‘Tis the season for dog lovers: In January the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship aired. Then, on Valentine’s Day, the industry’s Great Dane: the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. So is pet spending rebounding? Owners still pay for food (and buy an average of 9.3 tennis balls a year), but they are cutting back on supplies.
- $47.7 BILLION: Estimated total U.S. pet industry expenditures in 2010. That’s up from $45.5 billion in 2009, which is up from $36.3 billion in 2005.
- 40%: The percentage of U.S. households that own a dog. 62% of homes have at least one pet of some kind. That number has stayed constant for years.
- 22,000: Number of events sanctioned by the American Kennel Club in the U.S. every year (including dog shows, hunt tests, agility trials, herding tests, and others).
Sources: 2009/2010 American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey, APPA, American Kennel Club, Wedbush Securities
Also on Fortune.com:
Creating the ultimate cult brand
Why Starbucks should buy Peet’s
Crystal-clear cell phone calls are coming. Really.
