Saudi women launch a pet care service

JEDDAH: Four Saudi women have launched a mobile service providing bathing, clipping of nails, cutting of hair and basic health care for people’s pets.

The business is the brainchild of Huda Qabani, Widad Al-Tamimi, Nora Al-Awartani and Amna Ali Ridda, who have received a permit from the government for their services, according to a report in a local publication on Monday.
Al-Qabani said they developed the idea after having received poor service from local veterinarians for their pets, with the animals sometimes “coming back even sicker.”
They said that they all took courses on pet care in Britain and have a great deal of experience dealing with animals, including providing grooming services. They also want to create awareness among children about caring for animals, and are working with voluntary bodies to treat abused pets.
“Animals need to have their hair cut and cleaned. Contrary to what some people believe, animals do not clean themselves,” said Al-Awartani. There should be more awareness created about the rights of animals, said Al-Qabani.
According to a leading British newspaper last year, Britons were expected to spend over $7 billion on their pets by the end of 2015, with “quality diets, beauty treatments, exercise regimes and designer outfits.” It was also expected that global spending on domestic animals would break through the $100 billion barrier for the first time, rising to $103.8 billion from $98.3 billion in 2014, according to Euromonitor data quoted by the publication.
Of the near-$7 billion spent in 2014, United Kingdom consumers doled out $5.57 billion on pet food, which means that Britons spent almost $1.5 billion on non-edible gifts for their pets such as grooming treatments, holidays, day care, clothes and toys.
Gina Westbrook, director of strategy briefings at Euromonitor, was quoted as saying that pet owners were increasingly regarding their animals as humans, which was the key driver behind the rising spending.