Millennials And Pets: An Atypical Relationship
Millennials’ interest in their pets is starting to reach unprecedented levels. Where does this sudden craze for pets come from? What do millennials and pets have in common?
Millennials, the “parents” of their pets
You may remember a movie about American teenagers that taught children to take care of a sack of flour for a week.
The main goal was to show them how difficult it is as a father to make the right decisions and keep his offspring alive, even if it’s just a sack of wheat flour called death.
Obviously, millennials are replacing this inanimate object with their pets. According to a study by the Gale agency , 44% see their dogs and cats as a way to find out if they are prepared for future parenthood.
In most cases, it also carries over to the behavior they show them.
On the street you hear more and more unusual remarks directed at the animals , small, loving dialogues like: “Very good, I like that”; or accusations like: “Haven’t I told you a thousand times that you don’t do that?”
This is actually normal between mothers and children, but these young people carry it over to their relationship with their dog.
The market knew how to take advantage of this maternal trend and has responded with thousands of toys, rewards, accessories, and homes that bring in a huge amount of profit each year.
Pets are now completing their training (with the appropriate award). They wear a sweater for Christmas and even get a birthday cake.
Effects of this new relationship
The fact that Millennials’ attention is now much more focused on their pets is no longer an exception worldwide. This has a lot to do with the current difficult economic situation.
According to the American newspaper “The Washington Post” there is a continuing decline in the number of young people who want to buy a house, a car or have children; but the number of millennials getting pets is increasing all the time.
The current harsh economic conditions among young people are partly responsible for this change.
They travel, change jobs much more often than previous generations and prefer to have fewer long-term commitments, especially due to the uncertainty that defines their lives.
The fact that they’d rather have a dog or cat at home isn’t the only impact of this new trend.
Millennials and their pets are also responsible for starting to pay more attention to animal rights.
Millennials spend a lot on their pets
In the United States, the pet product industry has profits of approximately $63 billion.
Paradoxically , 76% of millennials in this country admit that they are “wasteful” when shopping for their pets. They spend more on the animals than they do on themselves.
While this brings economic gains for the industry, it is important to remember that an animal is not a child.
It doesn’t understand your compliments or your allegations. Neither can a pet substitute for someone else’s affection.
