Fun and Useless Facts about US Pets
, by CYNDI JENSEN, 1 min reading time
OK, sometimes I geek out over random facts - I just like knowing things. So I thought some of you might be interested too. Did you know...
- 36.5% of all US households own one or more dogs
- 30.4% households own one or more cats
- On average, if you have dogs you will spend $378 per year, while cat owners will only spend $191 - and bird owners only spend $33
- 3.3 million dogs will go into shelters this year, as well as 3.2 million cats
- Only 3.2 million animals will get adopted this year, and 1.5 million will be euthanized
- About 710,000 animals in shelters each year are lost animals that are eventually returned to their owners.
- Only 23% of dogs are adopted through a shelter or rescue, while 66% are purchased through a breeder or other source.
- More freshwater fish are owned in the US than either cats or dogs
- 139 million fresh water fish
- 94 million cats
- 89 million dogs
- In 2017, Americans spent more than $69 Billion on their pets
- In 2014 Baby Boomers accounted for the largest segments of dog, cat and bird owners, the current data for 2018 shows that Gen Y has supplanted Baby Boomers as the largest group of owners of these pets.
- 46% of pet-owning homes have multiple types of pets with 32% of those being dog/cat combinations.
- 43% of dog owners have some sort of electronic tracking device for their dog
- 10% of dog owners and 5% of cat owners have health insurance for their pets
- 48% of dogs owners will give their pets Christmas presents
- 11% of dog owners and 5% of cat owners hold birthday parties for their pets.
- The most popular boy dog names in 2018 are Charlie, Max, Cooper, Buddy, Jack, Rocky, Oliver, Bear, Duke, & Tucker
- The most popular girl dog names in 2018 are Bella, Lucy, Daisy, Luna, Lola, Sadie, Molly, Maggie, Bailey, & Sophie
Sources:
- American Veterinary Medical Association
- ASPCA
- Insurance Information Institute
- American Pet Products Association
- Rover.com