With another year in the rearview, it’s time to think about what’s ahead for pets and people in 2023. Will the humanization of pets continue to evolve? In an age of uncertainty, how will pet parents handle the ups and downs of pet parenthood? How is our bond with our pets shaping the ways we live together today?
We spoke with experts from Rover’s the Dog People Panel for their predictions about how recent trends will impact pets and people in the coming year.
Nicole Ellis, Certified Professional Dog Trainer
Nicole is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), American Kennel Club CGC evaluator, and APDT trainer. Nicole uses the positive reinforcement method to train animals from basic behavior and puppy manners, to trick training, therapy work, and service dog training.
Prediction 1: In the pet industry, flexibility is the new normal.
As we all know now, the pandemic pet adoption boom completely disrupted the pet-related marketplace—dog trainers were virtually unavailable and it became impossible to find a vet.
Now that much of the pandemic dust has settled, a new normal has emerged: more realistic expectations with pet parents, and new models of business for pet professionals.
With dog trainers booked out months in advance, virtual training options and apps such as GoodPup continue to meet gaps in in person appointments, as do trends on social media, such as the 10.9 billion TikTok views (and counting) for #dogtraining, that illustrate how pet parents continue to find solutions for their pet’s behavioral needs.
When you can schedule time with a dog trainer face to face, you may be working with a trainer-in-training, in a hybrid setting of virtual and in-person classes, or having class with a bigger group designed to accommodate more needs.
“Many trainers are getting assistants or creating online programs to try to reach more audiences without burning out,” Ellis explains. “I’ll often refer to blogs or lessons online, such as Karen Overall’s relaxation protocol which pet parents can do at home [without a trainer’s assistance].”
Rover veterinary expert Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, who we hear more from below, has observed that her clients are more flexible these days, too.
“I think pet parents are looking for more flexible, on-demand, accessibility to animal care,” Greenstein says. “For many of my own clients, virtual medicine can’t replace the traditional experience of coming into my office and having me directly examine their pet and give a consultation. However, if they’re up at the cottage or it’s 2 a.m. and they’re worried about an eye infection or a broken nail, many pet parents are learning to embrace telemedicine and triage services for reassurance and advice on their own schedules.”
Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, Veterinary Expert
Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, B.Sc., D.V.M., completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Ontario before earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ontario Veterinary College. She works as Chief Veterinarian and practice owner at Kleinburg Veterinary Hospital. In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Rebecca regularly appears on national TV and in magazines as a guest vet expert.
Prediction 2: Our bond with our pets is driving increased attention to health across the veterinary spectrum, from pets to vets.
“My staff and I still marvel at the sheer patient volume coming through the door post-2020,” Dr. Greenstein says. “Being stretched a little thin has definitely made me more mindful of the mental wellbeing of my core staff, and of my clients as well. Protecting veterinary staff from compassion fatigue and burnout will be a key trend in clinics in 2023 and beyond.”
As clinics continue to work with sustained demand for services, clients can expect them to prioritize the needs of their staff along with those of pets.
“Clients are having to be more adaptable as most vet clinics are booking days to weeks ahead. [They] can no longer be shocked or hostile to hear that there simply isn’t a same-day opening with the family vet that we can squeeze you into,” Dr. Greenstein explains.
New veterinary start-ups such as Small Door, a certified B Corp with a socially responsible company mission and competitive salaries, and Modern Animal, based on a membership model for expedited vet visits, are part of a growing line of veterinary care seeking to provide a more healthy, and holistic, experience for all vets, pets, and people involved.
Alongside this, Greenstein thinks, prolonged time at home over the pandemic that afforded many people new opportunities to observe their animals has contributed to parallel trends focused on the mental and physical wellbeing of pandemic pets. Aspects of this will include, Greenstein says, more resources for issues of separation anxiety and reactivity, and an emerging crop of next-level enrichment and health toys.
Philip Tedeschi, Professor and Researcher on the Human-Animal Bond
Philip Tedeschi is the Director Emeritus and Founder of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection and a clinical professor at the Graduate School of Social Work and an affiliated faculty with the University of Denver’s Animal Law Program. He teaches about the intricate relationship between people, domestic and wild animals, and the natural world.
Prediction 3: An increased recognition of animal sentience will continue to shape our relationship with our pets.
Across the globe, there is growing consensus that animals are ”living beings, not things,” as Slovakia details in its Civil Code. The nation is one of over 32 countries around the world that has formally recognized animals as sentient beings—status with implications that could affect laws and treatment of animals in those places.
“One of the big emerging trends will be the increased acknowledgment of animal sentience—the cognitive and emotional lives of animals,” Tedeschi says. “Most people will understand this issue in regard to observing their own companion animals’ emotional lives play out with them in their own home. But there is then a bigger story to tell regarding animal sentience: If animals are sentient, does this knowledge impact the way we interact with them?”
There does seem to be a shift in collective thinking about animals. Trends in the training space, for example, reflect a deeper understanding of the emotional lives of pets.
“I’m seeing more people sharing online about fear free training and vet care,” says Ellis, of the growing popularity of humane-certified dog trainers, veterinarians and pet hospital networks, and fear free-associated products such as travel carriers.
Meanwhile, a heightened awareness of the lives of animals is taking place in articles, research, books, and elsewhere: What does consent mean in our relationships with pets? What is it like to be an animal? Can dogs cry? Musings on canine adolescence, new research that proves dogs are individuals (not just breeds), how language affects the way we perceive animals (and what they understand about us), and more vets speaking out against ethical issues that doom certain desirable breeds to a life of health issues are just some of the conversation angles.
