Americans Love and Spend Money on their Pets

Each year the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, Inc. (APPMA) issues a statistical profile of pet ownership and the pet industry in America. For 2007/2008 APPMA’s National Pet Owners Survey finds 71,100,000 American homes include a pet. That pet is most likely to be a dog: 44,800,000 households include at least one dog and 38,400,000 include at least one cat. There are about 74,800,000 dogs and 88,300,000 cats in the United States. Each year we spend more on our pets. In 1994 total U.S. pet-related expenditures were $17,000,000,000; for 2007 the expenditure is estimated to reach $40,800,000,000. For more numbers and some insights, visit the APPMA Web site.

What Kind of Dog Am I?

Pup Quiz!

Kids! Click here to test your knowledge about different types of dogs. See if you can identify them all.

Dogs in Time: Kindness Remembered and Repaid

Love of dogs is nothing new. Below is a touching story from the 19th century about kindness given and returned.

“My own experience furnishes me with a remarkable instance of bravery in the dog. I had, many years ago, a Newfoundland dog, as thoroughly attached to me as these faithful creatures generally are to those who use them well. It became inconvenient for me to keep him, and I gave him to one who I knew would be kind to him. Four years passed, and I had not seen him, although I had often inquired about him; but one day I was walking . . . and had arrived at the brow of the hill, where . . . I met `Carlo' and the master to whom I had consigned him. He recollected me in a moment, and we made much of each other. His master, after a little chat, proceeded . . . . `Carlo,' as in duty bound, followed him. I had not, however, got more than half-way down the hill when he was by my side, lowly but deeply growling, and every hair bristling. I looked to the right, and there were two ill-looking fellows making their way through the bushes, which then occupied the angular space between the . . . roads. Their intention was scarcely questionable; and, indeed, a week or two before I had narrowly escaped from two . . . like them. I can scarcely tell what I felt, for presently one of the scoundrels emerged from the bushes not twenty yards from me; but he no sooner saw my companion, and heard his growling, the loudness and depth of which were fearfully increasing, than he retreated, and I saw no more of him or of his associate. My gallant defender accompanied me to the direction-post at the bottom of the hill, and there, with a mutual and honest greeting, we parted, and he bounded away to overtake his rightful owner.”

This story appears in “Dogs and their Doings,” a Harper’s Weekly series, which ran is four issues in mid-1871. Harper’s Weekly had a huge readership. The story is from British veterinary surgeon and author William Youatt’s The Obligation and Extent of Humanity to Brutes (1839). It is entitled “Carlo, The Gallant Protector.” You can read Youatt’s The Dog (1852) for the scientific insights of its time. Youatt (1776-1847) was an animal rights advocate, so you’ll also learn a lot about the cruelties dogs suffered.

Dogs and Toys

Dogs love toys.  Do a Google or Yahoo search for “dog toys” and you’ll find a burgeoning pack of dog toy sellers.  Even if you choose to buy from a local pet store or chain, you’ll have a barking good time clicking through these and your browsing will give you many gift giving ideas.

There are chew toys, tug toys, plush toys and hard toys, plastic toys, bungee toys, and the always popular rope toy; there are quiet toys and noisy toys, smelly toys and even stinky toys, and don’t forget plastic, vinyl, latex, and rawhide. There are toys for dreaming and toys to figure out. And if this list seems complete I can ramble on: toys to be acted on, toys to respond to, toys to be tossed by you and chased by her, toys that take batteries and toys that take food. In the end, most times they’re chased, shaken, tugged, or chewed.

Dogs love toys because, just like us, they hate boredom – it puts them to sleep.  Play exercises your pal’s mind, muscles, and spirit.  Your dog’s playtime allows him to be himself – to be a dog!  Think about a dog’s day in the wild – maybe with canine pals – and you’ll realize why chasing, shaking (snapping the neck of prey), tugging (fighting over the spoils or taking one’s share), and chewing are so popular.  But snuggling is good too – not everything is for eating.  Dogs have a life, you know!  Most dogs know the words their humans use for their toys – the words we teach them – and the subtle and not so subtle actions with which we invite play.

Using toys in play with your dog builds memories for both of you and ensures that while you’re the boss, that’s ok with him, because you’re a great person and a lot of fun too! Many games -- especially retrieve and drop games --give you opportunities to both lead and reward. Stimulation is important for your dog – play and exposure to new experiences from puppyhood on builds self-confidence. A self-confident dog is happy and relaxed, less likely to anger and more easily trained. Toy play not only builds your relationship, it may save your rugs, walls, and furniture, and relieves or controls stress and separation anxiety for both of you. If you don’t give your pal something to do – he may come up with something on his own. We know one bored dog who nearly chewed through the leg of a mahogany dining room table and another who scratched his way through a wall and into the next room. They don’t make houses the way they used to!

