Wow, I bet that Malaysian Princess' Yorkie is quite spoiled.
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NEW YORK - People love their pets.
Americans alone own 143 million dogs and cats and will spend about $34 billion caring for them this year. Yet, according to the Census Bureau, there are just 72 million children under the age of 18 in America.
It's no wonder, then, that Her Highness Princess Zarina Zainal of Malaysia travels halfway around the world so her Yorkshire terrier can see a renowned holistic veterinarian.
It may not even be surprising to note that luxury hotels, including some owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts (nyse: HOT - news - people ), cater to pets or that a small business wants to take flight as an airline that specializes in pets traveling with their families. Worth noting: 83% of pet owners refer to themselves as "Mommy" or "Daddy," and 66 million dog and cat owners buy Christmas gifts for their pets at stores like Petco (nyse: PETC - news - people ) and Petsmart (nasdaq: PETM - news - people ).
What's startling is that some people will spend six figures to buy a specific pet. And just 70,000 of the 70 million U.S. households owning a pet, or 1%, opened their wallets to purchase pet health insurance last year.
http://www.forbes.com/business/comme...ntslander.html