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Everything Broad Ripple HomearrowRandom Ripplings Homearrow2015 03 06arrowColumn

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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v12n05)
Howling at the Moon by Susan Smith - Buffy and Mrs. Anderson
posted: Mar. 06, 2015

Howling at the Moon header

As I sit and write this on Sunday, March 1st, I realize I missed the boat. We just had nearly eight inches of snow dumped on us and I opted not to go to Orlando this week for the biggest pet trade show in the world, Global Pet Expo. I decided to go instead to Las Vegas in July. I know. Why would I do that? It's not about the weather, it's not about the venue, it's about the show itself. Sign me up for Orlando next March. I won't make the same mistake twice.
In the meantime my email box is bursting with invitations to visit vendors at their booths this week. If you don't know, I own pet supply stores in Broad Ripple and on Mass Ave. This is the first big show of the year and all the manufacturers have something new to show. Our trade magazines and the President of APPA (American Pet Products Association) tell us that this year we will top $58.5 billion dollars in sales. Apparently all of you love your pets! And as this crazy love affair gets bigger and bigger there seems to be no end to the things entrepreneurs conjure up. Veterinarians contribute greatly to that annual figure as do groomers, daycares, dog walkers and dog trainers. It wasn't that long ago (maybe 10 years) when I realized that there was such a thing as dog day care. I wasn't in the pet business yet and I was sure people had gone daft. Did people really pay to have someone watch their dogs during the day and was there really something called doggie play dates? Crazy! Not long after, I fully understood. It was either that or have the dog eat the arm off the couch if it was home by itself. If the dog was destructive it became confined to a crate for most of the work day and would attack its "pet parent" when they got home from work, with pent up energy. The other alternative was to have a professional dog walker come daily and use up some of that energy so that by the time it was the end of the day dog and pet parent could chill out together for a quiet evening. I don't think people realize how much attention dogs need and without these services many folks find they can't keep a dog and many pets end up in shelters and new homes. So, kudos to those that provide the much needed services. It has become such a big business that there is a national dog sitter's association that had a conference here in Indianapolis last fall. I was surprised there was such a thing but I talked to a few of them when they wondered in to my downtown store. One was from Hawaii and another from out of the country. They said they learned a lot and thought it was beneficial. Now these day cares and dog sitters/walkers will comfort you during your work day by providing you with selfies of them and the dogs so you can rest assured that Fido is getting the attention promised.
But here is something really cool right here in Broad Ripple. I just love this! K9KittyKab. It's transportation for pets. One day I came in to my store and there was this clever brochure on my counter. I thought it was brilliant. We all know taxis are needed in Broad Ripple but who thought of the idea for pets? Apparently someone did. K9KittyKab is a transportation service and in-home care that will take your pets to their destinations. They will wait with your pet or return later to bring him/her home. For more information on this unique service call 844-k9-Kitty.
So if I thought doggie day care was goofy how about this. . . .Cat Cafes. I just can't quite get this but cats do need their recognition. It can't be all about dogs. So here's the scoop. I first read about this in an industry magazine last month featuring a cat café in New York City. It was strange reading. But then this week I read about the concept again and I quote it here. . . . . . ..
Casey Steuart, a San Antonio, Texas, businesswoman, hopes to raise $10,000 through her Indiegogo campaign-enough to open the first cat café in Texas-the San Antonio Cat Café.
The idea is to have a place where cat lovers can enjoy a latte in a comfy chair while being serenaded by the purring of the café's resident cats-brought in from local rescues, according to an online report about the project on mySA. For a small fee, patrons will be able to pet or let one of the café felines curl up in their lap, plus patrons can take selfies with their new furry friends and even take one home through adoption. The café also would double as a one-stop pet shop for all things cat, including offering pet-sitting, premium cat products and a delivery service for cat litter and other items. But with nine days left and only $335 pledged, Steuart is going to need some help if her dream is going to become a reality at least through this initial crowdfunding round.
So this is real and it is becoming reality. When you go to Cat Café on the internet you will find one in Melbourne Australia. From their site I quote "Cat Cafe's are becoming known worldwide, the first opening in Taiwan in 1998, and since spreading to Japan, Vienna, Russia, Germany, China, Thailand, the UK, France, and more! The success of Cat Cafes is due to several reasons, the main one being that cats are awesome. In city centres it can be difficult to rent a flat that allows animals, and owning an animal for its entire life is a big responsibility and costly, therefore Cat Cafes are a great solution to these problems. It has also been proven that interacting with cats can lower high blood pressure, stress, and anxiety."
The only other trendy thing that is a little odd is the new International Association of Pet Fashion Professionals, with offices in Chicago and New York. Really? Pet fashion professionals? I had heard they were doing runway shows in New York. Pets make you smile!



Susan Smith is a life-long area resident and is the owner of City Dogs Grocery located at 52nd and College. Send your pet related questions/comments to susan@BroadRippleGazette.com




susan@broadripplegazette.com
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