"Families or individuals who
lived in mobile homes were more likely to own birds than those who lived in
other types of dwellings. In 2001, 6.5% of those living in mobile homes,
compared with 4.7% of those living in houses, owned birds. Also, 3.8% of
apartment dwellers and 2.4% of condominium dwellers owned birds in 2001" (AVMA, 2002, p. 62)
Some data on the pet related spending
habits of the public was obtained from the American Pet Product
Manufacturers Association where they state that: America's love affair with pets is indicated by the yearly
growth in spending on food, care, and supplies: Total U.S. Pet Industry Expenditures Year Billion 2004 $34.3 est. 2003 $32.4 2002 $29.5 2001 $28.5 ·
In 1994, the total industry
expenditures were $17 billion, nearly doubling in 2003. ·
For 2003, $32.4 billion was spent
on our pets in the U.S. ·
For 2004, it is estimated that
$34.3 billion will be spent on our pets in the U.S. ·
The greatest expense for pet
owners over a 12-month period is veterinary care services, followed by food,
then supplies Sales within the U.S. Market 2003 Actual 2004 (Est.) Food $13.7 billion $14.3 billion Vet Care $7.9 billion $8.3 billion Supplies/Medicine $7.2 billion $7.9 billion Live animal purchases $1.5 billion $1.6 billion Pet Services: grooming and boarding $2.1 billion $2.2 billionProfiling the Bird Owner (continued)
source:
http://www.appma.org/press_industrytrends.asp
According to the APPMA, when it comes to our pets, "We pamper them. We bring them wherever we go. We surprise them with something new on special occasions. They even get holiday presents. They are our pets!" Looking at the above figures we can see that from 1994 to 2004, spending on pets has grown 100% (from $17B to $34B). "These spending figures reflect a change that has been occurring over the past decade of pets transitioning into the family," said Bob Vetere, APPMA COO and managing director. "As more and more people consider and treat pets like children, they're purchasing products and services that you wouldn't have typically seen our grandparents buying for their pets." (Source: http://www.appma.org/press/pr-fact_sheets.asp). Data from the APPMA survey shows that for bird owners, 47.4% of them consider their birds to be family members, 50.8% consider their birds to be companions or pets and 1.7% of owners consider their birds to be property.
This idea of parrots being thought of as family members is further supported by findings reported in A Bird in the House: An Anthropological Perspective on Companion Parrots by Patricia Anderson where she states: "The data support the impression that companion parrots increasingly are being considered family members, or "Fids" ("Feathered Kids"), thus following current trends in American society that accord companion animals in general a greater investment in time, money, and emotion." (Source: http://www.kluweronline.com/article.asp?PIPS=brill_10631119_v11n4_s5&PDF=1 ).
According to OurPet's Company, in December 2002, one of the things driving an increase in pet ownership is that many baby boom parents are now becoming empty nesters and pets fulfill that need for companionship, love and security (source: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Dec_4/ai_94878247 )
(continued...)
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