As a pet parent, your furry best friend is likely the center of your life. Your pup isn’t just part of your family, they are your family. And as a new survey by PetSmart discovered, many pet parents are actually more invested in their four-legged loved ones than they are in their human relatives, at least when it comes to holiday shopping.
Pets Are Part of the Holiday Spirit
PetSmart, along with Wakefield Research, asked 1,000 pet parents ages 18 and over in the U.S. about their holiday plans. An overwhelming number of the respondents (a whopping 87 percent) said they intended to dedicate special bonding time to their pets over the holiday season. Almost as many (82 percent) said the holidays wouldn’t be the holidays without their fur babies by their side.
It would seem that even more than catching a glimpse of Santa skittering up the chimney on Christmas morning, people just want to cozy up with their canine companions.
Santa’s Workshop Makes Pet Toys, Too
Quality time isn’t the only way pet parents are showing their love, however. In fact, most pet parents are planning to shower their animal friends with gifts. A majority (83 percent) of survey respondents said they were “very likely” going to buy a gift for their pet. That stat probably doesn’t surprise you. This one might, though: over half of pet parents (54 percent) said they would spend more time shopping for their pets than for (some) family members!
Yup, putting presents under the tree for Fido is taking precedent over a new tie for Uncle Al or an ugly sweater for Aunt Mary. When pet parents do purchase gifts for their fellow homosapiens, however, 35 percent of them are planning to gift people on their list with a new pet!
“The holidays have a way of making us feel extra special, so it’s only natural that we want our pets to feel special, too,” said Stacia Andersen, executive vice president and chief customer officer for PetSmart, in a press release. “By doing anything for pets during this most wonderful time of year, we’re really just helping pet parents share the joy of the season with their furry, winged and scaly family members.”
On that note, let the holiday shopping season begin! And happy holidays to you and yours, no matter what species or breed they may be.
