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So, here’s a question: What REALLY makes someone a dog lover? Is it that you grew up with them? Is it in our genes? Is it just random luck of the draw that we love one of the most magical animals on this planet? We have the answer for you!
Let’s start with some NUMBERS! Yes, numbers can be gross but they also make us dog lovers sound pretty awesome. The ongoing study, California Health Interview Survey, was started in 2001 and basically interviews random Californians via telephone. During the year 2003, a whopping 42,044 adults were interviewed for this survey and asked about dog and cat ownership. Out of the 26% who owned a dog, 22% who owned a cat and 9% who owned both, this is what they concluded:
“Married people are more likely to have pets. The odds that a married person owned a dog were 34 percent higher than the odds for a non-married person, and 9 percent higher for owning a cat.
Women are more likely to keep pets. The odds that a woman owned a dog were 8 percent higher than the odds a man owned a dog, and they were 16 percent higher for owning a cat.
Large racial and ethnic differences exist in pet ownership. Whites were about 3 times more likely to own a dog and nearly 5 times more likely to own a cat when compared to non-whites. In contrast, black respondents were half as likely to own a dog and less than a third as likely to own a cat as other respondents. The pet ownership patterns of Hispanic and Asian respondents were similar to that of black respondents.
Pet keeping is more common among homeowners. Homeowners were almost three times more likely to own a dog, and the odds that a homeowner had a cat were 60 percent higher than the odds for non-home owners.
Wealthy people are more likely to live with pets than poor people. Individuals in higher income brackets were significantly more likely to own dogs and cats.” (Psychology Today)
NOW, the question is, are these factors above WHY they became pet owners? Or does the psychology behind being a dog lover run deeper than that? For example, there’s the question: Does being a dog lover mean that you’re more likely to be married or be in a higher tax bracket?
Here’s some more information from a study completed by Denise Guastello, an associate Professor at Carroll University, compared the differences in personality between dog and cat people and the environments that each group prefers from 600 college students. One conclusion was that dog people are more likely to “be more lively,” stated Guastello, “because they’re going to want to be out there, outside, talking to people, ringing their dog.” It was also concluded that, after asking which pet the student’s preferred and studying their own personality traits, people choose pets based off their OWN personalities.
Another study by the University of Texas came to the same conclusion as Guastello concluding that “dog people were 15 percent more extroverted and 13 percent more agreeable than cat people. On the flip side, cat people were 12 percent more neurotic, but 11 percent more open than dog people” (Stylecaster). The same study believes that dog people are actually better at relationships as well due to the fact that being a dog owner is more committal.
So let’s go over this again. According to multiple studies, dog lovers are more committed, extroverted and also more likely to be married. Now, could the notion that they are more committed be the reason why more married couples own dogs rather than cats? Do you think that this applies to you as well? Take a look around yourself, your life and your personality and you might just be surprised!
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