Trendspotting

In the years I have been involved in the animal business, I've noticed that trends have a certain, predictable flow to them. Historically, many innovations began in the horse industry, then migrated to the pet industry, starting first with dogs, then cats, exotics, etc.

Why the horse industry? Well, before pets became BIG business, there was a disparate amount of money spent in the horse world, including at the race track, in the competition ring and even earlier, in the military. Horses have been big business for centuries. Since businesses are always looking for an edge, innovation became a big part of the industry.

In the last decade, a pet's place in a family has evolved from secondary cast member (think Tiger from The Brady Bunch) to become ingrained as part of our family unit--true family members. So I think this "trend flow" is also shifting. While the equine industry will be a source of new innovations and careers in the animal world, I believe the new trend pattern is from human family members to their pets.

"Any trend you see in human foods, about 6 months later, it pops up on the pet food side of the ledger," says American Pet Product Manufacturers Association President Bob Vetere. "It's finally dawned on marketers that the same person who's buying food for the family is buying food for the pet."

Looking for a new career? What's hot in the human world? As the buzz begins to fade in the two-legged economy, a new opportunity may be ripe for the picking in serving our four-legged friends.