DEAR PET TALK: If there was an election for “most popular pet” which pet would win? -Crazy about campaigns
DEAR CRAZY ABOUT CAMPAIGNS: Let’s talk dogs first. According to the American Kennel Club, Americans love French bulldogs, labrador retrievers, and golden retrievers German shepherds, in that order (Previously, Labs topped out but the Frenchie rose quickly!).
Fashions in popular dogs take 20 to 30 years to shift. Labs were most popular in the last 30-plus years; but in 1990, cocker spaniels tied with Labs, and was the most popular dog in 1980. From 1960 to 1970, poodles held the top spot, and before that cockers, and poodles went back and forth.
Popularity of certain dog breeds has everything to do with pop culture — if there’s a movie about a certain breed of dog, chances are that the public will want that dog. And, in the case of the movie “101 Dalmatians”(1961, remake, 1985), many people thought the breed was sweet-tempered and easy-going. Not so — in the past score of years, rescue organizations emerged to take the dogs that were abandoned.
And yes, dogs are the most popular owned pet in America, followed by cats. 66% of U.S. households have a pet (65.1 million with dogs, 46.5 million with cats, and 11.1 million with fish). Dogs are also the most popular pets in the world, ranking #1 in 36 countries. However, cats are the most popular pets in countries with fast-growing populations: China and Indonesia, as well as parts of Western Europe (France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium). Nordic countries split: Sweden and Norway prefer cats; Finland and Estonia prefer dogs.
Remember: cats are easier to keep in a smaller home and won’t need exercise, and I imagine cats will continue to rise in popularity.
If you want to own a dog, consider the lifestyle your dog will have — are you active and out of doors a lot? Look for a middle-size breed that loves exercise. Are you home, so you can give a smaller dog a lot of attention and activity? Consider breeds such as maltese, or chihuahua. Finally, consider rescuing a dog from a shelter — I’ve seen virtually every breed come through animal shelters — even large dogs such as great danes and great pyrenées. Those dogs can be the most loving and rewarding of all.
Sally Cragin is the director of Be PAWSitive: Therapy Pets and Community Education. Send questions to sallycragin@gmail.com
