Let me start out by saying that I am a proud Millennial who owns a dog! We hear so much about how the Millennial microculture is changing the world we live in through the economy, society, and companies. The Millennial generation, who places emphasis on individualism, is seeking flexible schedules, meaningful work, and a solid learning curve. Did you know that we are less likely to be homeowners, car owners, or parents than previous generations? With the increasing amount of student loan debts, Millennials are more focused on starting their careers to pay off these debts rather than building families. This being said - surprisingly, there is an increase in pet ownership. Overall, the Millennials are delaying relationships and parenthood, substituting this with pet companionship. Compared to babies, pets are less expensive and allow more freedom while still providing parenting practice. A survey shows that 75 percent of Americans in their 30s are dog-owners and 51 percent are cat-owners, compared to 50 percent of the overall population with dogs and 35 percent with cats (A. Bhattarai, 2016). Abha Bhattarai shows in his article that Millennial men are more likely to look for companionship in pets than women are, with a survey conducted on people (ages 18 to 34) showing that 71 percent men/62 percent women had dogs while 48 percent men/35 percent of women had cats (2016).

                     

Figure 1: Increase in Pet Pampering*

These mentioned traits of the Millennial microculture describe a shift in consumer behavior pertaining to the pet industry. The $63 billion pet industry has tripled since 1996; in the past year, Americans spent $11 billion on pet-pampering alone with 33% spending on toys, 17% on costumes, and 10% on pet strollers (A. Bhattarai, 2016). Abha Bhattarai says that Millennials are twice as likely as Baby Boomers to buy clothing for pets (2016). As a Millennial dog owner, I should admit that I am guilty of pet-pampering, since my dog has a coat for the winter months and a blanket to tuck him into at night. Millennials grew up in a society where technology has developed and improved drastically. Social media and texting have become primary ways of communication. Have you noticed how many people post pictures of their pets on Facebook? Often, they are seeking approval and social identity. The higher hedonic and functional values we Millennials receive from pets stem from our backgrounds and impact our decisions involving purchases for our pets. This interesting article describes eight ways Millennials are redefining pet ownership. Debbie Phillips-Donaldson shares in Figure 2 these pointers on how the consumer behavior of Millennials is different from previous generations (2015).

Figure 2: Pet Shopping Differences of Millennials

Based on this list, I believe the pet industry will see major changes in upcoming years regarding product development in order to accommodate this different set of values of the Millennials.



Sources:
Bhattarai, A. (2016). Millennials Are Picking Pets over People. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/09/13/millennials-are-picking-pets-over-people/

Phillips-Donaldson, D. (2015). Baby Boomers, Step Aside: Millennials Now Own More Pets. Petfood Industry. Retrieved from http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/5049-baby-boomers-step-aside-millennials-now-own-more-pets

*Pictures taken from web:
https://runningwithwishes.wordpress.com/tag/dogs-in-strollers/
http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/family/galleries/34412/dogs-in-clothes/8

It is interesting. The more I think about it, the more I know it is true. My dog serves as a motivation to me. Often, I set myself goals and time limits in my school and work life in order to fit in time with my dog. This can include training sessions, walks/runs, and play-times. For my dog, this serves as a basic need; but for me, this serves as a mental break, relaxation, the chance to soak up some sun, and the opportunity to fit in daily exercise or, in other words, hedonic motivation (Babin, CB7, p. 93). Not fulfilling this basic need for the dog has repercussions, as it causes serious health and behavioral issues.

I grew up in a family where I was one of five kids. As young children, my siblings and I always dreamed of having a dog and would go to the library to check out so many dog books. My mom, however, was always against the idea of getting a dog, because she had so many children already to take care of and couldn't imagine additionally taking on the responsibility of a dog. When we got to the ages where we could do most of the work of caring for the dog, my mom opened up to the idea. The summer before we finally purchased a dog was dedicated to researching dog care and responsibilities. There is this TV show series called The Dog Whisperer by Cesar Millan, who is a dog behavior expert. He would get called to work with clients, who were seeing severe behavioral issues, such as aggression, fear, and dominance, in their dogs and were often at the point of entirely giving up hope. He would train the owners on what caused these issues and how to fix them and then rehabilitate the dog to achieve better behavior. His website includes training, behavioral, and adoption tips and dog basics. It is a very helpful resource that I would recommend to any new or current dog owner. It definitely made my dog experiences rewarding and beneficial.

In the Dog Whisperer, Cesar works with many problem dogs and trains the owners for success*

Ever heard the saying, a tired dog is a good dog? From all the episodes that I watched, the most common cause of anxiety, aggression, and other behavioral problems was not giving the dog enough exercise. A lot of people think that for a dog running around the yard or a brief 20 minute walk per day is enough. In reality, dogs need a lot more than that - the amount varies depending on breed, age, and health. Each grouping of breeds (herding group, working group, sporting group, terrier group, hound group, toy group, non-sporting group) have different needs when it comes to exercise. For example, the herding and sporting dogs need at minimum 60-90 minutes of high intensity exercise per day - twice a day is even better. From the hound group, the greyhounds are sprinters; so they typically can drain their energy from a short run. For more interesting information about the exercise requirements of different breeds, this website is very helpful. 

