Raise your hand if you're like our family, and celebrate your dog's birthday each year with some sort of puppy party. We're not alone.
According to various sources between 10 million and 30 million American dog owners celebrate their dog's birthday each year. That amounts to six in 10 dog owners across the country.
And when we say "celebrate" we mean organize a dog's birthday party. In fact, more than one in five or 22 percent of U.S. adults report they have held or attended a birthday celebration for a pet. Getting a cake and candles for a birthday celebration is more common for dog owners than cat owners. Nearly one- third (32 percent) of dog owners have had a celebration for a pet, compared to only 25 percent of cat owners. There's a reason this new site is called Pawsome Doggie instead of Pawsome Kitty!
It isn't just birthdays that they celebrate either. Nearly nine in 10 dog owners include their dog in a holiday celebration, with 100 percent of them buying their dog a Christmas or Chanukah gift. My dogs each got a new antler to chew and squeaky balls for their presents this past holiday season. We even put up a stocking for our dogs! Most dog owners spend between $25 and $100 on gifts for their dogs.
There are other holidays we include our dogs in, too:
Valentine's Day: Americans spend $703 million on Valentine’s Day gifts for our pets, which works out to only about $5.28 per pet. Favorite gifts to give a dog include pink dog biscuits instead of tan ones.
Halloween: American dog owners as a whole spent more than $330 million on costumes for their dog. I know that when my girls were little, we would always take Buffy with us when we went trick or treating around our neighborhood. Since I wanted Buffy to be in the Halloween spirit, some years I would put him in a costume (pumpkin was our favorite) or at least tie a Halloween-themed bandana around his neck.
Easter: While I couldn't find any statistics about Americans making Easter baskets for their pups, what I did find was this frightening statistic--calls to pet poison hotlines increase 200 percent at Easter. That's because Easter baskets are filled with food and decorations that are dangerous to dogs. So if you've got young kids in the house with Easter baskets, make sure you store them safely away from your fur babies at all times!
There are some valid reasons we treat our dogs so well, celebrating their birthdays and giving them gifts at the holidays. According to American Pet Association statistics, more than 16 million dog owners are more attached to their dogs than to their best friend, and 5.4 million are as attached to their dog as to their spouse. Many pet owners view their dogs as children wearing fur clothes, and are increasingly interested in the emotional stability and happiness of their pets. Hey, there's a reason I refer to my Oscar and Sadie as my fur babies!
All of this is to say that if you made your way over to Pawsome Doggie because you are planning a dog party for your puppy or a puppy party for your dog's birthday, you've come to the right place.