Fur-fect Luxury: How pet parents are going above and beyond to pamper their paws
From having lavish pet parties, to chauffeuring the four paws around and even making TikTok videos with them, four paw buddies are being spoilt rotten by their human friends, wit no expense spared.
Take Tracey Adams, for example, she doesn’t just leave her dogs at home when she heads out; she sets up a camera inside the house so she can watch them on her cellphone.
"I don’t like to leave the dogs alone for any length of time," she said.
And this is no small feat, as she’s caring for Wazi, a timid dog with a nervous condition, and Floopsy, a senior pug with arthritis.
Tracey said nothing is too much for her furry babies. She once bought a pram for her dog with arthritis, only to later switch to a doggy backpack.
Floopsy also goes for hydrotherapy sessions, after developing arthritis and having ligament replacement in both knees.
“People might think it's bizarre, but just to see their reactions when you do such small things for them, you can really see the joy in their eyes and can sense their appreciation.”
Then there is Roshin Hendricks, the owner of Furtastic Pet Sitting, who’s seen some truly head-turning requests in her time.
Furtastic Pet Sitting services clients from the Southern suburbs to the Northern suburbs and everything in between.
"We could write a book," she laughs. "The most bizarre one is probably a dog that has her own car and driver who chauffeurs her around."
While that might sound like a stretch, Roshin said she isn’t surprised.
She adds that her company has seen an increase in requests for pet sitting.
“Often from clients who go the extra mile to ensure their pets are treated like royalty.
“Pet sitting is not just feeding animals as most people would think, it's about making sure that an animal is loved as much as the owner would, we take pride in making sure this service is delivered. Our pet sitters have veterinary , wild life and animal nutrition experience to ensure that we can care for animals in the best way possible.”
But it doesn’t stop there. Kelly Manus, a proud dog parent to two American Pitbulls, Dexter and Daisy, has her own unique perspective.
The dog mom even has cute videos of her fur babies doing hilarious skits on her TikTok page.
“I used to make videos with King, my Rottweiler who passed. And then because I saw how greatly people responded to it; because I mean it’s universal everyone either loves dogs or loves dog content and I continued to do it.
“After King’s death I literally told myself I will never have dogs again or make videos like I made with him because that was our thing.
“But when I met Dexter and Daisy, they both had so much of King inside of them, I couldn’t resist. Dexter is exactly like King was. A character for the camera! He knows when to act and how to act.”
Above that she shares her dog's food costs…
“R1000 every month.Then I add berries, yoghurt, and veggies for R300. Their life insurance is R500, and don’t even get me started on vet visits!"
Justine Victoria Kruger, an Animal Behaviour Practitioner, has dedicated her career to helping pet parents understand their pets' unique behavioural needs.
Her methodology is grounded in reward-based coaching, which she believes is essential for building a positive and lasting relationship between pets and their owners.
“Reward-based coaching is enjoyable for the dog and positively enhances the relationship.”
Kruger however warns: “I don’t think there is anything wrong with spoiling a fur kid, but there is going to be serious damage done if the owners anthropomorphize( humanise) the fur kid.
“As much as I call them fur kids, we must remember that they don't reason like humans, and because of that, if we anthropomorphize them, we as the owners create their behavioural issues.”