An estimated 65.1 million households in the United States owned at least one dog according to a 2023/24 pet owners survey, making them the most widely owned type of pet across the U.S. at this time. Cats and freshwater fish ranked in second and third places, with around 46.5 million and 11.1 million households owning such pets, respectively.

Freshwater vs. salt water fish

Freshwater fish spend most or all their lives in fresh water. Fresh water’s main difference to salt water is the level of salinity. Freshwater fish have a range of physiological adaptations to enable them to live in such conditions. As the statistic makes clear, Americans keep a large number of freshwater aquatic species at home as pets.

American pet owners

In 2023, around 66 percent of all households in the United States owned a pet. This is a decrease from 2020, but still around a 10 percent increase from 1988. It is no surprise that as more and more households own pets, pet industry expenditure has also witnessed steady growth. Expenditure reached over 136 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, almost a sixfold increase from 1998. The majority of pet product sales are still made in brick-and-mortar stores , despite the rise and evolution of e-commerce in the United States.

Active Dog Licenses.

All dog owners residing in NYC are required by law to license their dogs. The data is sourced from the DOHMH Dog Licensing System (https://a816-healthpsi.nyc.gov/DogLicense), where owners can apply for and renew dog licenses. Each record represents a unique dog license that was active during the year, but not necessarily a unique record per dog, since a license that is renewed during the year results in a separate record of an active license period. Each record stands as a unique license period for the dog over the course of the yearlong time frame.

Totals for columns > 100% as more than one response was accepted.+ top five responses*56.0% of dog owners walk their dogGetting to know people in neighborhood and mechanisms for doing so (pet and non-pet owners).

Reasons for dog entry denials by country for the top ten countries of origin, United States, 2020.

IntroductionChronic kidney disease (CKD) in canines is a progressive condition characterized by a gradual decline in kidney function. There are significant gaps in understanding how CKD is managed in canines and the full extent of its impact. This study aimed to characterize disease management of CKD and its impact on dogs, their owners and the veterinary healthcare system in the United States of America (United States).MethodsData were drawn from the Adelphi Real World Canine CKD Disease Specific Programme™, a cross-sectional survey of veterinarians, pet owners and their dogs with CKD in the United States from December 2022 to January 2024. Veterinarians reported demographic, diagnostic, treatment, and healthcare utilization data, for dogs with CKD. Owners voluntarily completed questionnaires, providing data about their dog, as well as quality of life and work-related burden using the Dog Owners Quality of Life, and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaires. Analyses were descriptive and Cohen’s Kappa was used to measure agreement between owners and veterinarians.ResultsA total of 117 veterinarians provided data for 308 dogs, of which 68 owners also reported information. Discrepancies in recognizing symptoms of CKD in dogs, particularly excessive water consumption and urination, were identified between veterinary professionals and owners. Interventions for managing CKD in dogs focused on controlling symptoms and supporting kidney function through dietary modifications and medication. Owners of dogs with CKD reported minimal impact to overall work and activity impairment (10 and 14%, respectively). At diagnosis, 78.6% of dogs were International Renal Interest Society Stage I-II, and 21.5% were Stage III-IV. Regardless of CKD stage, owners strongly agreed that ownership provided them with emotional support and companionship. Regarding veterinary healthcare utilization, 95% of dogs were seen in general veterinary practices.DiscussionThese findings emphasize the value of real-world evidence in enhancing our understanding of CKD in companion animals and informs future strategy for the real-world diagnosis and treatment of CKD. The results also provide insights to the potential burden experienced by owners of dogs with CKD.

Summary data for dogs denied entry to the United States by year, January 1, 2018—December 31,2020.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Pet Food and Treats in U.S. City Average (CUUR0000SS61031) from Dec 1997 to Feb 2025 about pets, urban, food, consumer, CPI, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

All 311 Service Requests from 2010 to present. This information is automatically updated daily.

Owner-dog relationship dimensions and extracted factors.

Canadian and non-Canadian dog age on acquisition.

Animal shelters aim to divert intake by encouraging pet retention in homes (e.g., support services) or through alternative methods of surrender (e.g., self-rehoming); however, it remains unclear what factors contribute to decisions to seek pet support services, as well as select different methods to surrender a pet. Using a sample of 452 U.S. and Canadian public members who rehomed a dog or cat within the past five years, the present study identified groups of pet owners who share similar patterns of responses to surrender circumstances using latent class analysis. The model revealed three heterogeneous classes of surrendering pet owners distinguished largely by the reason for surrender and the length of ownership. Comparisons revealed differences across classes regarding the proportion of respondents, the pathways used to surrender, and the concerns reported by respondents during surrender. Qualitative analysis revealed that respondents wanted or sought a variety of different support services, including behavioural support, part-time care, and veterinary care. Future research should consider the heterogeneity in surrender decision-making when addressing issues of intake diversion from animal shelters.

Canadian and non-Canadian dog breeds.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Industry: Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing: Dog Food (PCU3111113111111) from Dec 1985 to Feb 2025 about pets, food, manufacturing, PPI, industry, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

The share of households owning a pet in the United Kingdom remained relatively stable between 2012 and 2018, hovering around an estimated percentage of 47 to 45 percent. However, pet ownership levels peaked to an unprecedented high of 62 percent in 2022, likely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and increased time spent at home. In 2023, this figure shrank to 57 percent.

Pet ownership in the UK With more than half of UK households owning at least one pet in 2021/22, dogs and cats were the most common household pets in that year, with an estimated 13 million dogs and 12 million cats living in homes. As of 2020, the United Kingdom was the second highest-ranking European country in terms of its dog population, preceded only by Germany.

Consumer spending on pets in the UK As the pet population in the United Kingdom increased in size, so did consumer spending on pet food and pet-related products and services. Spending on pets and related products reached almost eight billion British pounds in 2020, a notable increase from a mere 2.9 billion British pounds in 2005. Among the most expensive pet-related expenditures are veterinary and pet services, which constituted almost four billion British pounds in 2020.

Dog source methods.

The number of pet cats adopted from shelters or rescues in the United States reached over 2.6 million in 2023.2.

Proportion of all household dog-associated poisoning calls to the APCCa related to an opioid or cannabinoid in each continental US state (2005–2014).

This statistic shows the results of a survey conducted in the United States in 2017 on pets. Some 51 percent of the respondents stated that they prefer dogs.The Survey Data Table for the Statista survey pets in the U.S. 2017 contains the complete tables for the survey including various column headings.

Purely spatial clusters identified with the spatial scan statistic using Bernoulli models, where there were statistically significant higher proportions of dog-associated poisoning calls to the APCCa related to cannabinoids in the continental US (2005–2014).