A Furry Love Affair: Why Americans Want to Take Their Dogs Everywhere!
Courtesy: StockSnap / Pixbay
Americans have a strong love affair with their canines and it’s not slowing down anytime soon!
Courtesy: Susanne906 / Pixabay
Dog ownership has grown steadily year over year. According to recent research, it’s currently estimated that 63.4 million Americans (equal to 53% of American households) own at least one dog.
A Furry Love Affair!
With such a strong love affair, is it any wonder that dog parents want to take man’s best friend everywhere they go? Obviously, dogs are usually the only pets welcome in public (please keep that pet salamander at home!) with restaurants, lodging, parks, travel and transportation, retail stores and more hanging out the “Welcome” sign encouraging both humans and their furry best friends to come in!
Dogs, in particular, make life so much better because of their:
Intelligence.
Trainability.
Affection.
Sociability.
Companionship and
Positive effect on their human’s physical and mental health. They can ease feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, stress or sadness with their unwavering, unconditional love.
Courtesy: MobilityDog.org
The Dog-Friendly Evolution
As dogs claim a larger part in our daily lives, it makes sense that society will continue to become more accepting and welcoming to our canine friends. With the passage of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, we began to see more trained dogs out in public aiding their handlers in a variety of ways shifting our perception even more. While the ADA only applies to disabled handlers and their trained ADA-Service dog, our attitudes about the role(s) our dogs play in our lives slowly began to shift to a new norm.
In addition, the millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996) has become obsessed with dog ownership! The “millennials are the largest overall group of pet owners with 31% of the total” and 82% of millennials having a dog. According to The Atlantic, millennials overtook Baby Boomers as the largest pet-owning segment of the American population. As such, millennials are changing the face of what it means to be a pet parent and just how far they will go to spoil their pets!
Then with the advent of COVID, more people than ever adopted homeless dogs and other pets to help them navigate their new, isolated lives. With restrictions lifting across the country, it’s unthinkable now to leave these incredible creatures behind as we venture out into the world again!
A Word of Caution
Courtesy: DrJanie / Pixabay
While the United States becomes more dog-friendly, we all need to realize it’s a privilege to bring our dogs to more public places!
With that privilege also comes the responsibility to be considerate and accommodating to others while out in public with our four-legged best friend! Remember, not all people want to get close and personal with your pooch and as dog parents, it’s our responsibility to respect their preferences and space.
Also, before you and your dog hit the streets, make sure your dog is ready with appropriate training and well-developed social skills with other people, children and dogs! Treat this privilege for what it truly is and don’t ruin it for other dog parents!
Courtesy: MobilityDog.org
Mobility Service Dogs West Coast Project
The MSD-WCP advances FUNctional independence for the disabled community through service dogs, education and empowerment.
Learn more about Solutions for Movement and Owning the Abilities in Disability!