she has several customers who bring their pets in for pampering at least once a week.
“Gidget’s like a second daughter to her family,” Ms Wills said.
The seven-month-old moodle is the first pup her family has owned and visits the parlour weekly. Though her owner (who wished not to be named) said her friends were more over-the-top than she was with spoiling the puppy.
“Friends of mine who don’t have dogs, they go to Kmart then turn up at my house with outfits for her,” she said. “She’s spoilt from all angles.”