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1) Massachusetts (1.87x more cats than dogs)
2) Maryland (1.83)
3) Maine (1.66)
4) Vermont (1.65)
5) Connecticut (1.57)
6) DC (1.50)
7) New Hampshire (1.46)
8) Pennsylvania (1.43)
9) New York (1.40)
10) Ohio (1.39)
Cats seem to be more popular in the north and dogs more in the south and southwest. This actually makes sense because dogs require a lot of exercise and a lot of space, which is harder to do when you live in an area where winters are long. I actually kind of feel bad for dogs who are cooped up in an apartment all day.
Dogs don't care about the winter as much as people do. Mine was always more eager to go out in winter and made a beeline back to the door in summer.
The list looks more cultural than anything. All the cat states are in the northeastern part of the country. Without bickering about what is and isn't northeast, all those states are at least northeasterly when looked at by the rest of us.
I'm not sure exactly why there would be no states outside that area on the cat list, but I think culture would be the general explanation.
All the dog states are southern, where people are more self-conscience about not being some sort of manly-man. It's the same reason they buy pickup trucks, even though most rarely use that box thing in the back for anything more than what a car trunk could handle.
Without looking, I'm going to guess that the most popular breeds in the south are larger and at least have the impression of being tough.
Wasn't there a study that ON AVERAGE cat households tend to be more educated? This list looks to support that based on the states shown.
I highlight on average because I know someone will take that the wrong way. The cat states are also colder (indoor pets) and people are more likely to travel in those states (leaving cats alone is easier).
Wasn't there a study that ON AVERAGE cat households tend to be more educated? This list looks to support that based on the states shown.
I highlight on average because I know someone will take that the wrong way. The cat states are also colder (indoor pets) and people are more likely to travel in those states (leaving cats alone is easier).
Haha, yeah. Nothing dumber than owning two huge dogs in a small apartment which then requires you to stand in a lousy gravel-filled dog "park" at 6am in the middle of winter (or summer). Then having to pick up dog crap with your hands, yum!
To some extent, I had hoped that the extreme density of cities like Philly and NYC would have discouraged rampant dog ownership, but so many people still own dogs. Of course that's anecdotal, so maybe there's something to the OP's numbers.
Wasn't there a study that ON AVERAGE cat households tend to be more educated? This list looks to support that based on the states shown.
I highlight on average because I know someone will take that the wrong way. The cat states are also colder (indoor pets) and people are more likely to travel in those states (leaving cats alone is easier).
I think its more correlated with climate than anything else. I was thinking it was correlated with population density, but then states like Ohio and Vermont are cat states even though they're not all that dense. Maybe there's a cultural element to it as well, but by and large I think most areas only have slight preferences one way or another.
I wonder if the fact that cats are so big in the Northeast has to do with there being more old stores and apartments, especially in the cities. Those places tend to have mice, and a lot of city dwellers (and small businesses like bodegas here in NYC) have cats just to keep out the mice. I suspect the same might be true in Philly, Baltimore, Boston, New Haven, DC, and other cities with older housing stock.
1) Massachusetts (1.87x more cats than dogs)
2) Maryland (1.83)
3) Maine (1.66)
4) Vermont (1.65)
5) Connecticut (1.57)
6) DC (1.50)
7) New Hampshire (1.46)
8) Pennsylvania (1.43)
9) New York (1.40)
10) Ohio (1.39)
Cats seem to be more popular in the north and dogs more in the south and southwest. This actually makes sense because dogs require a lot of exercise and a lot of space, which is harder to do when you live in an area where winters are long. I actually kind of feel bad for dogs who are cooped up in an apartment all day.
I own both though.
I think that quite a lot of the dogs appearing in Southern states are working hunting dogs. I know here in Missouri a lot of people participate in "coon hunts" which consist of letting a bunch of hound dogs loose in the country while sitting around a campfire drinking beer. The ensuing pandemonium of dogs making the most ungodly noise (you would think they were being tortured), often results in statements like... "Sounds like Old Bo' has one treed". etc. These dogs rarely see the inside of a house and are usually kept outside in a huntin' dog pen. It is really hard to consider them pets. I think if you remove that demographic from the statistics it would definitely alter the results.
I think that quite a lot of the dogs appearing in Southern states are working hunting dogs. I know here in Missouri a lot of people participate in "coon hunts" which consist of letting a bunch of hound dogs loose in the country while sitting around a campfire drinking beer. The ensuing pandemonium of dogs making the most ungodly noise (you would think they were being tortured), often results in statements like... "Sounds like Old Bo' has one treed". etc. These dogs rarely see the inside of a house and are usually kept outside in a huntin' dog pen. It is really hard to consider them pets. I think if you remove that demographic from the statistics it would definitely alter the results.
Is this in 1860 or 2018? That is rather disturbing in a funny way if people still do that in 2018.
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