Nothing Says, ‘I Love You, Fido,’ Like Food With Gourmet Flair:
Besotted pet owners buy their pooches Gucci coats and canine spa treatments. Now, they can add dog food that wouldn’t look out of place on their own dinner tables.Nestlé SA, the biggest pet-food maker in the U.S., is launching a new line of Purina dishes that include roasted chicken with pasta and carrots, and simmered beef with wild rice and spinach. Rival Del Monte Foods Co. is adding pasta and vegetables to its famous Kibbles ‘n Bits. And Procter & Gamble Co. has introduced Savory Sauce, a “canine condiment” to pour over dog food. It comes in three flavors — bacon, chicken and roasted beef.
Why is this happening?
The biggest group of pet owners used to be parents of small children who often didn’t have the time or money to coddle their dogs. In the past decade, the biggest group of pet owners has become childless people, ranging from gay couples to baby boomers whose own kids have left home, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Couples have more money to spend and are treating their pets much as they would kids. The percentage of parents owning a pet has declined to 68% in 2001 from 73% in 1996, while the percentage of childless couples who owned a pet rose to 72% from 53%, according to an AMVA survey.