A Nation of Animal Lovers

Do you have a pet? It is no secret that British people love their pets to bits and would do anything to make their life enjoyable. But just how far does this love go? The answer is quite far.

As you walk anywhere in Britain, you are greeted by hundreds of literally smiling cat faces, which makes you think that the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland might not have been a mere product of Lewis Carroll’s imagination. Well, British cats have every reason to smile. British pet owners spend around 3.5 billion pounds a year on pet care and products. In the last five years the amount spent on pet food, toys and vet bills has risen by almost 25%.

There are some pet owners who spent thousands of pounds on medical care to keep their sick pets alive. Pets can even have their teeth cleaned and special pet contact lenses prescribed. Recently it has become legal to use organ transplant to treat serious pet illnesses, such as kidney failure.

There are a number of pet accessories available to pets and their owners. Special flashing collars for walking at night, water-resistant dog jackets, car ramps for old or overweight dogs – you name it, they have got it! There are also special accessories designed to keep your pet fit, such as treadmills for dogs to exercise indoors or orthopedic beds for dogs that suffer from a bad back. There is even a special pet hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne that offers cats and dogs an opportunity to exercise in the indoor gym, relax in the Jacuzzi or watch videos of their owners on personal TV and video sets.

Although all pets entitled to love and devotion from their owners, there are some pets that deserve good treatment and care more than others. These are assistance dogs. Endal, an assistance dog owned by a Gulf-war veteran Allen Parton, who is confined to a wheel-chair after suffering a serious head injury, has even won a number of awards recognizing the dog’s achievements in helping people. Endal can use cashpoint machines, buy bus ticket and do the shopping.

Endal is not the only dog that deserves a reward. For example, Rosie, a search and rescue dog from Scotland, once helped find a three-year-old boy who had gone missing. The list could be easily continued.

Well, the British may be crazy about animals, but isn’t nice to know that the animals themselves play an increasingly important role in British life?

(http://blogs.people.co.uk)