Try something new.  Dogs love puzzles and they love to solve problems.  Though extremely popular now, there’s more to dog puzzles than the Kong.  (A Kong is an object you fill with food.  Peanut butter is a canine favorite.  The lucky dog then spends hours licking it out.) LittleRiverPetShop.com offers a great collection of interactive toys with names like Hide a Bee, Hide a Squirrel, and an IQube puzzle for dogs.  Also, visit PuppyShop.com for more ideas.  For a discussion of interactive pet toys visit Pet Street Mall.  Enter interactive dog toys in Google and you’ll retrieve an embarrassment of ideas.  These listings do not constitute an endorsement by DoodyCalls, but we do recommend that you consider introducing interactive- and independent-play toys to your buddy. 

What makes a good dog toy? Send us a picture of your pal’s favorite toy -- either digitally to DoggyDish@DoodyCalls.com or through the mail to DoodyCalls, LLC, 114 4th Street SE, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Include a sentence or two telling us how your dog plays with it. We’ll collect responses and publish them in a future newsletter.

Songs from a Dog’s Point of View

Songs from a dog’s point of view from Murray Weinstock’s album “Tails of the City” (Love Notes, 2004) are great – they’re cool (and beautiful) and what makes them cooler than cool is that they’re “about” dogs.  One Amazon.com reviewer writes: “It swings, it sniffs, it wins your heart effortlessly.”  The songs are about people too – dogs and people are different, but not from different planets and we’re fellow mammals to bark (I mean boot).  In fact, in a National Public Radio interview Weinstock, a prominent New York City blues and jazz musician, says his songs were “inspired by his late dachshund Sparky, whom he credits in the liner notes ‘for showing me life's priorities: love and food, or is it food first and then love?’” 

What might your dog be thinking?  Weinstock offers some insights.  Dogs lounging on the front porch in “Dog Day Afternoon”:

Any dog day afternoon
You got it made in the shade
You dream about bones, biscuits and cakes
That’s a dog’s life, for goodness sake,
On a dog day afternoon

 “Popcorn Paws” reflects on that special smell a dog’s paws acquire after she has been sleeping.  One dog to another: “I love your popcorn paws . . . they drive me crazy . . . nothing I don’t love about popcorn paws. . . “  And in the love song “Dixie Dog” one dog to another:

Dixie’s got fine little curls
Kind of smiles as she shakes and twirls
She wiggles that thing so fine
I wanna make her mine
She’s my Dixie dog, I love her so

In “Dog Tags” a dog who has recently moved to the city reflects:

I moved to the city six months ago
They got a file downtown, don’t you know
With bona fide papers that say I’m alive
With my date of birth, and when I arrived
I got dog tags

 “Big Kahuna” is one of our favorites -- but it’s hard to choose.  A Golden Retriever lives the good life in Hawaii.  Great venue and great food, and love is always in the air.  (What is a “Kahuna”?  Thanks for wondering.  Check the Wikipedia for an explanation.  In popular culture a brave person or the best surfer on the beach . . . a large, cool, relaxed funny guy.)

I’ll have puppies with Claire de Luna
And we’ll call them Small Kahuna.
I’m the dog called Big Kahuna,
I live on love and fresh caught tuna,
From up in Maine south to Altoona,
Everybody loves the Big Kahuna

You’ll get a joyful ear-full of Weinstock’s music on the NPR site and on his Web site, Dog Tunes.  Throughout his career Weinstock has collaborated with prominent musicians and he was a founding member of The Fifth Avenue Band.  “Tails of the City,” for which he wrote  the lyrics and music, features Mac Rebbenack (known as Dr. John), the fabulous Phoebe Snow, Soozie Tyrell (Bruce Springsteen’s band), Johnny Farina (Santo and Johnny), Joey Spampinato (NRBQ), Barbara Harris ( The Toys), Joe Lynn Turner (former lead singer of Rainbow), and John Sebastian (founding member and lead singer of The Lovin’ Spoonful).  Weinstock and Sebastian performed the theme song of TV’s “Welcome Back, Kotter”...  No wonder this album is so great!  (To know a little more about these groups and performers – and some quick links to their music  -- search the Wikipedia.)