Can you help with a pet survey?

willow617

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is allowed, but I am doing research on pets in Ireland and how they are treated, the things we like to buy them, and if we groom them. I have a pet yorkie and shocked when I came over to Ireland from the US and found how few people know about the health benefits of grooming and such, so I was thinking about collecting information about grooming and what products we buy our dogs. I've done a bunch of research in Dublin and Cork and have done a bunch of interviews but have found an electronic survey the easiest. If you folks could help by taking 5 minutes to fill it out I would greatly appreciate it.

cheers kindly, the link is below (just copy and paste it into your internet browser):

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Lm_2bH52VgLv_2bS4lnypG4e9g_3d_3d

star-pants

Can I ask what the relevance of combined income / if a vehicle is owned are?

willow617

Yeah, well my friends were explaining why dogs don't get groomed, and they said that apparently dogs aren't allowed on ANY public transport here. So basically, if you live in a suburb, you aren't able to take your dog to a specialized dog store or to a groomers if you don't own a car. So thats why i was curious.

Also, on the income thing, I was curious if income was why people didn't use grooming services and didn't buy certain products. Not a key thing - I should add a "N/A = none of your damn business" section.

It is shocking to me though there are so few groomers and specialized stores here in Ireland when you consider there are hundreds in england and thousands in the us. I was wondering if its cause dogs especially are considered 'farm' animals versus loved pets. don't know why else dogs wouldn't be treated as nice here as in uk/us. I mean, when I was in the UK i saw owners bring dogs into the pubs with them on a regular basis. here I heard that apparently ireland has 10 x higher "put down" rate of dogs. I would love to know the reason why.

willow617

Just changed the question so people don't have to answer now on the income thing.

star-pants

Well I doubt people consider their pets 'farm animals'...
Grooming is a booming business here, if you ring a lot of groomers there's a waiting list. I rang one in Templeogue about a month ago and was told there wasn't a free spot til end of January. I know the one that I go to is on the far side of Dublin but I feel they're very good and worth the trip. They too are probably booked up til Jan.

Regarding bringing dogs on public transport, I know that a good few taxis allow dogs once you tell them in advance here. And I have seen the occasional small dog on the bus, but it's true they're not allowed in general.

There are also a lot of people who groom their own dogs too, as there are courses available for a few days to learn how to do it yourself, which to some people is better than paying a groomer/travelling to one every so often.

Also I'm sure that some pubs (probably more rural) allow dogs in, or sitting outside cafes etc. I wouldn't say my dogs (or any of my friends/relatives dogs) are treated any less than a dog in the US/UK. Mine and theirs are very very well cared for.

peasant

willow617 wrote: »

. I would love to know the reason why.and where I should open my new dog grooming business

FYP

willow617

don't get me wrong. i think there are some great pet owners in ireland - I see them in the park all the time. this all stemmed from the fact that i saw on a number of occasions stray dogs, owners being cruel to dogs, and dogs that don't look like they had been washed for ages. i'm not saying irish owners aren't good owners, i guess what i was thinking was there does seem to be greater care in general paid by english owners and US owners and i wondered why? was it income? was it marketing by groomers? was it just education - that perhaps irish owners didn't know the benefits of grooming? was it cultural? or was i just totally wrong to begin with and there is no difference in care between ireland, england and us. survey was more of a way to get more information, not to make a statement

star-pants

to be fair - given our weather, and dogs being dogs -- you can't expect every dog you see to have that 'just out of the groomers look' all the time. Also it's bad to wash your dog too often.

There are stray dogs in every country and there is cruelty to dogs in every country.