Andrea Woroch, Savings and Budget Expert
Andrea Woroch is a nationally-recognized savings and budgeting expert, writer and regular on-air contributor. As a sought after source on all things finance and savings, Andrea has appeared on hundreds of popular shows across the country including Today, Good Morning America and NBC Nightly News. In print and online, her advice and articles have been featured in New York Times, Money, Cosmopolitan, Forbes and many more.
Prediction 4: When it comes to budgets, pet parents are trading down.
“As inflation soars, pet parents are feeling the financial burden of caring for their pets and this struggle will most likely push into the new year,” says Woroch. “In fact, pet food prices have jumped 14% in the past year and this could likely go up even more in 2023.”
This mirrors larger trends in marketplace spending. Woroch says it won’t affect most pet parents’ ability to keep their pets, but that they may be exchanging their favorite, pricer brands for budget labels, DIY’ing toys and treats, and cutting back on splurges, like the more than one-third (36%) of pet parents who told Rover they spent less on their dog’s Halloween costume this year due to the current economic downturn, and the 18% of pet parents who said they will spend less on their pets over the holidays.*
“Although pet parents are feeling the pinch in their budgets, they aren’t willing to sacrifice the health of animals. Instead, consumers will get more bargain savvy when shopping and cutting back on non-essentials. They will look for savings by opting for generic brands, looking for coupons, reward programs, and warehouse deals on food and other pet care essentials.”
Mikel Delgado, Cat Behavior Expert
Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Certified Cat Behavior Consultant who has been working with cats for over 20 years. She completed her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, and was a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis where she researched the health and behavior of orphaned neonatal kittens and cats in multi-cat households.
Prediction 5: Cats expand their territory (into spaces typically inhabited by dogs).
Maybe you’ve heard a little something about these so-called adventure cats? Cats who like to play at dog parks? Cats traversing hiking trails in kitty backpacks, taking in the scenery in a species-specific stroller, enjoying a leashed walk, or chilling in their custom-made catio?
Simply put, Delgado explains, “there is more safe outdoor access for cats.”
Statistics on Google trends support this: When we looked at the data on December 14, keyphrases like “travel cat harness” and “tactical cat harness” are up 90% from this time in 2021, and searches for specific cat carrying gear like the “bubble backpack for cats” are up 450%. And, according to the 2021–2022 National Pet Owners Survey by the American Pet Products Association, cat leash ownership jumped to 28%, and harness ownership saw an increase to 17%.
“Not every cat is suitable for harness or lead walking, but many do enjoy it, and those who take their cats out seem to be very active on social media [increasing awareness of these kinds of pets]. Catios and pet strollers are safer alternatives for cats who aren’t confident enough for ‘adventuring.’”
Delgado thinks the trend is driven by “an attempt to better understand what cats need to be happy.” Like dogs, pet parents have been spending more time with their cats, observing their habits, personalities, likes and dislikes more closely.
We expect that more products and services will rise to meet the needs of this new generation of adventure cats and their people—items such as high-protein, kitty-friendly trail snacks, more pet-friendly lodging specific to cats, and adventure safety products like cat lifejackets.
What We Got Right Last Time
In 2022, we noted 5 key trends in the pet space that we saw progressively evolve to support our predictions:
Prediction #1: Pet anxiety solutions soar: Demand for dog trainers to help with pandemic-related issues such as separation anxiety remained at an all-time high—as Ellis notes here, they’re still hard to come by. A stop-gap for many pet parents seemed to come in the form of calming chews, treats, and toys, as we forecast. The most recent National Pet Owners Survey** supports this: the percentage of dog owners who used some type of calming product for their pet has more than doubled, from 21% to 51% (calming products for cats rose similarly from 19% to 51%).
Prediction #2: More pet parents thinking green: We trendcasted that the environmental impact of pets will continue to inform consumer behavior. In 2022, we saw this reflected in reports of growing interest in alternative proteins in pet food, more sustainable pet food packaging, and new products on the market, such as eco-friendly subscription boxes like Pure Earth Pets, Bearkind, and Pawgle.
Prediction #3: We’re getting smarter, more curious, and more interested about what we feed our pets: We saw this throughout 2022—more pet parents making their pet’s meals, growing interest in human-grade pet food, increased sales of “products [such as vitamins and supplements] that support mental health and physical wellbeing,” are just a few examples.
Prediction #4: Pets go digital: We predicted pet-specific tech and innovations would continue to grow, and from the latest biometric health trackers to new-and-improved tech-loaded models of smart litter boxes to advancements in tech-enabled medical devices that detect cancer and AI-powered “pet translation,” our prediction kept pace in 2022.
Prediction #5: The humanization of pets continues: We forecast that human culture would continue to influence trends in the pet space. In 2022, we saw this play out in myriad ways, touching on everything from dining culture, it-lists of inspiring pets (the “Furbes 30 Under 30”), increasing numbers of companies offering pet insurance, yet-more haute couture pet accessories (and pet fashion models), discoveries that reveal dogs cry and are individuals deserving of consenting encounters (with their own pronouns), and advances in pet hospice and death care are just a fraction of what we observed from this lens.
We may be biased, but as Tedeschi notes above, it seems it’s getting harder to ignore just how much our pets are like us.
“This topic is gaining greater attention everyday and most people already understand it to be true,” he says.
*Methodology: September and October 2022 Rover surveys of 1,000 dog and cat parents in the U.S.
**American Pet Products Association’s 2021–2022 National Pet Owners Survey
Thanks to Rover blogger Janelle Leeson for additional contributions to this article.
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