For greater peace of mind, some owners are turning to DNA tests to ensure that their pets do not have any underlying medical conditions.
One company, EasyDNA, has been providing DNA testing for dogs to help owners determine their pets’ breed, parentage and risk of diseases.
About 40 pet owners buy these kits in Singapore each year, said Ms Sharifah Khairiyah Syed Mohamad, director of Singapore and Malaysia at EasyDNA.
She added that the benefits of having comprehensive information to care for their dogs in a targeted manner have led to increased interest from pet owners to do these tests.
As pet owners humanise their pets, some services long targeted at humans have also been extended to pets, such as pet insurance.
Ms Annie Chua, head of personal lines at Income Insurance said that its Happy Tails Pet Insurance has seen more than 150 per cent growth between 2021 and 2022.
The insurance plan, distributed by Income Insurance and Aon, allows owners to cover themselves from unexpected medical treatment for their pet dogs and cats. Some specified congenital and hereditary conditions and medical treatments like chemotherapy can be covered as well.
“We see a high number of enquiries from pet owners who are concerned about insurance that covers hereditary and congenital medical conditions of their pets,” said Ms Chua.
Health issues aside, some pet owners are treating their pet dogs like toddlers, by sending them to doggy daycare.
While the concept of daycare for pets is not new, The Snuggery director Elayne Kwok told TODAY that she has seen a 20 per cent increase in demand for her services this year, compared to 2019.
“Pawrents” who cannot bear to leave their pets alone at home, or know they need to provide their energetic pets with activities throughout the day spend between S$500 and S$800 a month to send them to the human equivalent of a kindergarten about twice each week.
“We are (like) teachers to kids in a school as we communicate clearly with our clients about their pets,” she said, adding that they typically send multiple updates via WhatsApp daily.
The Snuggery allows pet owners to customise what the day might look like for their pets – such as going on outdoor walks, having one-on-one time with a trainer doing IQ games, simple agility exercises or basic obedience training.
While uncommon, some “pawrents” are also seeking legal help to ensure their pets are cared for if their pets outlive them.
Mr Tan Shen Kiat of Kith & Kin Law Corporation said the firm has seen growing interest in estate planning among pet owners, and has completed two such plans involving pet care last year.
Mr Tan told TODAY that the firm has also been engaged to search for a suitable trustee to be a good caretaker for the pets of a client, and apply the funds towards the pets’ care, which he described as a very “bespoke” service.
Should the pet die before its owner, giving the animal a private send-off has also been slowly gaining ground in recent years.
Mandai Pet Sanctuary, for example, handles, on average, 2,200 cremations yearly.
Having provided such services for more than 30 years, the company has seen a shift among owners towards providing more luxurious closures and private cremations for their pets’ last journey.
The company told TODAY that it hosts three service halls so such private services can be done concurrently, allowing owners to seek closure.
Private cremations and cremation with ashes collected by owners make up 20 per cent and 38 per cent of cremation services provided by Mandai Pet Sanctuary. A majority still opt for communal cremation, where the ashes are scattered in a communal burial ground.
The ability to offer a proper goodbye to their pets allows owners like Ms Quek to find closure for their grief.
“In the past, there’s no proper send-off or closure … I always wondered how I could send off my precious family member like that,” she said.
“Now, at least you can do a proper cremation, there’re procedures laid out and your pets are sent off with more dignity. It provides more comfort.”
Some pet owners are also opting for more environmentally friendly ways to send their pets off. While the procedure might be longer – taking up to 24 hours – aqua cremation has attracted the interest of some pet owners in Singapore.
“Cremation can be uncomfortable for some because it involves fire and heat,” noted Mr Yang Loo, co-founder of The Green Mortician. Since launching its services in March this year, the company has aqua cremated 50 pets.
The process, which involves using a mixture of 95 per cent water and about 5 per cent alkaline solution, speeds up the decomposition process. Within hours, the company can retrieve the bones and other foreign materials from the pet, and then grind the bones into ashes.