Puppy love

Credit: Unsplash/J. Balla Photography

Some pet parents seem to be increasingly obsessed with their dogs, which seems like a good thing. But is it?

In a recent New York Times feature, Sam Apple tagged along as his goldendoodle, Steve, enjoyed a stay at a luxury dog hotel.  Back in the day, of course, if you were leaving town you had a neighbor stop in a couple times a day to feed Rover, or you dropped him off at a kennel.  And probably the vast majority of people still do that, of course. But there is also a niche market for these very extravagant lodgings and experiences.

Your dog can be pampered with a massage, a blueberry facial, bone-shaped swimming pools, bedtime stories, birthday parties, and other glittering amenities. And some people get really demanding about the kind of treatment they expect their dog to receive.  (From the article: “A dog hotel in Pennsylvania once had to make time for a pet parent who insisted on calling in each day to play the kazoo to her dog.”)

It all seems a little goofy, but ultimately harmless. However, the writer speculates on a possible link between the loneliness epidemic among younger people in the US and this kind of behavior.  Younger folks are the ones who are really taking to the idea of humanizing their dogs – but as great as a dog can be, it isn’t literally a human and doesn’t offer quite the same kind of companionship.

In fact, a study shows pet parents (which is quite the metaphor) are twice as likely to be depressed as people who don’t have pets.  Which is the chicken and which is the egg is unclear.

From a marketing perspective, if you are a pet brand, there is endless fodder here for innovation and communication.  And this may suggest opportunities for innovative ideas that encourage old-fashioned person-to-person forms of communication and interaction.  It seems to be something that some people both fear and are also unconsciously longing for.