Our new “parental” attitude towards our pets give paws for thought

As the world tilts towards extremes, it is hardly surprising that our four-legged friends are being incorporated into the madness.

Pet ownership has soared on both sides of the Atlantic since the Covid pandemic, with one in five US homes getting a pet since lockdown, according to the US animal charity ASPCA.

In the UK, acquisitions also soared with 3.2 million homes adding a furry friend to their family.

Now, these animals are considered by 82% of US owners to occupy a place usually reserved for children in their hearts, according to a Harris poll.

Entrepreneurs have not been slow to take advantage of this leap in emotional attachment; the pet business is now worth $320 billion globally, and looks set to reach $500 billion by 2030.

Not only have dogwalkers, earning in London £25 for a jaunt, mushroomed as remote workers return to the office, devices to provide these animals with exquisite care are flooding the market.

For a mere $599.99, owners – or pet parents as they frequently refer to themselves these days – can get their pet a Drybo dryer box; just pop the pet inside and it is dried instantly.

Photo: HomeRunPet wenbsite

Another gadget, going for $99, is a Minitailz which measures a dog’s sleep, heart and lung activity; and then there is the device that measure the humidity and temperature in the car, should the dog be left in the vehicle.

“With the pandemic, perhaps we got kinda lucky, as folks — [who] didn’t know how to take care of pets before they started — started searching online for help,” business development head Jeh Lin of Petlibro tells The Financial Times.

Finally, a company called Pose Pets is fashioning sunglasses for dogs struggling with the glare on bright days – a snip at $64.99.

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