For as long as dogs have been a domestic companion, they have provided more than just their evolutionary purpose to guard their owner’s property. They’ve been companions and playmates, with more than just their cute tendencies and barks that they can offer. It’s something that the Thai people are starting to realise, and apparently, is going to play a much bigger role in their lives.
In one of Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Center’s reports, it stated that having a furry companion will influence the decision of pet owners in many ways. They will find housing that will provide a good habitat for the animals, which in turn, will influence another group of people, albeit on the commercial side.
Pet-inclusive apartments can be hard to find, but with pet owners increasing in number and demanding pet-friendly policies and amenities, more developers will have to meet their demands or be ran out of the real estate business. As such, they have increased the price points of flats made to accommodate animals. But, with “pet humanization,” as the report called it, becoming a megatrend in Thailand, people will put up with the higher costs if it means that their pets live just as well as they do.
Touching on loneliness, the report stated that people across age groups, mainly Gen Z, Gen Y, and the elderly, prefer having the company of pets to staying alone. And as The Nation reported last January, it’s something that’s bound to be more common in the future with the younger generations foregoing childbearing and making their pets as their surrogate children.
