Celebrate National Love Your Pet Day

On Feb. 20, we celebrate National Love Your Pet Day

National Love Your Pet Day is a day to embrace one special trait that makes us human: our love of our pets!

There are many things that differentiate humans from the rest of the animal kingdom, but one of the more unusual behaviors is our longstanding tendency to keep other animals as pets. Gallup reports that 60% of Americans are current pet owners. It only makes sense to commemorate something that’s so important to so many people, so on Feb. 20, we celebrate our pets with National Love Your Pet Day!

National Love Your Pet Day is an unofficial holiday which is celebrated annually on February 20th. The purpose of this holiday is to encourage pet owners to spend some time with their pets and show them the love and affection they deserve. It doesn’t matter if you own a cat, dog, bird, fish or reptile, today is the day to pamper them and show them how much they mean to you.

When it comes to their pets, Americans can’t stop spending, according to the American Animal Hospital Association..

The American Pet Products Association’s most recent annual report on pet spending shows that Americans spent a record-breaking $72.56 billion in 2018. That’s an increase of more than $3 billion over 2017, when they spent a then-record-breaking $69.51 billion. And that’s an increase of almost $3 billion over 2016, when they spent a then-record-breaking $66.75 billion. . . .

Do you see a pattern here?

To put it in context, two decades prior to 2016, in 1996, Americans spent a relatively paltry $21 billion on their pets.

The 2018 spending figure covers money spent on food, supplies, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, veterinary care, live-animal purchases, and other services. APPA President and CEO Bob Vetere said that the data reflects the fact that millennials continue to be the largest pet-owning demographic: “We know this generation is willing to pay more for quality products and services to improve the health and wellbeing of their pets.” Today, more than ever, pet owners in all demographics view their pets as irreplaceable family members, and Vetere notes that that’s the reason we continual to see “such incredible growth” in all aspects of the pet care industry.

How will you celebrate Love Your Pet Day?