Domestic animals thrive on ten- -r
der care, and Americans are giv-
ing it to them-at the rate of $3 vXS.
billion a year! smsS0s.
by Anthony and Marietta Marcin
When a pair of California cocker
spaniels recently celebrated
their birthday at a swank Hol
lywood restaurant, 21 dachshund
guests came to the party. They were
waited on by 42 people two attend
ants for each underslung guest
and were served a feast of chopped
liver and duck, topped of! with
champagne.
Although this particular party was
given in Hollywood, it might have
happened anywhere. For example, a
New York baseball fan insists on
buying a ticket for her cat so he
can have a scat of his own. An Okla
homa nircdale named Roger has a
private fireplug in the front yard. In
Clearwater, Fla., a black-and-white
Boston bull terrier named Dusty
lives like a king on interest from a
$50,000 bequest left by his doting
owner. A Wisconsin terrier, Lady
Pooh, recently was named benefici
ary of a $100,000 estate. And in
Framingham, Mass., an animal phi
lanthropist not long ago willed the
bulk of his million-dollar fortune to
the horses, dogs, and other animals
on his 220-acre estate.
These are outstanding examples of
pampering among a vast pet popula
tion that embraces more than 25
million dogs, 20 million cats, 20 mil
lion tropical fish, and 15 million
parakeets, to name a few. The na
tion's 5,000 pet shops think nothing
of filling requests for deodorized
skunks, monkeys (an estimated 100,
000 are now pets), goats, snakes,
ocelots, alligators, raccoons, and lion
cubs. One pet lion has grown to a
hefty 325 pounds, has his own room,
and attracts about 150 visitors to his
owner's residence each week end.
Americans spend $3 billion a year
to purchase and provide for their
pets. The dog food market alone runs
over $200 million a year approxi
mately twice what the public spends
on books! As one nutritionist says,
"The dogs of this country are prob
ably better fed than the children."
Pets have beauty shops where
they may be trimmed, dyed (one
Milwaukee woman's poodle is dyed
pink to match the decor of her
home), shampooed, and pedicured.
Several psychologists specializing in
pet emotional problems enjoy boom
ing businesses; as do stores that spe
cialize in jeweled pet harnesses, tiny
paw boots, and custom-made spec
tacles for myopic mongrels.
The owners of a specialty store
which calls itself the "Hattie Car
negie of Dogdom" recently an-
nounced, "We can get your dog a
hearing aid ( he needs one, or a
tuxedo for formal occassions."
While owners used to pat sluggish
pets on the head, saying, "Poor Rov
er must be sick," they now rush their
ailing pets to one of the nation's
18,000 veterinarians.
Advances in veterinary medicine
have made canine Caesareans and
plaster casts for broken limbs com
monplace. Vaccines, antibiotics, and
other wonder drugs are saving ani
mals from many diseases that once
killed them. During the past three
years, one diabetic cat, Nickey, has
been restored to health through
daily shots of insulin; and a dog
blinded by cataracts can see again,
thanks to a delicate operation and
insertion of a plastic lens in one eye.
Thriving on this tender care, the
life expectancy of the average dog
has been boosted to 11-13 years, as
compared with 8-10 years in the
mid-1930s. One vet tells of seeing
lots of dogs over 16, including a 21-year-old
"youngster" who still likes
to romp with his master.
Sometimes our pet pampering can
be carried too far. Then it does the
recipient no good. One woman, pro
jecting her own ailments, fed her
cocker spaniel digitalis whenever he
panted. In a few months, the dog
developed serious heart trouble.
Many owners feed dogs human
food potato chips, canapes, baby
foods instead of raw meat or dog
food. Veterinarians estimate 50 per
cent of dog ailments can be traced to
such improper feeding.
Another sizeable percentage of pet
problems can be traced to "do-it-yourself
medication (with human,
not animal, remedies) on the part of
owners whose pets show signs of ill
ness or so the owners think.
How can families be sure they'll
"pamper," not harm their pets?
Humane society officers suggest:
"Make the owning of the pet a fam
ily affair, not the bright idea of one
member." They advise feeding pets
proper food recommended by pet
shop owners or veterinarians, not
"fancy foods" that may cause malnu
trition and serious illness.
Don't let your pet become a neigh
borhood nomad, say these experts,
but give him the exercise he re
quires. Be sure he is inoculated
against diseases to which he is most
susceptible (distemper, the greatest
dog killer, almost always kills the
uninoculated dog who is allowed to
roam). Finally, if your community
requires pet licensing, be sure you
buy a license, even if your pet is
"never let out of the house."
Your precautions may pay off m
bigger dividends than you realize. In
New Orleans, recently, police found
a man suffering from amnesia. Ho
didn't even recognize the small dog
he led on a leash. However, the dog
wore a San Francisco license tag.
Authorities there traced the number
on the dog tag and thus were able to
identify the man and restore him to
his family.
4 Family Weekly, Auyutt 3, 19M