In the past weeks, people have been staying in and figuring out new ways to maintain their mental and physical health. Research has shown* that pets help people feel better, so it’s no surprise that animal shelters are emptying out while more and more people adopt or foster pets during this tough time.
From February to April, there was an increase in searches for pets (+41%)**, dogs (+56%), and cats (+48%) as people are spending more time than ever with their pets. These searches are the highest they have ever been.
Tens of thousands of Pinners (users of Pinterest) are searching for ways to take care of them and bring them home. And as Pinterest 100 had predicted, pampering pets has become a major trend, with ideas like ‘Pet fashion’, ‘Cat birthday party ideas’ and ‘Dog patio ideas apartment’ on the rise.
Pinners are deciding what breeds to adopt, with searches for “types of dog breeds” up 84%. Naming your pet is always a tough call, so Pinners are looking for ideas with searches for “cute kitten names” 4x greater and “unique puppy names” doubling.
Pinners are also preparing to bring their fur babies home (“puppy checklist” 2x greater), and are finding creative ways to break the news to loved ones. Searches for “puppy announcement ideas” are up 2x and, over the last few weeks, searches for “puppy shower”*** (adopt a puppy party) are up 47%.
Take a look at some other top trending pet related searches:
Homemade food
· Help your pup with the hot weather: “dog ice cream” 2x
· Give them a treat: “homemade dog treats” +87% and “puppy treats homemade” 2x
· Give them some fruit: searches for “apple dog treats”, “carrot dog treats”, and “banana dog treats” have all doubled
DIY pet accessories
· Keeping them housed: “Diy cat house” +82% and “pallet dog house” +70%
· Let the cats play: “indoor cat garden” (to lounge on or eat) +65% and “outdoor cat tree” 2.4x
· Keep the puppy comfy: “DIY puppy toys” and “DIY puppy bed” have both doubled
Grooming and training
· Grooming by yourself: “how to groom a dog at home” 4.5x and “dog shampoo homemade” 2x
· Training babies: “puppy schedule” 2x and “leash training dogs” +62%
· Keeping them entertained: “games for dogs” +62%
Notes:
*Source: Winston, Ellen (2017, January 23). Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy. The National Psychologist https://nationalpsychologist.com/2017/01/animal-assisted-psychotherapy/103593.html
** Unless otherwise denoted, all increases are calculated from February ‘20 to March ‘20
*** “Puppy shower” is a newer trend; searches are calculated using normalized searches from 4/20/20-5/03/20 compared to the two weeks prior (4/6/20-4/19/20)
