(17 April 2019) The trade in pet supplies on South African online marketplace bobshop.co.za confirm what most of us already know from everyday experience: South Africa is a dog country.

“Whether that is the result of necessity or affinity is another matter”, says Bob Shop Head of Category Management Jacques Jordaan and explains: “Many of us keep dogs for protection, but it could also be that we as a nation simply favour dogs as pets. Besides, we have the luxury of much more space than some other countries, which makes it easier to accommodate dogs.”

If we were to tread into the age-old dogs vs. cats rivalry, the verdict of Bob Shop shoppers is unmistakable. Month after month, they spend ten or more times on their pet dogs than they spend on their pet cats.
“When it comes to what dog supplies our shoppers purchase, dog food tops the list, followed by grooming kits and dog beds”, says Jordaan and adds: “Often, these can be purchased on Bob Shop for less than elsewhere.”

Bidorbuyers also spend with a fairly open hand on dog leashes, leads and harnesses. The leashes for bigger dogs are as a rule a straightforward affair, designed for the practical purpose of taking one’s dog for a walk. Smaller dogs are much more likely to have something more quirky bestowed upon them, such as a lead decorated with angel wings.

Doggy fashion in general is more skewed towards small dogs. True, Bob Shopers will buy a warm dog jersey to keep their big short-haired four-legged friend warm during the (occasionally) harsh South African winter nights, but it is the small dogs that bask in such luxuries as  dog pyjamas or a stylish dress.

“The owners pay particular attention to keeping their dogs safe, be they big or small”, says Jacques Jordaan. “Hence the popularity of the brightly coloured vests and LED collars, which ensure high visibility and enhance the safety of dogs in traffic”. Shoppers can also get specially designed life jackets, surely a necessity for dogs that live near a swimming pool.

The spending on cats, the big rivals of dogs (in human eyes, anyway), is on Bob Shop typically limited to cat food and grooming supplies. When it comes to the latter, cat owners may want to give a try to a new-comer on Bob Shop, an ingenious contraption aptly named grooming bag. This is specifically designed to keep cats still during the procedures they do not always appreciate, such as bathing, cutting nails, picking ears, cleaning teeth, applying eye drops, and so on.

One of the biggest challenges that the owners of most breeds of both dogs and cats face, in about equal measure, is dealing with pet hairs. A miniature cordless apparatus that grooms and at the same time vacuums pet hairs might be just the thing they are looking for, because every hair you manage to get off your pet is one hair less on the floor or the furniture. Of course, this apparatus works providing your pet agrees to come anywhere near you while you are holding it. If not, another option is a tape roller.

“The debate over whether dogs or cats make better pets will probably continue forever, but the amount of shopping that needs to be done for one or the other seems pretty clear, at least judging by the shopping baskets of Bob Shopers”, concluded Jacques Jordaan.