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Priorities in a Recession In a recession when money gets tight, that's when we find out where our priorities are. Speaking of Pets
October 17, 2009 by Mindy Norton During this recession, we've heard of people who can't afford to keep their pets. Surrenders of owned pets have increased as folks struggle to balance their income with their outgo.

And yet, some interesting economic statistics are emerging.

Companies that manufacture pet-related products seem to be doing pretty well.

For example, at the same time that the Nestle Company saw a drop in sales of items like bottled water and dairy products for human consumption, their pet food division saw a significant increase.

Stores like PetSmart are paying higher dividends to their stockholders.

And Merial, which bills itself as a world-leading animal health company, made news when an international pharmaceutical group paid four billion dollars for a 50% interest in the animal health-care manufacturer.

It turns out that pets are still big business, even during a recession.

The American Pet Products Association predicts that this year Americans will spend more than $45 billion on our pets, an increase of five percent over last year.

We may be cutting back on things like hobbies, clothing, sporting events and even travel, but we're still willing to pay for quality pet food, health care and even accessories for our best friends, because we realize they are a priority in our lives, even in a tight economy.

We'd like to think that you would consider Alabama Public Radio a priority in your life.

After all, you're reading this on the website right now.

This is the station that you depend on for news and classical music and jazz.

This is where you tune in to hear Click and Clack, Terry Gross, Garrison Keillor and Kathryn Tucker Windham.

And for you pet lovers, this is where you can hear Speaking of Pets every Saturday morning, or download it as a podcast.

APR depends on your support as much as your pets depend on you for their well-being.

So if this is a priority for you - and I remind you again that you're reading this on the website even now – while you're online, make a contribution.

It will take only a couple of minutes to let us know that you're out there and you care, when you're speaking of Alabama Public Radio.