Pet Weddings Becoming More Popular in China
I now pronounce you … poodle and pug?
Pet weddings are becoming more and more popular in China, Reuters reports— at a time when fewer people in the country are interested in getting married themselves.
Some people might find the idea of animals getting married strange. But for others, it's perfectly normal.
"People have weddings. Why can't dogs have weddings?" Rye Ling, a dog owner, told Reuters.
His golden retriever, Bree, recently "married" Bond, another golden retriever, in a ceremony that Ling and his girlfriend had been planning for months — complete with a wedding dress and cake.
Ling and his girlfriend are in no hurry to get married themselves — and they're not the only ones. The number of marriages in China has been decreasing for years, although there was a 12% increase in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to the BBC.
The government has been trying to encourage young people to get married to improve the country's birth rate, which hit a new record low last year.
But while fewer people are having children, more are getting pets. According to research group Acuity Knowledge Partners, about one in eight Chinese people living in urban areas owns a cat or dog, and many of those people are under the age of 40.
The amount of money people spend on their pets is also increasing. In 2023, people in China spent $38.4 billion on their pets, according to Reuters — a 3.2% increase from 2022.
That money is being spent on things like food, toys, visits to the veterinarian — and, apparently, weddings.
