Dogcentric spending: Who spends more, Millennials or Baby Boomers?

When it comes to dogcentric spending, it adds up to a lot more than you’d expect.

When it comes to dogcentric spending, it adds up to quite a bit sometimes. But which generation spends more on their puppers and pet care in general, Millennials or Baby Boomers?

Baby Boomers, born roughly from 1946 to 1964, are often thought of as pet pawrents, now that they are typically retired and can devote their time to taking care of a dog (often a toy breed or a spaniel).

Millennials, on the other hand, were born roughly from 1982 to 1995, and grew up with technology like the internet, cable TV and cell phones.

They’re often targeted as pet pawrents even going into debt for their doggos (which is extreme and probably shouldn’t happen).

But according to a new Rover survey on the annual costs of owning a dog, Millennials have spent more on their pets during the pandemic compared to Baby Boomers, which is a little surprising.

A full third (33 percent) of Millennial respondents said they’ve spent more on their dogs since late March, compared to just 10 percent of Baby Boomers.

This makes sense to some extent, because Millennials often don’t have children to take care of, or extraneous toys like boats and golf clubs, due to differing generational values. On the other hand, Millennials do have to deal with sky-high rent, crushing student debt, and if they’re parents, daycare expenses, etc, so this is a bit surprising.

Nearly 60 percent of people don’t plan out a specific budget for their dogcentric spending at all (58 percent, to be exact).

Pandemic pastimes for dog lovers have included making TikTok pirate ships and playing a lot of Animal Crossing.

Overall, the average cost of dog ownership per year can run anywhere from an estimated $650 to $2,295, though most people spend well under $1,000 on their pets per year..

Of course, costs vary widely, but pet pawrents want to take care of their dogs as best they can, depending on life circumstances.

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