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May 21, 2012

Boomers weighing costs and benefits of pet ownership

  • Boomers are a major reason why Americans' spending on pets is expected to top $52 billion this year, but pet ownership rates tend to drop as people age.
    • By MICHAEL HILL
    Associated Press

    iStock photo
    The pet industry faces a jolt when aging boomers give up their pets or cut back on things like dog dresses.

    Hazel the schnauzer and Wrigley the black lab mix mean everything to Harriet Buscombe. The dogs protect her on her pre-dawn runs around her Champaign, Ill., neighborhood, but mostly they make her feel great.


     
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