Category Archives: Behavior and Psychology

Behavior and Psychology

Your Dog’s Role

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USA Today recently reported on a survey commissioned by Bissell Homecare and done by Kelton Research.  The survey asked 650 pet owners what role their pet played in their lives.

66% reported the pet was their best friend (not sure what this says about the quality of human friends / spouses / significant others)

59% said the pet was a snuggle buddy (this is my Cooper, to a T)

37% used the pet as a guardian (does this mean the dog is guarding the house or that the dog is controlling the person’s finances & looking out for his/her well-being?)

33% viewed the pet as a child (this would fit my brother)

25% saw the pet as therapist (maybe Snoopy should have been in Lucy’s psychiatry booth)

Come back Saturday when we’ll p0se the same question to you, our valued readers.

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Behavior and Psychology, Dog Fun

Marmaduke: Livin’ Large Video Contest from USA Today

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great dane on beachIf you haven’t heard, the movie Marmaduke is due out in theaters June 4th.  USA Today and 20th Century Fox are co-sponsoring a contest that could allow your dog to appear at the end of the movie.

One of the themes of the movie is that Marmaduke must learn how to surf, so the contest is looking for dogs who have faced and conquered great challenges.

To enter:  submit a one-minute action video of your dog at work or at play via the newspaper’s Paw Print Post, which also has detailed rules for the contest.

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Behavior and Psychology, Poll

Where do people get their dogs?

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Pet SourceA recent survey of people who have gotten pets (cats as well as dogs) within the past 12 months. I thought the findings were kind of interesting:

25% got their pet from a family member
24% got their pet from a shelter (those making more than $55,000 a year are more likely to choose this option than those making less)
19% took in a stray
12% bought from a purebred breeder
8% bought from a pet store
5% kept the offspring of their own pet

In another finding, 42% of people who added a dog or cat to their family did NO research before making the move. This is scary because the number one reason why animals are dropped off at shelters is because the pet didn’t meet the expectations of the family. Kind of hard to have realistic expectations when you don’t do your research first.

Come back tomorrow to take our Saturday Survey so we can all find out if our readers mirror the general population or not.

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!