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Pet travel gear provides many safe - and stylish - modes of transportation.
By Lori Luechterfeld
Whether it's a cross-country haul or a trip down the street to the supermarket, pet owners are increasingly looking to bring along their furry best friends. Thus, the market has witnessed the emergence of a growing number of pet products designed with safe and stylish pet travel in mind.
“As more pet parents travel with their pets, the hospitality and transportation industries are becoming more pet friendly,” says Chris Sides, marketing business development manager for Petmate in Arlington, Texas. “Also, the increase in pet day care and boarding services and facilities has pet parents seeking products to transport their pets—products like carriers, kennels, seat and cargo covers, and vehicle barriers.”
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| Courtesy of Midnight Pass |
The trend toward ownership of small dogs has also played a hand in boosting the market for pet travel gear, as smaller and toy breeds are far more portable. “Currently, half of the top 10 breeds in the United States are small dogs,” says Brad White, president of Midnight Pass Inc. in Marshfield Hills, Mass. “Most of our customers have one of these breeds.”
But pet travel hasn’t just gone to the dogs. Tim Ford, chief executive officer of Sherpa Pet Group LLC in Rockaway, N.J., says that although small dogs opened the door to the pet travel gear craze, the number of pet owners traveling with cats is also growing.
In today’s marketplace, it’s no secret that pet owners want their furry companions to travel in style. But customers are not willing to sacrifice function for form.
“Years ago, a lot of the travel products that were released looked good but weren’t very functional,” says Ford. “Now customers are looking for functionality first and style second.”
Chris Schaefer, owner of Creature Comfort Pet Emporium in St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada, agrees. “Backseat hammocks are one of the most popular items we sell, though they are much more functional than they are aesthetic,” Schaefer says. “But even these now come in a variety of colors, some with paw-print patterns on them.”
Even some of the most basic pet travel products—namely travel carriers and kennels—are experiencing a revolution in functionality as well as fashion. For example, Sides says that new wire kennels featuring two doors and divider panels offer many benefits for traveling pet owners.
“In the home, a side door allows flexibility for placement in the most convenient locations, while the front door folds down for easy access and cleaning. Likewise, in vehicles, the kennel can be placed sideways, allowing the pet to enter and exit from the side door,” he says.
“Divider panels allow puppy parents to buy a kennel sized for their fully grown pet and change the available space inside the kennel as the dog matures,” he adds. “This is an economical alternative to purchasing multiple kennels.”
In addition, Sides says some of the new plastic kennels on the market are designed to meet customer demands for both looks and performance. These kennels are available in a wide variety of trendy colors to suit an owner’s particular style. But they also include safety and convenience features, including interior perimeter moats to capture fluids and help keep pets dry, covered door posts for safety, ventilation on all four sides and designs that better protect pets in transit.
In the past few years, functionality in carriers has been taken to a whole new level with the introduction of pet carriers with heating and cooling capabilities. And as manufacturing technology has improved, such carriers have become more widely available and thus more affordable.
“These carriers provide the ultimate in comfort for a pet and serve as a real solution to a problem,” says Bob Inello, president and chief executive officer of Komfort Pets in Revere, Mass. “Over time, we believe this option will replace standard carriers.”
Portability is also a key concern among traveling pet owners—especially those looking to tote their pets across a busy airport. Bev Dreier, owner of Pamper Me Pets in Maple Grove, Minn., says one of her store’s most popular airline-ready carrier is the Petote line.
“The carriers can be pulled behind you or worn as a backpack,” she says. “People like having both options.”
Modes of transportation for pets continue to become more varied as well. Recent years have seen the rise of the pet stroller as an option for transporting cats and small dogs. And even more recently, baskets and crates designed for bike travel with small pets have emerged on the market. Currently available in wicker and nylon models, these products continue to be introduced in a variety of designs and patterns, and White says newer versions will permit owners to safely transport animals on the backs of their bikes as well.
