APPA releases 2013-14 National Pet Owners Survey

Pet ownership rose to an all-time high of 68 percent of the US population in 2012.

The American Pet Products Association released the 2013-2014 National Pet Owners Survey, which found pet ownership in the United States is at a record. The survey indicated that pet ownership among all US households is 68 percent, an increase to 82.5 million pet-owning households in 2012.
Dog ownership rose to 56.7 million households, and cat ownership grew to 45.3 million. These gains in dog- and cat-owning households indicate that the total number of these pets also rose to 83.3 million dogs and 95.6 million cats in the U.S.
Although the number of households owning a pet has increased in all categories from the last survey, the proportion of pet ownership by species has remained stable. Dogs and cats are still the most popular pets, owned by 46.7 and 37.3 percent of US households, respectively. After declining in 2010, ownership of freshwater fish returned to 12 percent. Bird ownership rose slightly to 5.7 percent in 2012. Horse ownership also rebounded in 2012 to 2.3 percent after a slight drop in 2010. Small animal and reptile ownership levels increased to 5.7 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively. Saltwater fish ownership increased to 1.5 percent of the total online US population. These rises in pet ownership mean that more households than ever before own small animals, reptiles or saltwater fish.
With the rise in pet ownership, petfood was noted as one of the highest annual expenses for pet owners of all species, except freshwater fish, with US$239 spent on food for dogs and US$203 spent on food for cats. The survey found pet owners' use of pet nutritional supplements and medications is increasing, as well. Veterinarian visits, whether emergency, sick, surgical or routine, are also named as top expenses, particularly among dog, cat and bird owners. The survey also noted that dog owners spend more than cat owners on common expenses.
A rise in the number of multiple pet-owning households to an all-time high of 53.4 million was among contributing factors to the overall growth in pet ownership in 2012. Nearly 40 percent of pet-owning households own multiple types of pets. Similar to past years, the most popular combination of pets owned is a dog and a cat, as noted by 29 percent of pet owners in 2012. Another contributing factor was pet owners' willingness to promote owning a pet to others. In fact, nearly half of pet owners surveyed reported that they heard about their pet's availability by word-of-mouth.
“As an industry, we have been working very hard to promote the joys and benefits of responsible pet ownership, and we are thrilled to see that more people are opening their homes and sharing their families with pets than ever before,” said American Pet Products Association president and CEO, Bob Vetere. 

Pet lifestyle journalist to be awarded for pet industry contributions

Journalist Sandy Robins will be awarded for her contributions to the pet industry at Global Pet Expo.

The American Pet Products Association and Pet Industry Distributors Association announced that pet lifestyle journalist, author and Petco spokeswoman Sandy Robins is the 2013 recipient of Global Pet Expo’s annual Excellence in Journalism and Outstanding Contributions to the Pet Industry Award.
Robins’ work has been published in such platforms as MSNBC.com, Today.com and AOL’s PawNation. She is a regular contributor to national publications like Modern Dog, Dog Fancy, Cat Fancy and others, on topics ranging from the newest, state-of-the-art surgical procedures to home décor trends that improve pets' lives.
“With such dedication to spreading life-enhancing information on behalf of pets, we couldn’t be more confident and pleased with our decision to award Ms. Robins,” said Bob Vetere, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association. “Her enthusiasm and passion for both pets and the journalism profession is what this award is all about and we’re thrilled to honor her.”
Robins will accept the award on Thursday, February 21 at the Purina Media Reception, taking place in Orlando, Florida, USA, at Global Pet Expo. Global Pet Expo takes place February 20-22, at the Orange County Convention Center. 

APPA releases 2010 Pet Industry Spending Figures, 2011 Pet Owners Survey

The American Pet Products Association  released its 2010 Pet Industry Spending Figures, which showed growth of 6.2% from 2009 to US$48.35 billion in 2010.
Petfood spending increased 6.8% to US$18.76 billion in 2010 while pet supplies and over-the-counter medications grew by 5.1% to US$10.94 billion in 2010, APPA found. Health care-related pet spending showed the greatest growth within the pet industry, according to APPA figures, with a spending increase of 8.1% to $13.01 billion in 2010.
APPA forecast growth of 5.1% through 2011, with spending expected to exceed US$50 billion.  The overall spending data includes petfood, supplies, veterinary care, live animal purchases as well as services such as grooming, boarding and pet sitting.
AAPA also released the 2011-2012 National Pet Owners Survey, examining the demographics, buying habits and other traits of US owners of dogs, cats, fish, birds, horses, reptiles and other small animals. The survey found that the number of US households that own a pet increased by 2.1% to an all-time high of 72.9 million. About four out of 10 pet-owning households are multiple pet owners.
APPA 's pet owner survey found the following breakdown of pets owned in the US: 78 million dogs, 86.4 million cats, 151.1 million freshwater fish, 8.61 million saltwater fish, 16.2 million birds, 16 million small animals, 13 million reptiles and 7.9 million horses. For the first time, the survey asked respondents if the economy influenced their pet ownership. The majority of pet owners reported that the economy had not affected their decision to own a pet, but 18% of non-pet owners said their decision not to purchase a pet was because of the economy.
The 2010 Pet Industry Spending Figures and 2011-2012 National Pet Owners Survey were released at Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Florida, USA, on March 17.

Pet industry grows 5.4% in 2009

The American Pet Products Association released its annual review of spending data and reports, which shows that overall spending in the pet industry grew by 5.4% from 2008 to 2009 and is projected to increase by 4.9% in 2010 to US$45.4 billion.
The petfood sector was up by 3.6%, going from US$16.8 billion in 2008 to US$17.4 billion in 2009.
The continued growth for petfood is credited to pet humanization that can be seen in petfood trends following human food and diet trends.

Something To Chew On: The R word

Marco Giannini's Los Angeles-based Dogswell LLC is poised to hit sales of US$20 million this year, which is more than double its sales from 2007, according to a story from Reuters.
Amid the struggling US economy, the American Pet Products Association says the US pet industry grew to about US$43.2 billion in 2008, up from US$34.4 billion in 2004, with sales for 2009 expected to hit US$45.4 billion.
The key to success in the industry? Giannini says for his company, quality control, knowing the supply chain, product testing and good customer service all factor in.