Obviously, they thought, “wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up in the morning with some data to chew on?”
It all starts with keeping our pets healthy, whether it be a checkup or a haircut.
In June 2022, there were 6,080 businesses across Canada in the veterinary services industry, including animal hospitals and clinics, surgery services, testing labs, as well as livestock veterinary services.
There were 4,691 businesses nationwide in the pet care industry, whose services included animal shelters, pet sitting, grooming, training and dog walking. There were also 3,132 pet and pet supplies stores across the country.
And if you’ve found it tricky to book your pet an appointment at the vet, it could be labour-related. There were 1,265 job vacancies for veterinarians in the second quarter of 2022, up nearly a fifth (+18.8%) from the same quarter in 2021.
Numbers were similar for animal health technologists and veterinary technicians, with vacancies of 1,325 in the second quarter of this year, up 13.7% from the same quarter the previous year.
You may have better luck getting an appointment with your local pet groomer or animal care worker—vacancies in those occupations declined by more than a quarter (-26.5%) over the same period.
Like many other goods and services, the cost of caring for your pet at home is becoming a pet peeve! Prices for pet food and supplies were up 9.5% in September 2022 on a year-over-year basis.
But when it comes to spending time with our furry friends, the best things in life are free—including taking them for a walk outside. In fact, 90% of Canadian households in 2019 had a park or green space within 10 minutes of their home!
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).