With $30 steaks on the menu, the cost of living crisis is yet to affect Groot’s dinnertime. Groot’s owner Liv Arnold said the seven-year-old Maltese shih tzu is a fussy eater and “likes the finer things in life” such as quail eggs, scallops and lobster bisque. “He turns his nose up if he doesn’t like a food or makes a gagging sound,” she said.
“I’ve always cooked for him. He likes medium rare steaks and it has to be above a certain cut. He doesn’t like rump.
” Liv Arnold and her Maltese shih tzu Groot, who “likes the finer things in life” such as $30 porterhouse steaks. Credit: Simon Schluter Groot might be one of Australia’s more pampered pets, but 2022 data from Animal Medicines Australia shows households spent more than $4000 on dogs and $2718 on cats every year followed by small mammals ($1390), birds ($1328) and fish ($957). The Pets in Australia report found food accounted for more than half of all pet expenditure.
Other significant costs included veterinary services, products and accessories, health care products, clipping and grooming, insurance, training and boarding. The average cost of buying a dog was more than $1700 – although 27 per cent of owners acquired their dog free – while cats were acquired for about $800 when paid for. Arnold said Groot’s monthly food bill is about $500, while other expenses included about $1000 a year on vet bills to treat allergies, treats ($100 a month), grooming ($85 per visit) and dog toothpaste and .