American Pet Breeds

The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) released a sneak preview of their demographic sourcebook of pets at their 2012 convention. The sourcebook isn’t expected to be released until the fall in its entirety. However, the information collected about pet trends and ownership revealed that there has been a slight decline in pet ownership over the past five years, down 2.4 % from 2006 to 2011.

Johnson American Bulldogs

Americans have owned about 2 million fewer dogs and 7.6 million cats at the end of 2011 than in 2006. This could be related to the state of the economy and as pets live out their natural lives, some owners are not adopting a new pet due to economic concerns that come along with pets.

The sourcebook also shows that dogs are still the most popular pet in America but cats are still the most common pet. Cat owners are likely to also own more than one cat compared to dog owners.
However, regardless of less pets being in forever homes, the study revealed that the dedication owners have towards their pets has increased. The amount of money spent on veterinary care increased to 19.1 billion in 2011, up 18.6% from 2006 for dogs and cats rose 4.2% to 7.4 billion.
It seems that many owners are very aware that preventative care is cheaper in the long run compared to treating a sick or injured animal.

Brown American Bulldog

These statistics and more were discussed at the AVMA Convention back on August 5th. The research and surveys were conducted over the spring of 2012. The U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook is one of the best sources of information regarding pet ownership and trends. The U.S. Census Bureau cites the sourcebook in their publications.

American Bulldog Picture

As rough as the last several years have been for us all, how many of us have adopted a new pet after losing a loving old friend? Was economic concerns a factor? Let us know!