READER DEMOGRAPHICS:

Gender: 79% female
Age: most between 21 and 55
Household income: median: $65,000, 1/4 make over $85,000 (Incidence of pet guardianship increases with household income)
Home owners: 61% own, 50% are adult-only households, 40% families with 1-2 children
Education: 37% finished college or university
Married: 58%
Single: 32%

READER PROFILE:

• tend to have more than one cat or dog
• supports animal welfare causes
• active information seekers
• 59% get pet product and care information from magazine articles, books and newspapers
• 94% believe the mess and trouble that comes with a pet is a small price to pay for the benefits
• 90% believe pets have the same rights to health and happiness as people do
• 58% always find themselves buying small gifts and treats for their pets
• 53% visit the vet once a year, 37% visit the vet more than once a year
• spend an average of $372 on pet food per year
• use premium brand pet food
• high quality ingredients are very important in pet food brand selection
• 47% purchase pet food from a specialty pet supply store

(Source: Ipsos-Reid pet ownership study 2001)

CANADIAN PET INDUSTRY FACTS:

• the pet industry in Canada is estimated at $5.8 billion annually
• average annual expenditure on pets, per household, is $890
• 55% of Canadian households have a dog or cat
• over 8.5 million cats and 6 million dogs in Canada
• 19% have either a fish, bird or small animal

(Source: The Business of Urban Animals)