'Pawfect' book for pet parents: From the latest over-the-top trends to dealing with pet bereavement

Every week The Money Show interviews the author or reviewer of a new or trending business book.

This week, Stephen Grootes talked to trend analyst and founder of Flux Trends, Dion Chang, about his new offering - A Pawfect Life: The Ultimate Guide to Pet Parenting.

Most pet owners would resonate with the top line, 'Your pet runs your life. You just haven’t admitted it yet'.

The book unpacks the latest trends, from CBD treats for anxious animals to birthday pawties as well as pawternity leave for new pet owners.

Chang also gets insights from an animal behaviour expert, and - as a trained pet doula himself, delves into the complexities of losing a beloved pet.

It was the statistics showing the extraordinary rise of the pet economy along with changing demographics globally, which sparked the idea for the book, Chang says.

"We've been tracking ageing populations and declining birth rates... In 2023 in South Korea, the largest e-commerce retailer discovered that they'd sold more pet strollers than baby human strollers and that got me thinking.... Then, when I started digging deeper, I found it's happening all over the world, on both sides of the planet."

"In America and in China and Japan, there are more households with pets than with children under the age of 15, so there's a huge shift happening."

"I went down multiple rabbit holes to look up the services of extreme pet pampering. When it comes to transporting animals, there are airlines like Bark Air and VistaJet who focus on this - and it's the other way around, so it's not 'a human and their pet' but 'a pet plus a human'."

"I also discuss a new category called 'barkitecture', when you redesign your home around your pet. In the northern hemisphere for instance, where it's very cold, rainy and muddy, you've got a shower station in your 'mudroom'."

"Cats also have their own category now because people are creating catios, which are safely enclosed patios for cats.."

"The book further has an entire chapter devoted to birthday parties, so-called barkdays. These companies exist also in SA, but I put the gold standard at the London agency who plan these massive events for your pet, and a parallel event for the parents because it's actually just an excuse them to get together and have a drink."

"I also went into the science of 'furbabies' or 'furkids' and why we have such a deep attraction to our pets".

"If you lock eyes with a loved one, you get a hit of oxytocin. so you get a chemical rush that gives you these good feelings. Research has found that if you lock eyes with your cat or your dog, you have the exact same chemical reaction inside your brain."

" And, the cognitive ability of your pet matches that of a two- or three-year-old toddler, along with some of their behaviour. So, for the parents of a toddler and say, a young dog, this kickstarts a very mammalian care system and you want to nurture and take care of this furchild."

"When it comes to pet bereavement, owners get knocked with 'disenfranchised grief' because people say things like 'just get over it and get another one', but the grief is the same as losing a person."

Dion Chang, Author - A Pawfect Life

Description on Amazon:

From booking a seat on Bark Air to planning a pet-friendly holiday, A Pawfect Life is packed with practical advice for modern pet parents – along with a hilarious deep dive into just how far we’ve gone to pamper our furry overlords. Dion Chang unpacks the latest trends, from CBD treats for anxious dachshunds to birthday pawties as well as pawternity leave for new pet owners, while also tackling the trickier side of pet parenting.

Speaking to animal behaviour expert Leigh Shenker, Chang explores why we spend small fortunes on our pets – and whether treating them like tiny humans is actually a good idea. As a trained pet doula, he also delves into the complexities of pet loss, grief and saying goodbye.

Equal parts insightful and absurd, this book will make you laugh, rethink your pet’s power over you, and finally figure out how to navigate an airport pet relief zone like a pro.

To listen to the interview with Dion Chang, scroll back up to the audio player