The festive season has come to an end and many homes up and down the country will be filled with gifts that were handed over by friends and family members. These days, it is not only humans who are the recipients of presents. Pets also come in for a good deal of spoiling in the period around December 25th.However, one woman who takes this further than most when it comes to looking after her four-legged friend splashed out on a luxury dog bed and spent more on her pooch than on her partner.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Joanne Good revealed that in addition to the dog bed, she purchased a range of other items, spending a total of £600. This is £500 more than she spent on her boyfriend George.Commenting on her tendency to indulge her two-and-a-half-year-old bulldog Matilda, she explained there is more to the story than meets the eye.Ms Good remarked: “You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m barking mad – pardon the pun – and I probably am, but Matilda came into my life and changed everything, not least my capacity to love another being.”
In addition to the dog bed, the pampered animal got a £150 cashmere blanket, a head massage, tea at a five-star hotel and skateboarding lessons.She went on to note that Christmas provides her with an opportunity to show Matilda how much she means to her.Ms Good added that while she may not be typical in her attitude towards her pet, she is not alone. She commented: “According to the Oxford Dictionary, what Matilda has become is my ‘furkid’ – a word used to describe the increasingly common phenomenon of dogs taking on the role of surrogate children, particularly among childfree women in their 40s and 50s.”
The market for dog accessories, as well as those designed for other animals, is constantly growing in the UK and elsewhere.