All creatures great and small
By Staff
Whether covered in fur or scales, pets are a part of our lives
Special to the Hartselle Enquirer
Did you know that bulldogs have never been listed in the Top Ten most popular dogs in America? Or that at least three dog breeds — the Collie, the Irish Setter and the German Shepherd — rose dramatically in popularity as a result of popular films and television series featuring them? Or that Persian cats remain a perennial favorite among American cat owners?
Registration statistics like these have been tracked by the American Kennel Club (AKC) since 1915, and by the Cat Fanciers’ Association since about 1909, providing a wealth of information about trends in pet ownership and breed popularity year by year. More recently, marketing associations and other pet-related groups have begun keeping statistics on all sorts of things, such as the toys and foods owners buy most often for their pets.
Today’s popular pets reflect changing lifestyle trends and health concerns. Small dogs (less than 25 pounds) are rapidly rising in popularity, as are low-dander pets like the Bedlington Terrier and the Norwegian Forest Cat, sought out by people with allergies. Certain large breeds have dropped dramatically in the rankings, including Rottweilers and Dalmatians. But other large dogs remain near the top of the list — including the Labrador Retriever, which has ranked No. 1 since 1991.
It’s probably no surprise that dogs and cats reign supreme on the APPMA (American Pet Products Manufacturers Association) list of America’s most popular pets, with freshwater fish holding strong at No. 3. But when the actual number of pets owned is counted, freshwater fish blow away the competition — 139 million are being fed or stared at right now, as opposed to about 90 million cats and nearly 74 million dogs.
Of course, most fish owners keep several fish in the aquarium. So if one were to share the total number of fish owned between the number of households that own fish, that would be 10 fish per household. And from my experience, that seems about right. However, if I divide the total number of cats by the number of cat-owning households, then every household would have 2.4 cats. I’m worried about what Cat .4 looks like. Maybe his name is Slim.
Top Pets in the U.S. (Number of Households that Own a Pet)
(APPMA, 2005/2006)
1. Dog (43.5 million households)
2. Cat (37.7 million)
3. Freshwater fish (13.9 million)
4. Bird (6.4 million)
5. Small animal (5.7 million)
6. Reptile (4.4 million)
7. Saltwater fish (0.8 million)
Top Pets by Number (Total Number of Pets in the U.S.)
(APPMA, 2005/2006)
1. Freshwater fish (139 million)
2. Cat (90.5 million)
3. Dog (73.9 million)
4. Small animal (18.2 million)
5. Bird (16.6 million)
6. Reptile (11 million)
7. Saltwater fish (9.6 million)
(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.
