Posted on 08/18/2025 3:42:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
As birth rates plummet, the country is fawning over – and spending on – pets, says Amy Kazmin for Financial Times.
Rome airport’s newest luxury hotel is designed to be a calming oasis for its guests. Rooms – with underfloor cooling – are suffused with aromatic oils such as lavender, tea-tree and mint and each has a private lawn. The property offers arnica massages, a communal garden where guests can mingle and large screens for video calls with faraway loved ones.
Yet weary human travellers will not find succour here. With a capacity for 40 overnight guests, Dog Relais is an airport hotel for canines, whose travelling owners – airline crew, business travellers or holidaymakers – need safe shelter for their pets while they are away. “We look at providing dogs with the best experience possible in their owners’ absence,” said Roberto Tortorella, who runs Dog Relais for the airport. “Our four-legged guests must be able to express themselves freely, socialise, play and feel loved.”
The hotel, which opened in July, is part of the nation’s rapidly expanding pet service industry, catering to animals whose status has risen in tandem with Italy’s plummeting annual births. With fewer children and grandchildren to fawn over, Italians are channelling more of their emotional energy – and cash – towards a growing cadre of pampered pets, with dogs the favourite.
(Excerpt) Read more at channelnewsasia.com ...
The link isn’t working.
There might be more births if there were more places like this but for kids where one could stash the kid for couple of days.
My brothers dog didn’t like to go home cause grandma fed her meatballs
This pet obsession is also in America. Just look at obituaries these days and how people list pets as “survivors.” I just saw an obit of an 80-year-old man that read, “He is also survived by 11 beloved grand-pups.” Grand-pups?? Last year, a friend’s obit read, “She is survived by her cherished border collie Sparky. Also surviving is her daughter Teresa...” I guess we know where the daughter stands in the hierarchy.
Thanks!
Is there anything more cringe-worthy than young or youngish couples - married or living together - who consistently and non-jokingly refer to their dog as “our fur baby”?
The attitude boils down to, “ A real baby? Yechhh. That means work, sacrifice, etc. We’re too wrapped up in ourselves to have a baby. We’ll treat this dog as if it’s one, instead.”
Yep. Meanwhile, muslims hate dogs but have kids by the bushel. And they’re invading the West at a lightning clip; gee I wonder what the long-term outlook is for Europe and North America relating to population growth and mix? Hmmm, demographics is destiny. Trouble’s abrewing.....
The place where my dogs are registered is ultra fancy. There’s a limited number of dogs placed with each carer. Each pack rotates thru a number of play areas. And at night they are housed in a bedroom with a caretaker to make it feel like they’re home. You supply the food in separate bags for each meal or snack. When there’s no alternative but boarding them, it’s a relief to have a place to trust. Luckily, we’ve not had to use them much.
Rory’s World - Joseph Blanchard - Catnip Caper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XHQVw-hWx8
That is hilarious!
It’s not hilarious. It’s actually pathetic.
"Japan Has More Pets Than Kids, but Does That Tell Us Anything?"
"According to Japan Pet Food Association, there were about 23.3 million pets in Japan, as opposed to 17 million children age 15 and under....'In Japanese society, it's really hard for women to have a baby and keep a job.'"
https://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/japan-has-more-pets-kids-does-tell-us-anything
Have you seen articles about adult children disowning their parents? I suspect that there’s a lot more going on than this article addresses. There are adult offspring who don’t leave their parents’ homes, and adult children whose marriages have broken up and who return to their parents’ homes with the grandchildren.
I just refreshed my will & trust recently and there is a new section added about any pets and what I want left to them.
Had to laugh. And yes, I’ve made arrangements for care of my pets.
Two legs bad; four legs good!
Chickens make better pets. Produce eggs and make a nice pot of dumpling later.
He said be fruitful and multiply....seek a partner out and make a family....but alas,we have video sex and pet hamsters.
Y’all miss what the problem really is!
A legal system that fucks the men.
Why have kids when mom can get pissed off, divorce you,
take your home, move a boyfreind in, and you get stuck with all the bills?
To top it off the kids can’t escape such a bitch till age 12 or so.
You would not believe how hard it was for me to get rid of my mothers control over my life, legally.
No fault divorce was the worse thing they ever came up with.
Divorce should be as nasty as possible for both parties.
Maybe it would not be their first choice then.
I respected my mother as the Bible demands, but I NEVER reconciled with her. So she died alone and I don’t feel bad about it.
Met a English-fluent lady today on the sidewalk with many well-behaved kids. And gave her a gospel tract and spoke about the crucified and risen Christ.,
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