How much do Americans love their dogs?
Loves driving or being a passenger!!??
In a recent poll taken by the Associated Press-Petside.com, it was determined that 1/2 of all American pet owners consider their pets full members of their family. An additional 36% said that they consider their dog/cat a member of the family, but not a full member. Wow!!! That means that 86% of pet owners believe that their four legged friends are worth of family status. That is awesome.
Many of us are so comfortable with otu dogs/pets as part of our family, we share our human food with them and even let them share our bed. In fact 50% of dog owners say that they feed their dogs human food.
Many enjoy taking their dogs on vacations, which is why so many hotels/motels and camping facilities are now making their environments pet friendly. For many families it is so much less traumatic for the dog to be and stay with the family during a vacation than it is to kennel the animal or even have someone stay with the dog at home.
Many people also enjoy dressing up their dogs. For most, this takes things a bit too far, but for someone like Bernice Miller, 71 from Springfield, Missouri, dressing her Maltese up on special holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas just adds to the festivity of the holiday. Tully, as he is known has not offered a comment on his costumes!!!
While the American economy is still suffering in this recession, many are still indulging their dogs with treats, outfits, and toys. We spend money to get them groomed, keep them well, and also entertained. If that isn’t treating the animal like family, I don’t know what is!!!
July 6th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Of course we love our dog, Sir Salty. He is the most excitable family member and at other times the quietest family member. He rounds out our family well.