US Leads the World in Dog Ownership

Pet ownership is on the rise in the United States, the UK and in Russia, to name a few spots on the globe. But nowhere in the world are dogs more popular than in the United States.

No doubt you have heard about (or participated in) the burgeoning industry of pet-related goods and services. Dog cafes, pet friendly restaurants and pet friendly hotels are popping up across the country. People are spending money on their pets like never before. In an era focused on shrinking economies and disappearing budgets, it is refreshing to see that the pet industry is booming, especially in the canine arena.

In the United States, 62 percent of all households own a pet of some kind. Of those pet-owning households, 37 percent are dog owners. (Cats are the second-most popular animal to keep as a pet in America.)

More Than Twice as Many Dogs in the US than Anywhere Else

The United States is home to a huge dog population when compared to every other nation or conglomeration of nations on the planet. Approximately 75 million dogs live in the U.S.

Brazil ranks second in dog population with 30 million dogs. All of Europe boasts only 55 million dogs. That's France, Germany, Belgium and all the rest of continental Europe combined. Per capita, the United States has 10 percent more dogs than Europe, where only 27 percent of households have dogs.²

^{In England cats out-rank dogs as the national pet with more households owning cats than dogs. The dog population in the UK is, however, on the rise as well.}

America has three times as many dogs than China, the world's most populous nation (in terms of humans). There are 25 million dogs in China and 1.3 billion people.

With less than one third of the human population of China, the U.S. boasts three times as many dogs⁴.

We just really love dogs.

Still More Cats Than Dogs in US

Despite the popularity and widespread, apparently patriotic love of dogs in the United States, cats still outnumber dogs. There are 86 million cats living in the United States compared to about 75 million dogs.This is true regardless of the fact that the number of households owning dogs is greater than the number of households owning cats.

Cat people like to have more than one cat more than dog people like to have more than one dog. (I'll give you a second to figure that sentence out.)

US a World Leader Once Again

In an era of a perceived decline in American dominance, maybe it is our dogs that will comfort us. We still lead the world in something, even if that thing is a love of dogs.

It could be worse.

Sources:

¹DogNews

²European Pet Food Industry

³Mutts 4 Us

⁴Google Public Data
⁵ APPA