Would You Like More Pet-Friendly Polling Booths?

Come Saturday, when you roll out of bed and head to your local polling station, do you plan on taking your dog along? Would you like to be able to?

According to new research from  Mars Petcare Australia, the majority of Aussie pet owners would really like to have their pets be part of the day.

“A significant number of pet owners have said they’d love to bring their pets to the polling booths, and one in three intend to,” Mars Petcare representative Sophie Anning said.

“But I think if voting stations were a bit more pet friendly, we would see that number increase significantly – it’s actually jumped up since the last federal election.

“In 2019 we saw 15 per cent of pet owners take their pets to the polls, now we’re at 33 per cent.”

“In 2019 we saw 15 per cent of pet owners take their pets to the polls, now we’re at 33 per cent,” – Mars Petcare representative Sophie Anning

The idea of pet-friendly polling booths is already popular in the UK, Sophie said, believing Australia could benefit from adopting the set up.

“We can see that our love of pets unifies us, regardless of our political preferences, and they’re also scientifically proven to lower our stress levels.

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“[Pets] are also a great way to connect to others in your community, and that’s what we expect to see on polling day,” she said.

As for what policies matter most to pet owners, “it’s not just about wanting more dog parks”, Sophie said.

“Pet owners are wanting cheaper, or subsidised, vet visits, and two thirds of them believe that pet food in Australia should be regulated.

“Those are the kind of things that can, and should, be having an impact at a federal level.”

Feature image: Photo by Valerie Elash on Unsplash