In the US, doggy grooming/pampering/dressing them up like godknowswhat seems to be very 'in' -- personally my dogs don't need an outfit, or to be dyed pink or any such stuff.
A raincoat or a regular coat is understandable, a jokey santa hat for five minutes is fine, but that's about it.

willow617

ah, never thought of weather as a big factor. thats true. what about england though - same weather, no?

star-pants

Depends on where in England you are to be honest. And depends on if you live in the city or closer to the country - as your walking area might be drier than others. Have you lived in England?
Just you say the US and England seem to take better care than Ireland.

votejohn

where are you thinking of setting up your business? Where are you living?

lrushe

Personally I just think Irish people are just more practical or hands on when it comes to their dog care and do alot of it themselves as opposed to paying someone else to do it. I have a Japanese Spitz who I prefer to groom myself as I can check him over for any hidden cuts or skin problems, I also think it helps the bond between us so I don't think I'd ever send my dog to a groomer unless it was one of those breed who require a specific cut.
I also have a Chihuahua and the amount of times people ask me why I wouldn't get one of those bags to carry her around in is crazy, my answer is she has four legs and she's perfectly capable of using them. I also wouldn't dress her up in those dog clothes she has 2 dog coats for the winter and thats all she needs

Paul91

willow617 wrote: »

ah, never thought of weather as a big factor. thats true. what about england though - same weather, no?

OK - don't tell anyone - I'm from England - anyhew, in my opinion there is a massive difference in the way pets are treated in the UK and the way they are treated here in general for example, if you asked people in England if there dog slept indoors or out you would get a funny look and the answer "indoors of course" ask the same question here, same funny look and the answer "outside of course" - maybe that's why they look generally "untidier". My family are farmers in the UK, and they had dogs and wouldn't dream of the dog sleeping outside!

for another example see my signature

for another example see the legislation on animal care in both countries

Paul91

lrushe wrote: »

Personally I just think Irish people are just more practical or hands on when it comes to their dog care and do alot of it themselves

maybe there are a lot more "non professional" groomers out there, I know of two ladies in work whom groom dogs from home (they have completed the courses in St Johns)

Paul91

willow617 wrote: »

cheers kindly, the link is below (just copy and paste it into your internet browser):

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Lm_2bH52VgLv_2bS4lnypG4e9g_3d_3d

FYI no postcodes in Ireland outside of Dublin

also your missing of online shopping for the pet supplies

Thinkingaboutit

Done, but it relates to dogs, I have 3 cats.

Paul91

also done - will ya post the results

Aru

In fairness dog ownership and the treatment of dogs as a whole is hughly different compared to the U.S or the UK....
Just look at the kill statisitics for our pounds.
Rehoming is a hugh problem over here.
Vet care is often emergency only(perhaps not for the people using this forum but in general its not that common to have a dog even vaccinated where im from unless your going to be kenneling it).Cats,unless they are lucky enough to be family pets,are treated absmally in general.Overbreeding is a hugh problem.We dont run many neutering clinics bar with specific charitys.We dont have charitys like in the uk to help those who are less well off to get treatments for their pets.in vet practice its not uncommon for the vet to list off the cost of each treatment before people decide if there dog wil be treated or not when its brought in after something like a car accident.

Though in urban areas the petcare industry is increasing,the small animal vet business has only began to boom in the last 10 to 20 years, it is still no where near as popular as the uk or the u.s.To run a small vet practice and break even you need a population of at least 12000 and even then it depends on the area.Unless your in a large urban area like dublin cork or galway you could be in trouble with a grooming practice as a lot of the small animal clinics tend to offer grooming services in them in the smaller townsIn the city's there is some demand though.

As my friends descibed it to me..most irish people as just one maybe two steps off farmer,pets are still seen as animals,not small people by the vast majority.As another poster pointed out just look at the keeping indoors or outdoors question....outdoors is still more common here.

I posted recently on an english forum about how one of our old dogs was shot while chasing sheep and they were horrified,not at the fact that my dog had been chasing sheep(which was what horrified me he had never wandered or acted aggressively before) but at the fact that the farmer shot him??Of course the farmer shot him!he hadnt been killed outright the same dog would have been putdown anyway once we found out.He was a much loved family pet but in the end of the day he was an animal that couldnt be trusted around livestock...and bar dublin city there were very few places in ireland that he could be rehomed where he was gauranteed never to come into contact with livestock again.....Basicly the same mentality does not seem to exist i the UK when it comes to pets.

Practicality also comes into it.I love my dog and my cat there great companions and they are vaccinated etc.I have only ever bought a collar for them and a few cheap toys to entertain the cat as she lives indoors a lot.The dog is just as happy with a stick or a tennis ball as a shiny so why waste the money squueky toy??