1. Americans now spend $41 Billion (with a capital B) on their pets. This is more than the GDP of all but 64 countries in the world.
2. People are no longer satisfied to reward their pet in "pet terms" but now in "people terms".
3. Their menu reflects every fad in human food—from locally sourced organic meat and vegan snacks to gourmet meals bolstered by, say, glucosamine to ward off stiff joints.
4. About 77% of dogs and 52% of cats have been medicated in the past year, according to APPMA, an increase of about 20 percentage points from 1996.
5. About 63% of U.S. households, or 71 million homes, now own at least one pet (how many households are sponsoring a child overseas?).
6. Americans now spend $9.8 billion a year on vet services. That doesn't include the over-the-counter drugs and other supplies, which add $9.9 billion in costs.
7. New products like Pfizer Inc.'s (PFE ) dog-obesity drug Slentrol, cost $1 to $2 a day (how much does it cost to sponsor a child overseas?).
8. You can read the rest of the article here. When I think about it in comparison to human life, It actually makes me queazy.
These are rough statistics to hear, or maybe they're not for you, I don't know. I'm not saying we need to kick our pets outside to sleep in the snow and let them find food on their own. I like my cat and I wouldn't do that to her. However, the truth is that animals don't have souls (Gen. 2:7) and from the perspective of eternity, don't matter as much as a human life. God sent His Son to die for mankind, not for cats and dogs (1st Timothy 2:3-6).
I would challenge you this New Year to sponsor a child. I can tell you that just a dollar a day will radically change their lives.
This is the website that I use and have verified that most of the money you send goes directly to the child.
