SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – We’ve probably all heard the phrase “dog is man’s best friend,” and in the U.S. pet ownership is more popular than ever. However, people might be surprised to learn just how much pets impact our lives.
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Audacy Conversations – special news events diving into national issues – recently explored the deep relationship Americans have with our pets.
Dr. Kerri Rodriguez, an assistant Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Arizona, was one of the experts featured on the program.
“My research really focuses on kind of the benefits of animals on human health and well-being,” she said. “So how does interacting with an animal and forming a bond with an animal, specifically dogs and cats, really improve our lives in many ways?”
According to Rodriguez, around 98% of Americans consider their pets to be members of their households. As members of the family, animals can have a range of influence, from helping the way children develop emotions and empathy, to helping keep older adults socially connected.
“One of the things that we found to be really important is that pets in general offer something called unconditional love, which… it could be minimal and not super important when you think about it, but in comparison to what humans give us, which could be conditional, or humans could judge you, pets never judge you, right?” Rodriguez explained. “They always are giving you so much love and support, and that turns out to be really important to our mental health.”
Another example of the positive impact animals can have on mental health is the way they have been shown to help veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. These pets can help ease PTSD symptoms such as anxiety, depression and social isolation.
“We’re finding that dogs in this role are almost just as effective as other PTSD treatments and really changing the way that we think about how animals can be integrated into mental health care,” Rodriguez said.
Throughout the nation, around 87 million households have pets such as dogs and cats.
Professor Greger Larson, director of the Palaeogenomics & Bio-Archaeology Research Network at Oxford University said that humans and animals have been living together for ages. It’s a development that he said happened naturally.
Larson thinks a there was a “mutualism that took place, where you had some wolves and you had people and they, they form a relationship quite accidentally.”
This relationship is still evolving, he added. For example, in the U.S., a growing naming trend offers some insight into that statistic showing that Americans think of their pets as family.
“Even a hundred years ago, you wouldn’t really think to give your dog the name that you would give to your child. But that is increasingly so, right? I mean, I met a dog recently named Sean, and it’s just funny, right, because… I’ve got friends named Sean.”
That trend has now reached South Asia, said Larson. Except, there people are giving their dogs English human names.
“They would never give them an Indian name,” he said. “And I think that’s really telling, right? So you’re allowed to have these relationships, but you’re signifying that it’s something that you’re importing.”
Along with feeling like pets are family, Americans also spend a good chunk of change on their beloved animals. In fact, pet ownership fuels a multibillion-dollar industry.
Chip Lupo, a writer and analyst at WalletHub, said that Americans spent $136.8 billion on their pets in 2022 alone, an 11% increase from the previous year. He said this increase may be linked to an increase in pet ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What we found is that dog owners spend about $367 annually on vet care, $339 on food and $99 on grooming, [For] cats, about $310 on food, a little less in vet care, and $50 on toys, which is good, because that just means more boxes,” Lupo said. “We did find that Gen Z generations, they’re more likely to splurge on things like pet birthdays.”
That’s not even the half of it when it comes to how pets impact us. Listen to the full show HERE to find out more.
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