New York State is going to the dogs, and the cats also. A new poll on pet ownership by Siena College shows that 42-percent of New Yorkers currently have a pet in their household; 30 percent own a dog, 20 percent a cat, and nearly one in 10 have both.
Forced to choose, 57 percent of all New Yorkers consider themselves a ‘dog person’ while 17 percent say they are a ‘cat person’.
“We sure love our pets. Virtually all pet owners say that they speak to their pet as if it were a human being at least once in a while with nearly six in ten saying they do so all the time,” according to Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute.
Levy also says that “And it looks like these four legged friends get the run of the house in many cases. Three quarters of all owners let their pets up on the furniture – nearly half admitting to all the time – and six in ten cuddle up at night with Fido – almost forty percent all the time.”
While 27 percent of pet owners, either those with a pet currently or those that had a pet within the last five years, spend less than $500 a year on food, vet visits, medicine, grooming, treats, toys or boarding, 34 percent spend at least $1000 a year. Perhaps contributing to those expenses: 52 percent of owners buy their pets gifts some or all the time, 33 percent bring them to a groomer and 29 percent cook special food or meals for their pet at least sometimes. Thirteen percent have pet insurance and 11 percent have an invisible fence.
Twenty-six percent of owners obtained their pet from a shelter while the largest group, 31 percent got their pet from a private person, 13 percent from a pet store and 12 percent said that the pet adopted them. Seventy-three percent of dog owners but only 43 percent of cat owners have licenses for their pets.
