Pet ownership down in the U.S.

M

mlp

Guest
The number pets living in the U.S. has been rising steadily since 1986. No doubt we are a nation of pet lovers. But the U.S. experienced its first decline in dog and cat ownership in 2011 — the first decline since 1991.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), who surveyed 50,000 households, Americans had 2 million fewer dogs and 7.6 million fewer cats at the end of last year than they did six years ago. About 56% of all U.S. households owned a pet in 2011, down 2.4% from 2006.
Here’s a breakdown of the numbers.
Dog Population: 70 million dogs, down from 72 million; 36.5% of households had a dog, down 1.9%. Cat Population: 74.1 million, down from 81.7 million; 30.4% of households had a cat, down 6.2%. Source: U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook 2012

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/animals/2012/08/first-decline-in-pet-ownership-since-1991/
 
So they survey 50,000 households and assume the rest of the country is similar? I'd think there'd be a better way of coming up with the numbers. As one who is not in favor of humans having pets, I can't see this as a bad thing.
 
I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, there are millions of animals sitting in shelters waiting for homes. On the other hand; there are plenty of people who aren't prepared/can't/won't properly care for animals. If pet ownership is down primarily among that group, I think that's a good thing.