The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), the leading U.S. not-for-profit pet industry organization, reported in their 2003/2004 National Pet Owners Survey that the number of U.S. pet-owning households has increased by more than 10 million since 1992. According to the survey, which is the pet industry’s most comprehensive consumer research study, U.S. pet owners have: 77.7 million cats; 65 million dogs, 16.8 million small animals; 17.3 million birds; 8.8 million reptiles; 7 million saltwater fish; and 185 million freshwater fish. They also found:

• Dogs and cats are found in at least one out of every three U.S. households.
• Seven out of ten fish owners say that fish generate a relaxing environment and help to relieve stress.
• Most pet birds live in the Southern and Western regions of the U.S.
• Turtles/tortoises are the most popular reptile owned by U.S. households with children.
• One-third of small animal owners consider their pets as children or as family members.
• Companionship, love, company and affection, along with fun to have in a household, are top benefits associated with pet ownership.
• The majority of U.S. pet owners have purchased a gift for their companion animals within the last year.

Dr. Kiyoshi Shimamura has found a strong correlation between dog-related complaints and earthquake activity, strengthening the idea that animals can sense earthquakes before they happen. By checking past records, the Japanese researcher found that in the eight weeks leading up to the 1995 Kobe earthquake that killed over 6,000 people, there was a marked increase in unusual canine behavior, such as excessive barking, biting and aggression. Near the quake’s epicenter, dog complaints rose by 60% during that period.28

As dog owners know, their animals have an amazing ability to read human body language and can pick up the subtle physical clues that tell them what their human companions are feeling – happiness, sadness, anxiety or anger. A Harvard University experiment demonstrated that dogs were superior to chimps and wolves at reading human gestures. And new research indicates that the dog’s capacity to communicate with humans silently through gestures and glances is an inborn talent stemming from the thousands of years that dogs have lived, worked and played with their human guardians.29

Gail Melson, in Why the Wild Things Are, states that there are more cats and dogs in the U.S. than there are people in most European countries, and the pet care industry has been one of the hottest growth segments of the U.S. economy. In 1996, dog owners spent an average of $187 and cat owners an average of $147 for veterinary care for their pets (AVMA, Veterinary Economic Statistics, August 1997). On top of that is the money spent for pet food, leashes, collars, cages, beds, treats, toys, medications, cat litter, and so on. Pet cemeteries, pet hotels, pet boutiques for cute outfits, hip replacement surgery for old dogs and a host of other “petishisms” attest to the human investment in their animal companions.30

My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3 a can. That’s almost $21 in dog money.

--Joe Weinstein

Some pet owners have considered or sought alternative health remedies: One-third of dogs owners and one-quarter of cat owners have considered or sought nutritional supplements for their pets (much higher if the pet is age 13 or older); 17% of dog owners and 16% of cat owners have considered or sought a massage for their pets.31

One of the fastest-growing groups of cat owners is women who live only with their cat companions. This group is responsible for a large chunk of the nearly $750 million spent each year on food, care, and treats. Women are also the majority of vets, according to the American Animal Hospital Association.32

Loneliness can be at the root of many illnesses, such as the “broken heart” of cardiovascular damage. The isolation that leads to loneliness is endemic in our society, and not just with the elderly. In studying homeless people who maintain companion animals in spite of their circumstances, Robert M. Kidd and Aline H. Kidd found that homeless pet owners were the most attached pet owners they had ever encountered (aside from those in the Canine Corps where dogs often saved their handler’s lives). Over and over again they heard from the homeless pet owners: “He’s the only thing that loves me.” There are veterinary clinics, such as the Doney Clinic in Seattle, WA, which provide services for the pets of the homeless.34

The sense of fair play is often considered a uniquely human quality, but a study (de Waal & Brosnan, 2003) conducted with captive capuchin monkeys found that the subjects also display a sense of fairness that may be tied to similar emotions, such as greed, envy, moral indignation and anger. This research is the first to demonstrate the sense of fairness in any animal, although it may prove to be widespread in social primates to foster the cooperation essential for survival, including gathering food and defending against predators.35

Pet owners know that their companion animals love them back, and now scientists are starting to acknowledge that animals experience fear, jealousy, grief, and, of course, love. Jane Goodall was the first to treat the animals she studied as beings with emotions, personalities, and minds, and her study of chimps in the wilds of Africa were irrefutable. Recent research with dogs has confirmed their emotional complexity. Dogs are master communicators, even better than chimpanzees at reading human emotional cues. A biologist at the University of Texas at Austin, Samuel Gosling, says people can “type” four canine personalities: sociability, affection emotional stability and “competence,” which combines obedience and intelligence. It’s very similar to the four basic categories of human personality found in stand psychological tests. Another piece of evidence is the increased use of psychoactive pet drugs like Prozac (sold in doggie form as Clomicalm). If animals don’t have moods, why would they react to mood lifters?36

Footnotes:

28  Ananova, “Dogs get touchy before tremors,” Animal Wellness, Vol. 5, Issue 6.

29  “’Man’s Best Friend’: From Nature or Nurturing?” Animal Guardian, Winter 2003, p. 16, a publication of the Doris Day Animal League.

30  Gail F. Melson, Why the Wild Things Are: Animals in the Lives of Children,” (Harvard University Press, 2001), pp. 30-31. See Kathleen Szasz, Petishism: Pets and Their People in the Western World (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969). Also, Richard Klein, “The Power of Pets,” New Republic, July 10, 1995, pp. 18-23.

31  The State of the American Pet Survey Highlights

32  Clea Simon, The Feline Mystique, St. Martin’s Press, 2002, p. 10.

34  Tim Friend, “Researchers find monkeys have sense of fair play, getting ripped off,” USA Today, 2003.

35  Mary Carmichael, “Animal Emotions,” Newsweek, July 21, 2003, p. 45.