Word: pets
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...fate of these castoff chimps is varied. Zoos won’t accept former pets, and most wildlife sanctuaries are now at capacity. (Besides, it costs $15,000 a year to care for a chimp at a sanctuary, a price Chimparty is unwilling to pay.) So the chimps either continue their subterranean existence or are sold into lives of inflicted disease in biomedical research, lives of labor in roadside menageries and exotic animal “attractions,” or lives of exile from nature in the exotic pet trade...
Does this over-pampering apply to other pets as well? Most of the creativity has mostly been towards dogs because they have more variables. Going out in public is a big thing; people with cats don't really do that. So that's why there is a lot more action in the dog-accessories market, but I think it applies across the spectrum. I don't know that any of this speaks badly of us. What we now consider normal - all-natural pet food, expensive veterinary procedures - was just a little while ago considered as excessive and silly as dressing...
...just me or is everyone giving their dog a human name? There's a list of the most common names among policy-holders for pet insurance and the most popular dog names are Jake and Chloe and Bella - they're very similar to the names in my daughter's preschool. They're not the kind of names you'd find in dog cartoons. There are no Spots or Fidos. I think that speaks to what's going on and how we view pets as a part of the family. If you look at older descriptions of dogs on headstones...
What was the most surprising aspect of the pet industry that you discovered? I went to a pet-loss bereavement group. It was conducted by a full-time employed veterinary social worker who worked in a veterinary hospital. First of all, I was amazed that profession even existed, and then I found out that she went to a conference with fellow veterinary social workers, so there must be a lot of them out there. I sat in on a meeting and I have to admit that I had my moments of thinking, "Oh boy, these people really need...
...talked a bit about commercial dog-breeding and puppy mills. If you walk into a pet store, what is the chance that you're going to encounter dogs from a puppy mill? Very high. Reputable breeders wont sell to pet stores. The thing to remember is that puppy mills aren't illegal. The term refers to mass breeding facilities and that is perfectly legal. Mass breeders typically sell to pet stores...