Nearly 95 percent of pet owners plan to help animals in need in 2012 and nearly 90 percent plan to exercise and groom their pets more in the new year, according to a survey conducted by Tampa, Fla.-based pet food maker Halo, Purely for Pets. The Pets Parents’ New Year’s Resolution Survey polled 1,045 pet owners from Dec. 21 to Dec. 23. Of those pet owners, 94.1 percent reported planning to help pets in need, according to the survey, with 69.8 percent planning to donate to a rescue or a shelter; 65.6 percent planning to continue whatever they already did; 45.5 percent planning to play on Halo-sponsored FreeKibble.com and Freekibblekat.com websites to earn kibble for shelters; 11.5 percent planning to adopt a new pet; and 11.5 percent planning to foster an animal. Nearly 90 percent of pet owners (88.7 percent) reported planning to help their pets get more exercise in the coming year. Of those, 68.3 percent plan to play with their pets more, 62.4 percent plan to walk with their pets more, 30.3 percent plan to find a new game to play and 20.2 percent plan to go to the dog park more often, according to the survey. Also, 2.9 percent plan to take a Doga class and 1.9 percent plan to “get into extreme sports.” Nearly 90 percent of the surveyed pet owners (86.8 percent) reported planning to groom their pets more regularly. Of those, 80.3 percent plan to brush their pets more regularly, 68.1 percent plan to trim their pets’ nails more regularly, 52.7 percent plan to bathe their pets more regularly, 50.1 percent plan to brush their pets’ teeth more often, 35.5 percent plan to start giving coat and skin supplements, and 33.2 percent plan to start using natural grooming products on their pets, according to the survey. Other findings included 69.4 percent of pet owners planning to feed their pets higher-quality food, 48.1 percent planning on teaching their pets new tricks and 45.9 percent planning to help their pets lose weight. Of those planning to help their pets lose weight, 68.7 percent reported they plan to do so by getting their pet more exercise, 44.8 percent said they plan to feed a higher-quality pet food, 35.1 percent plan to feed less food, 34 percent plan to give fewer treats, 33 percent plan to give more nutritious treats, and 10.9 percent plan to develop a weight-loss program with their veterinarian. More than one-third (35.5 percent) of the surveyed pet owners owned both cats and dogs, 38.4 percent owned only dogs and 26.1 percent owned only cats. <HOME>
