Nearly A Quarter Of Pet Owners Have Pet Insurance… Do You?
If you’re anything like me you would do anything and everything for your pets. They aren’t pets but truly family members. I was lucky enough to have my dog for almost 18 years and would have done anything or paid any amount of money to have even one more day with him. One thing we never did though was purchase pet insurance. However, I can certainly see how it may be an investment some pet owners choose to make. If your pet lives long enough you may come out ahead. But as is the case with any type of insurance- the goal of the insurer is that you do not.
New research by Nerd Wallet delved into the idea of pet insurance. According to them two-thirds or 67% of Americans are pet owners. For the purpose of this study pet owners are limited to owning a dog and or cat. And their data showed that nearly a quarter or, 24% of those pet owners have pet insurance. This study of 1,366 pet owners was conducted online by The Harris Poll. Another interesting statistic from the study is that “Pet owners who would spend over $1,000 on lifesaving medical care for one of their pets.” And while I’m not a current pet owner (I haven’t emotionally recovered enough yet) as stated above I wouldn’t hesitate to do anything my pet needed.
But should you have pet insurance? That’s entirely a personal decision. If you would personally feel better with that safety net then it may be worth it for you. If you have enough in the bank to cover an unexpected high-cost medical procedure then perhaps save your monthly premium and pay for care as needed. Do you insure your pet? What’s the largest sum of money you’d pay for medical care for your furry friend? Read the full study from Nerd Wallet here.
5 Of The Nation's Top Dog Friendly Restaurants Are In North Carolina
Five of the most dog-friendly restaurants in America are in North Carolina. Listen I love dogs. I really do. And I’m on board (if your dog can handle it and is happy) for taking dogs to places like breweries. Perhaps even somewhere with an outdoor patio to eat. But I’m a little more hazy on that one. But what I saw this weekend in Blowing Rock, was two different dogs one in a stroller and the other just laying under the table, inside in a restaurant. I’m sorry the line has to be drawn somewhere. Your dog will be ok at home for an hour by themselves. These were not service animals, just dogs that were accompanying their owners to dine inside a sit-down restaurant.
I get it. When my dog was alive I did wish I could take him everywhere. He loved to go to the drive threw, the bank, or a pet-friendly store like Petsmart. But I never took him into a general store and certainly never to a restaurant. And in all honesty, he would have been miserable at a restaurant. He hated sitting still in a new place, would have been trying to eat everyone’s food, and the heat outside would have bothered him as well. But despite my personal feelings about taking your dog out to eat, numerous people do it. This is what led Yelp to create a list of the most dog-friendly restaurants in America. And not one, not two, but 5 North Carolina restaurants made the list.
Here’s how Yelp says the list was curated: “We identified businesses in the restaurants and food categories with a large concentration of reviews mentioning “dog friendly,” then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning those keywords between June 1, 2020, and June 1, 2023. If a chain appeared on the list more than once, we only included the highest-rated location. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of June 1, 2023.” You can view the full list of 100 restaurants here or keep reading to see the 5 top dog-friendly restaurants in North Carolina.
Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.