My motivation for taking my dog out includes the happiness I get from seeing him enjoy the outing, the exercise, the self-esteem from feeling fit, the mental break I receive from my work, and the opportunity to bring someone along and spend time with. From Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, this falls into the category of hedonic value and high involvement, which I would say is completely true for me (Babin, CB7, p. 93). As is the case for most people, I often have to juggle a lot of different things and therefore have to weigh in my mind if I should take the time to go for a walk or if my dog will be fine without exercise. When it comes to my dog, I have learned to think with long-term orientation, which entails a prioritization of future rewards over short-term benefits (Babin, CB7, p. 185). When I do decide to put off my dog's needs, he usually causes a lot of trouble; and I end up losing as much time, if not more, as if I would have gone for a walk in the first place. Making it a routine to fit that daily exercise in mostly results in good behavior from my dog for the rest of the day. However, temporal factors sometimes come into play (Babin, CB7, p. 228). Time pressure caused by an imposed deadline influences my decision-making and gives me the urgency to act by quickly deciding to either squeeze in some exercise or finish the assignment (Babin, CB7, p. 229). It often changes the way I value the exercise. Hedonic value plays a large role in creating commitment  (Babin, CB7, p. 320). This applies in this scenario. Because the value I associate with spending time with my dog is hedonic, most of the time I make it a point to prioritize his outings.

My outings with my Great Dane Jordan

*Picture taken from web: 

https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Whisperer-Cesar-Millan-Season/dp/B003H8F5TI

You all are probably wondering what you would not miss when you never had it but miss when you have had it. Let me hint...warm, furry, slimy, wiggly, always hungry. If you didn't get it yet, I am talking about "Man's Best Friend" or the domestic dog.

My first dog Big Ben

Those who have never had the experience of owning a dog do not realize what they are missing. Those who have had a dog before usually find it hard to go back to not having a dog. If you are a dog-lover, you know exactly what I am talking about. Dogs are permanent friends, who are always ready to greet you when you come home, cuddle with you when you watch a movie or read a book, go for a run with you, or even just make you laugh.

In spite of all the benefits, dogs are also a huge responsibility. They need their exercise, food, and training. Dog owners cannot just leave somewhere whenever they want to; they first have to make sure their dog is taken care of. Therefore, usually people put a lot of thought and research in before purchasing. When talking about dogs, the full customer decision-making process is generally followed, beginning with a need/want/problem and progressing to info search, evaluation, purchase, and post purchase (Angell lecture slide 36,  9/7/16).  However, this is not always the case and then the full value received from the dog may turn out to be negative due to failure on the purchaser's side to realize the commitment involved. The sad result may be that the dog gets dumped into an animal shelter. The value received is the benefits minus the efforts involved (Babin, CB7, Exhibit 2.3).  The benefits of owning a dog can be experiential, social, or functional (Angell lecture slide 10, 9/12/16). Studies show that owning a pet comes with health benefits, such as lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and fewer heart attacks and that pets reduce stress and provide relaxation. It is also shown that dogs boost one's self-confidence and interpersonal skills. More interesting advantages of having a dog can be found here and here. Some efforts that would have to be put in are time, money, patience, and opportunities.

Diving into more details about the decision-making process, the purchase usually starts out with a need, want, or problem. Some people want dogs to just be companions; others utilize dogs to fulfill some purpose, such as farm help, protection, security, or physical help. The pictures below show how dogs can serve in so many areas. I believe that the reason dogs are called "Man's Best Friend" is because of the high hedonic and high utilitarian value they create (Babin, CB7, Exhibit 2.2). In my mind, this is not the case with any other animal. Dogs attach emotionally to their owners and create happiness and purpose in their owner's lives. If that is not enough already, they are always ready to serve beside their owners, whether that be in the police force, the military, with special needs patients, and so many more areas. This is exactly where the title of my blog comes from ("When Never Had, Never Missed. When Had, Always Missed!). The best experiences include high hedonic and high utilitarian values (Angell lecture slide 25, 9/12/16) . Those who have dogs usually have great experiences with their four-legged friends for those reasons and, therefore, would always want to have a dog around.

Dogs can create high levels of hedonic and utilitarian values*

I am what you could call a passionate dog person. I will be the person who has to bend down to pet every single dog I see and play with it. Currently, I have a Great Dane puppy that is 6 months old; but he is already more than half my height, weighs about 100 pounds, and has paws bigger than my fists. For me, my dogs have always given me high hedonic and high utilitarian value. After a long day of school or work, coming home to have my dog greet me with a wagging tale and excitement never ceases to relax me and make me forget about my worries. I love going for walks or runs with my dog, exploring new places and going on adventures; my dog is what gets me out and going. Driving with the windows fully down with a dog by your side and music playing - if you have never experienced this, you have no idea what you are missing!

All the fun that I have with my current puppy Jordan and memories of my past dog Big Ben

*Pictures taken from web: 

http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/service-dogs

http://www.beliefnet.com/love-family/pets/animals-prayers-for-the-dog-lover.aspx

http://www.safetysign.com/products/p6256/make-it-to-the-gate-in-3-seconds-sign

http://www.doggiedayz.net/WP/2015/04/22/work-or-play/

http://3milliondogs.com/dogbook/these-new-police-dogs-are-ready-to-fight-some-crime/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_warfare