This story by KIRO's morning news anchor Ursala Reutin ran today on pet spending. The story with interviews with Sarah Pierce of Den Haus and Dr. Trusheim reports, in part:
"Dr. Cherri Trusheim is the veterinarian and owner of Urban Animal, which just opened on Capitol Hill. She says she's also guilty of spoiling her dogs. "We have two dogs at home that I know, any stuffed toy I buy, they will kill it. And they will do it quickly and de-stuff it and pull out the squeaker. But I'll still come home with a $10 stuffy even though I know it will only last five minutes," Trusheim says. Vet bills are one of the reasons spending on pets is soaring but she says one of their goals at Urban Animal (www.UrbanAnimalnw.com) is to offer clients a range of services to meet their budget.
She thinks as society has become more "connected" with iPhones and Blackberries, we've become disconnected from people, and we're putting more emotion, energy and money into our four-legged friends.
"It's easier than having a human companion, in many ways, but we are starting to tip the scale a little bit because our dogs don't understand that kind of relationship. They're a dog and the happiest dogs are the ones that know they're a dog," she says.
The most recent census figures show that Seattle has about 140,000 dogs, compared with just over 93,000 kids."
Thank you to Ursula and KIRO for this story.
Dr. Cherri Trusheim of the new Urban Animal veterinary practice (www.UrbanAnimalNW.com) on Seattle's Capitol Hill was on air this afternoon talking dogs and Halloween costumes. KIRO Anchor Ursula Reutin tapped the doc for her tips on what to avoid on Halloween night. Dr. Trusheim's two cents? Dogs don't really want to be dressed up but if you've got to do it, make sure they are comfortable and can see. Pretty common sense really. 
"Dr. Cherri Trusheim is the veterinarian and owner of Urban Animal, which just opened on Capitol Hill. She says she's also guilty of spoiling her dogs. "We have two dogs at home that I know, any stuffed toy I buy, they will kill it. And they will do it quickly and de-stuff it and pull out the squeaker. But I'll still come home with a $10 stuffy even though I know it will only last five minutes," Trusheim says. Vet bills are one of the reasons spending on pets is soaring but she says one of their goals at Urban Animal (www.UrbanAnimalnw.com) is to offer clients a range of services to meet their budget. 
