Why Are We Spending So Much Money on Our Pets? 重金養寵為哪般？

They have their own beaches. Their own parks. They can come with you to dinner and even to the spa. You can pay a little extra for some of them to sit with you on an airplane.

它們有自己的沙灘，有自己的公園，可與你共進晚餐，甚至一起做水療。額外花點錢，它們當中有些還可以陪你坐飛機。

We’re not talking about your infant. We’re talking about your fur baby.

這里說的不是你的孩子，而是你的“毛孩子”。

We spend more on our pets these days than ever before， from outfits to organic kibble to matching diamond-studded collars and bracelets. Our dogs and cats have always made us feel good about ourselves and played a role in our family—that much hasn’t changed. They’re happy， cuddly friends that don’t care when you vent about a bad day at work， as long as you pet them and fill their bowl with food.

如今，我們在寵物身上花的錢比以往任何時候都多，從服裝到有機寵物食品，再到配套的鑲鉆項圈和手鐲。我們養的貓貓狗狗總是讓我們感覺愉快，并且在我們的家庭中扮演著重要角色。這種情況從未有太多改變。它們是快樂、可愛的朋友，不會在意你吐槽一天糟糕的工作，只要你撫摸它們，給它們的碗里裝滿食物。

But at what point did Fido1 move out of the doghouse in the back yard and claim an expensive Tempur-Pedic bed that matches the decor of the master bedroom？

但是，菲多是什么時候搬出后院的狗窩，擁有一張與主臥室裝飾匹配的、昂貴的泰普爾床的呢？

“Over the last decade， we’ve truly humanized our pets，” said Bob Vetere， president and CEO of the American Pets Products Association. “We’re no longer satisfied to reward them in ‘pet terms’ with something like a tennis ball. Instead， we reward them in human terms， with expensive diamond-studded leashes or something， in a way that we think is rewarding.”

美國寵物用品協會主席兼首席執行官鮑勃·韋泰雷說：“過去十年，我們真正實現了寵物的人性化。我們不再滿足于把它們當作寵物、用網球之類的物品來獎勵它們。相反，我們把它們當作人來看待，用昂貴的鑲鉆狗帶或其他我們認為有價值的東西來獎勵它們。”

It makes us feel better even though they’d probably rather have the tennis ball.

這讓我們感覺更好，盡管狗狗們可能更喜歡網球。

But this “man’s best friend” relationship is more complex than that.

但是，這種與“人類最好朋友”的關系要比這更復雜。

More young people are delaying starting their own families and are opting to have pets instead. So not only do millennials have pets， their empty-nester parents are also replacing the grandkids with granddogs. Combine that with newfound spending money， thanks to a slowly but surely improving economy， and our pets are off the Publix-brand chow and now eat gluten-free organic food from an ecofriendly specialty pet food company.

越來越多的年輕人推遲生兒育女，轉而選擇養寵物。因此，不僅千禧一代養寵物，他們的空巢父母也在用“狗孫”取代“兒孫”。再加上緩慢但穩步改善的經濟所帶來的新消費力，寵物們也不再吃美國大眾超級市場的自品牌食品，而是吃環保寵物食品公司專門生產的無麩質有機食品。

If it’s good enough for us， it’s good enough for our pets.

如果這些食物對人類足夠好，那么對我們的寵物也足夠好。

We love our pets so much that niche companies have grown out of our willingness to spoil them. Take FairyTail Planning， a Tampa-based company that specializes in planning your dog’s role in your wedding.

我們對寵物的溺愛，使得一些小眾公司發展起來。以FairyTail策劃公司為例，這是一家位于美國坦帕市的公司，專門策劃寵物狗在主人婚禮上擔任的某種角色。

“We have one client who bought her dog’s outfit for their wedding before she even started looking for her dress，” said Ilana Mobley， co-founder of FairyTail Planning with partner Kelly Maronpot.

伊拉娜·莫布利與合伙人凱莉·馬龍波特聯合創辦了該公司。莫布利說：“我們有一位客戶甚至在開始挑選婚紗之前，就為她的愛犬買好了參加婚禮的服裝。”

As experienced petsitters， Mobley and Maronpot will help plan your dog’s role as a ring bearer， plan pet-friendly wedding photos and be there to watch your fur child during the reception and on your honeymoon.

莫布利和馬龍波特有豐富的寵物看護經驗，會幫助策劃讓愛犬擔任戒童的角色，規劃拍攝寵物友好的婚紗照，并在婚宴和蜜月期間看護您的“毛孩子”。

“So many companies are picking up on how obsessed we are with our pets. I saw a dog in a shopping cart at Michaels2 last week，” Maronpot said. “Restaurants have menus specific for dogs. There are happy hour events centered around your dog.”

“很多公司注意到人們對寵物的癡迷。上周我在邁克爾斯商店看到購物車里有一條狗。”馬龍波特說，“餐館有專門為狗準備的菜單。還有以狗狗為中心的歡樂時光活動。”

Sure， we use our pets as a socialization tool sometimes. They make appearances in Tinder dating app photos and lead to conversations at bars， at concerts or the farmer’s market. The dog park has become a popular spot for a first date.

當然，我們有時會把寵物當作社交工具。它們會出現在約會應用程序Tinder的照片中，還會在酒吧、音樂會或農貿市場為我們引出話題。狗狗公園已經成為初次約會的熱門場所。

But in other ways， our pets become an excuse to isolate ourselves. When Rex is at your feet while you’re browsing Facebook on a Friday night， it’s easier to replace him with true human interaction， Vetere said.

但有時候，寵物也會成為我們自我封閉的借口。韋泰雷說，某個周五晚上，你瀏覽臉書時，雷克斯在你腳邊，這時你就很容易用真正的人際交往來代替與它交流。

“But you still have to get up to take him outside， almost forcing interactions with other people that would not have otherwise taken place，” he said. “We’re starting to see that more and more.”

他說：“但最終你還是得出門遛狗，有點像是被迫與其他人進行本不會發生的互動。我們發現這種情況越來越普遍。”

At the end of the day， our pets do more for us than we do for them， said Kristen Levine， a Tampa-based pet expert and blogger. The former Tampa SPCA spokeswoman owns and operates a public relations firm for pet-related companies.

坦帕市的寵物專家兼博主克里斯滕·萊文說，歸根結底，寵物為我們做的要比我們為它們做的多。這位曾做過坦帕保護動物協會發言人的女士擁有并經營著一家為寵物相關公司服務的公關公司。

“We’re willing to pay money to get dog DNA tests not necessarily for the benefit of our dogs， but for us，” Levine said. “What it comes down to is human nature. We crave that interaction we get from them， but we can’t get through text messages or email， like how we communicate with our loved ones now. It makes pets more accessible and more meaningful， in that way.”

萊文說：“我們愿意花錢為狗做DNA檢測之類的事，不一定是為了狗，而是為了我們自己。歸根結底，這是人類的天性。我們渴望與它們互動，但不能像和親友交流那樣通過短信或郵件來達成。這讓寵物更容易相處，也更有意義。”

（譯者單位：上海交通大學）

1菲多，默認狗名，代指任何狗狗，在美式英語中更常用。曾有一只名叫菲多的狗非常有名，它的主人是美國前總統亞伯拉罕·林肯。

2即Michaels Stores，美國最大的藝術和手工藝材料零售商。