Thursday, April 11, is National Pet Day, a holiday dedicated to “pets that don't always get the companionship and attention they deserve,” according to the National Day Calendar.
According to Forbes, pet ownership has increased from 56% of U.S. households in 1988 to 66%, or 86.9 million households, by 2024. 97% of pet owners consider Fido and Fluffy to be part of the family.
Why not? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the benefits of owning a pet include:
- More opportunities to exercise, socialize, and get outside
- Taking regular walks and playing with your pet can lower your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels.
- Reducing anxiety, loneliness, and PTSD symptoms.
How long do turtles live?:The expected lifespan of a pet wild turtle is:
What is America's top?
PetMD cites statistics from the American Pet Products Association and says the most popular pets in 2023 are (numbers in parentheses are households).
Dogs (65.1 million). Charlotte Reid, a pet trend expert and host of the podcast The Pet Buzz, said the French bulldog is the most popular breed. For 31 years until 2023, it was a Labrador retriever.
Cats (46.5 million). The Yemeni Shorthair cat is the most popular feline in the United States, but not for the reasons you might think. “If a cat's breed is unknown, the veterinarian may classify the cat as 'DSH' (i.e. domestic short hair), 'DMH' (i.e. domestic medium hair), and 'DLH' (i.e. domestic long hair). “It will be listed as such,” he said. Bonnie Bragdon, President and Co-Founder of the Association of Independent Veterinarians;
Freshwater fish (11.1 million fish).
Small animals such as rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, mice, and ferrets (6.7 million animals).
Birds (6.1 million birds).
Reptiles such as turtles, geckos, and bearded dragons (6 million).
Horses (2.2 million).
Saltwater fish (2.2 million).
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What's popular in New York?
Mirroring the United States, dogs are the number one pet in New York, followed by cats.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the most popular dog breeds in the Empire State are:
- Shih Tzu
- Yorkshire terrier
- french bulldog
- golden retriever
- goldendoodle
If you're wondering what the top five dog names are in New York, here they are.
- bella
- Luna
- Max
- Here
- Milo
The top 10 girl dog names for 2023 submitted to the American Kennel Club's purebred dog registration page are (in order of most favorite) Luna, Bella, Daisy, Maggie, and Willow. The top 10 favorite dog names for boys were Max, Charlie, Cooper, Teddy, and Milo.
This report uses previous Gannett articles.
