More than 9 out of 10 say an animal’s health concerns are of equal importance.

How devoted are millennials to their pets? A new survey from the communication software company Weave Inc. found that 86% of millennials would risk their life to save their animal’s.

And there’s more: Rather than letting the phone call go to voice mail, 4 out of 5 millennials would answer if they knew that their veterinarian was on the other end.

Millennials — also known as Generation Y, the group born between roughly 1981 and 1996 — make up the largest pet-owning population in the United States. They splurge on their pets, the American Pet Products Association reported earlier this year, noting that millennials are “willing to pay more for quality products and services to improve the health and well-being of their pets.”

Among other findings in Weave’s independent survey of 532 millennials:

  • 92% are as concerned about their pet’s health as their own health.
  • 19% would give up their job before they gave up their pet.
  • 81% want their veterinarian to automatically recognize them when they call, but 72% have had to wait while their account was looked up.

Weave, a technology company, added that “millennials love pets more than they love tech” and that many of them “would give up social media and their smartphones before giving up their pet.”

 

This article was originally published by Today’s Veterinary Business, September 2019.