The 25th annual pet industry trade show, held recently at the O`Hare Exposition Center, featured a sneak peek at what Fido and Fifi can expect to find under the tree this holiday season.
Gourmet food items, such as cow hooves and pig ears, were in demand by pet palates that have gone way beyond bones. Forget the red plastic dish;
there are sterling silver bowls for the pampered pooch.
Clothing was another hot trend at the show, the largest in the country with almost 400 exhibitors. Bomber jackets, canine muscle shirts, raincoats and swimsuits headed up the fashion parade. Even fake furs were present this year.
”We had to go the synthetic route,” said one distributor, competing for a piece of the $13.9 billion pet market. ”The animal rights activists, you know.”