When it comes to strollers, White says there is considerable difference in the quality of the products on the market.
“The best ones are spacious and don’t flip over when a dog gets excited,” he says. “That means customers need to look for a wider wheel base. And in terms of portability, the strollers that fold up are the ones that everyone gets excited about.”
Dreier says her current favorite among travel gear for animals is the pet sling, which is worn over the shoulder.
“The only drawback to wearing the product is that people will constantly stop you to say hello to your dog,” she says. “But it’s a very convenient option for owners who don’t feel like breaking out a stroller.”
Pet slings come in a wide variety of patterns and materials. Dreier says her most popular is an ultrasuede model.
“I’ve seen plenty of pet slings made of very ugly fabrics that no one would wear,” she says. “And some just don’t look very comfortable. But the ultrasuede is stylish and comfortable, and there are also a variety of other attractive patterns available, some of which are reversible.”
While most pet travel gear is designed to enhance pet owners’ ability to transport their dogs and cats, one current trend is turning this paradigm on its ear: saddlebag-style backpacks for dogs.
“They’ve been promoted by the Dog Whisperer on his show,” notes Schaefer, referring to Cesar Milan of the National Geographic Channel program by that name. “He says every dog should have a job, and so these items have become particularly popular. For example, people will take their dog with them to the farmers’ market and let the pet transport the items that they buy.”
Indeed, Schaefer says, more and more pet owners are taking an interest in travel gear designed to promote more rugged outdoor activities for their pets.
“Sleeping bags for pets seem to be hot this season,” she says.
Likewise, she’s seeing significant customer interest in tent-style soft-sided crates.
“These products can be staked in the ground so they don’t blow around outdoors, and the side flaps can roll up so the pet gets more fresh air. These items are popular for camping trips as well as dog shows.”
Carole Cusumano, vice president of design at Sherpa Pet, says trends from the luggage industry are increasingly translating to the pet industry.
“Design, function and utility is the direction that pet travel gear is moving,” she says. “As a result, many customers are looking for a clean, fresh, modern look to these products.”
As with many pet products, style is of significant concern when it comes to pet travel gear—and customers are willing to pay for it.
“Owners want something fashionable—not a pet bag that looks like just a plain old purse,” Dreier says. “They shop for pet bags the way they shop for purses, and if they find a stylish one, they’re not nearly as concerned about the price.”
Dreier says one of the main trends she’s seen in pet travel gear is the desire for subtlety—particularly in bags and carriers that pet owners might wish to carry with them as they go about their daily routines.
“Pet owners don’t want something that is going to stick out,” she says. “Particularly if they are carrying around their small dog, they might want to be able to take them into places where dogs might not be allowed.
“Regardless, though, pet owners do want to see their pet and for their pet to be able to see them,” she says. “So mesh is important, but there can’t be so much that the dog is completely exposed.”
When it comes to style, pet travel gear continues to reflect trends in home décor, fashion and popular colors. Sides says pink continues to be a sought-after color in the market. In addition, he says some of the latest color trends include strong greens from shades of olive to sage and yellows ranging from golden neutrals to brighter shades. In addition, he notes, blues and reds are classics that never die.
Schaefer, however, has seen a shift in her customers’ tastes.
“Pink is out—at least in our store,” Schaefer says. “We’re seeing plaids and houndstooth patterns rising in popularity, and a lot of people are looking for pastels—soft blues and greens, and peach instead of pink.”
Schaefer says the trend toward softness goes beyond color as well.
“A lot of our customers are looking for pet bags made of suede rather than leather,” she says. “It’s part of the comfort mentality—they want the product to be attractive, but comfortable—not hard like leather.”
White agrees that the infamous pink trend might be on its way out—at least when it comes to pet travel gear.
“Today, silver is outselling pink,” he says. “People are more into unisex colors when it comes to their travel products. And we’ve had people wait for items on backorder for months just because they want a particular color.” |