Quote of the Week

Whoops. Wrote the Quote of the Week post yesterday but then forgot to post it. My bad. This one is another one of those out-of-the-blue Quote of the Week recipients, from a random article that was too amusing not to share.

I've touched on the issue of the ridiculous spending habits of people and their pets before, and I'm constantly shaking my head at the things that people will do for their animals (yes, I'm looking at you, Paris Hilton). As I wrote in my previous post on the topic, it's a little ridiculous to see people spending millions of dollars pampering their pets--in ways that those animals are completely incapable of appreciating--while thousands of dogs and cats are being euthanized for no good reason at shelters throughout the country.

Anyway, without further ado, here's your Quote of the Week, from a New York Times article that I highly suggest you read in its entirety.

This week's QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We actually saw that there was a gap in the market for beverages for dogs.”
            - Bonnie Senior, manager of Pet Pop of Australia

Pet Pop of Australia's response to this "gap in the market" was to introduce and sell a vitamin-infused "mountain spring water" for dogs, at an absolutely absurd price (the Times article says $3.30 a bottle, but the cheapest price I could find online was $4.95 AUD--over $5 US--for a 12-ounce bottle... so, more expensive than a beer at a typical bar).

In my humble opinion, sometimes there's a gap in a market for a reason--namely, it isn't a real market, or shouldn't be. No dog in the world needs vitamin-infused water, and any pet owner who pays that kind of a premium to get it deserves to be shot.

I'm sure there's plenty of "gaps" in the feline hospice care market, and I'm pretty sure they're not gaps that need to be filled. But good work, Bonnie Senior--you've got a great business there.

[NY Times]  
(h/t Marginal Revolution)