Recently I wrote an article – “Wealth How do we spend it?” I am sure many would not agree with me that we spend too much on our pets and too little on feeding the poor. I also mentioned why couldn’t we at least cut back on our spending, even insurances, where Australians are spending $490 million per annum on Pet Insurance. How can this be justified?
I wrote the article because of what I thought I heard on the national news. What I thought I heard was the figure $700,000 was spent on animals by Australians per year.
I spoke to a friend of mine who is a member of a charity called HUG and another Smiling HeARTS. While we spoke she “GOOGLED” Pet Ownership and we were both shocked at the statistics that were presented. The opening sentence read, ‘Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with almost two-thirds of households having at least one pet. It included the statistics that 62% of Australian households own a pet and of these 38% are dog owners and 29% are cat owners.
The article went on to discuss how much people spend on their pets. And it stated “According to the Animal Medicines Australia, Australians spend an enormous $12.2 billion per year on their furry family members. The RSPCA also estimates that the average dog costs roughly $13,000 over the course of its lifetime. …the average dog will cost a household $1,475 per year. For cats, it’s $1,029… An estimated $490 million is spent on insurance for Australian pets every year.
The full article was posted by William Jolly on January 3, 2017. To read the full article click here
Fr Michael Morley
Parish Priest
Sacred Heart Tatura
