While Australian society has seen many changes in recent years, the value Australians place on their relationships with their pets remains constant. Pets are part of the family in 63% of Australian households, providing benefits to their owners and the communities they are part of.

Pet Ownership In Australia

• 12 million Australians are associated with pets.
• 63% of the 7.5 million households in Australia own pets.
• Australia has one of the highest incidence of pet ownership in the world.
• Typically, the major carer of the pet is female, married with children, living in the suburbs and most likely employed.
• 91% of pet owners report feeling 'very close' to their pet, reinforcing that pets are an integral member of the family unit, however constituted.
• Pets were a normal part of childhood for more than 83% of Australians.
• Of the Australians who do not currently own a pet, 53% would like to do so in the future.

State	Dogs	Cats	Fish	Birds	Other pets	Total pets	% of total
NSW/ACT	1,219,000	804,000	7,091,000	2,957,000	1,117,000	13,188,000	34.5%
Victoria	894,000	599,000	4,874,000	2,045,000	744,000	9.156,000	24.0%
Queensland	819,000	443,000	3,530,000	1,714,000	521,000	7,027,000	18.4%
Western Australia	338,000	261,000	2,016,000	1,126,000	298,000	4,039,000	10.6%
South Australia/NT	373,000	227,000	1,984,000	900,000	245,000	3,729,000	9.8%
Tasmania	111,000	92,000	505,000	258,000	75,000	1,041,000	2.7%
Total	3,754,000	2,426,000	20,000,000	9,000,000	3,000,000	38,180,000	100%

Note:

** Other includes pleasure horses, rabbits, guinea pigs etc.

The Economic Benefits of Pets

The pet care industry is one of the largest in Australia.

It contributes around $4.62 billion to the economy annually and employs 44,700 people.

In aggregated terms, the pet care industry is among the largest in Australia - both in terms of turnover and employment.

Just to provide a term of comparison, sales of other major Australian industries are as follows:

 Source: ABS Catalogue No. 8365.0, 2002-03 and BIS Shrapnel estimates

Of the total expenditure on pets, 59% is spent on dogs and 26% on cats.

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State	Dogs	Cats	Other Pets*	Total	Total %
NSW/ACT	958	417	237	1,612	34.9
VIC	678	295	168	1,142	24.7
QLD	536	233	133	902	19.5
SA/NT	235	102	58	396	8.6
WA	272	118	67	458	9.9
TAS	65	28	16	110	2.4
TOTAL	2,745	1,195	680	4,620	100

Note: * Other includes pleasure horses, rabbits, guinea pigs etc.

Health Benefits of Australia's Pets

Compared to non- pet owners:

• people who own pets typically visit the doctor less often and use less medication

• pet owners, on average, have lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure

• pet owners recover more quickly from illness and surgery

• pet owners deal better with stressful situations

• pet owners are less likely to report feeling lonely

It is estimated that Australian cats and dogs saved $3.86 billion of current national health expenditure in 1999-2000

References:

1.Anderson W and Headey B (1995) "Health Cost Savings:The Impact on Australian Health Budgets" conducted for the Petcare Information and Advisory Service.

2.Headey B, (1999) "Do Pet Owners Enjoy Better Health? Results from the German Socio-Economic Panel" Animal, Community Health and Public Policy Symposium, Sydney 1999.

Pet ownership is good for your health and saves public expenditure too: Australian Social Monitor, Vol5, No 4, November 2002

3.Headey B, and Krause P 'Health Benefits and potential budget savings due to pets Australian and German survey results' Australian Social Monitor Vol 2. No. 2. May 1999

4Anderson W, Reid C and Jennings G (1992) "Pet Ownership and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease" The Medical Journal of Australia page 298 v157 n5.

5.Anderson W (1995) "The Benefits of Pet Ownership" The Medical Journal of Australia page 441 v164 n7.

6. BIS Shrapnel (2006) "Contribution of the Pet Care Industry to the Australian Economy".Australian Companion Animal Council

7. McHarg M, Baldock C, Headey B and Robinson A (1995) "National People and Pets Survey" for the Urban Animal Management Coalition, Sydney.

8. Reark Research (1996) "Pet Ownership Survey Program".