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寵物旅行產品大行其道

　蕭美惠譯自路透外電　From portable potty turf to disposable kitty litter boxes and pet passports, t he growing number of travelling pets -- estimated at 20 million last year-- has spawned an industry dedicated to making the lives of road-weary animals a little easier.

　由可提式便盆到拋棄式貓咪砂盒到寵物護照，旅遊寵物的數目增加，去年估計為2千萬隻，已形成一個產業專門照顧旅途勞累的動物。

　Spill-free water gadgets, car booster seats and freeze dried pure organ meat a re also among the hot-selling products f uelingthe booming travel segment in the $36 billion pet industry.

　不會濺灑的喝水裝置，汽車安全座椅及冷凍乾燥有機肉品，亦為總額360億美元寵物產業裏的新興旅遊部門的熱賣產品。

　Even airlines are doing their part, en ticing customers with frequent flier pet programs that allow animals to earn mil es toward free flights.

　即使航空公司也來參一腳，以飛航常客寵物計畫來吸引顧客，允許動物累積里程換取免費航程。

　“Pets are no longer pets. They’re ex tensions of the family.Instead of leavin g them at home during a vacation, now it ’s fun to take Fifi, Fido and Fluffy wi th you,” said Bob Vetere,managing direc tor of the American Pet Products Manufac turers Association Inc., a Greenwich, Co nnecticut-based trade group.

　「寵物已不再是寵物。牠們是家庭的延伸。你不必在度假時把牠們留在家裏，現在把飛飛、狗狗及毛毛帶在身邊可說樂趣十足，」設在康乃狄克州格林威治的工商團體美國寵物產品製造商協會執行理事鮑布維特瑞表示。

　“That, in turn, has fuelled the growt h of companies totally dedicating themse lves to pet mobility,” he said.

　「這又加速致力於提升寵物行動性的公司成長，」他說。

　One of those companies is PETaPOTTY, w hich sells portable turf patches with dr ainage space underneath. The lawn toilet s are made to look like a patch of grass so tempting that even the strongest-wil led canines may find it difficult to res ist.

　其中一家公司是寵物便便公司，銷售底盤附設排水空間的可提式便盆。這個草地流動廁所的造型像是一片青草，逼真到連最堅定的狗狗都難以抗拒。

　PETaPOTTY tripled sales to $230,000 la st year and expects to pull in $600,000 this year, said owner Brandon Hochman, 3 2, a former professional snow boarder fr om Los Angeles.

　寵物便便公司去年的銷售成長3倍，達到23 萬美元，預料今年可賺到60萬美元，公司老闆布蘭登哈奇曼表示，他32歲，是來自洛杉磯的前職業滑雪板選手。

　Sylvia Pickett, co-founder of Global P et Products, is having similar success w ith her doggie car seat business, an end eavour that “took off like you wouldn’ t believe,” she said.

　全球寵物產品公司共同創辦人席薇亞皮基特的狗狗汽車安全座椅生意同意興隆，盛況「好到你無法置信，」她說。