User:Sabmarriie/Pet culture

Pet culture refers to the culture revolving around the interaction of humans and pets.

Pet Culture in the United States
Modern day society has integrated animals into their everyday lives. Today, American families have said that their non-working, indoor animals are close enough to call them family. Many owners post photos and videos of their pets on social media to entertain other animal lovers. The relationship between sharing and watching has shown an increase in interest for pet owning. This increase in pet owning has impacted cat and dog populations within the animal community. Within mid-1960’s century America, their population has grown an impeccable amount compared to the human population. An average of 63% of American households have one pet, while 45% have multiple. Increase in pets have impacted the increasing number of veterinarians.

Before the 1900’s, ownership of a pet was restricted to certain social classes who had the income to care for it. With modern day technology and medicine, the average lifespan of pets has changed. Indoor cats, on average, will live up to 13-14 years. While indoor dogs, on average, will live up to 6-10 years. Pet-keeping can be cost heavy. Throughout the average life of a pet in the United States, the owner may spend on average between $8,000 to $13,000.

Dogs
In the United States, the estimate of households that have dogs as pet is about 69 million. Nowadays, owners that have dogs have considered them their best friend and a part of their family. Owners that have suffered from mental illness, loneliness, and distress have lightly eased with the help of their dogs. Human and dog relationships have now been more emotional than practical. In the past, humans owned dogs for work purpose. Small dogs were used to scare off pest, while larger dogs were used for protection and identify danger.

Cats
In the United States, there is an estimate of 45.3 million households that own a cat. Between cats and dogs, cats have been known to be the opposite of how dogs act. Cats are seen to be more independent and tend to themselves. Many believing that cats are only with humans for their own benefits, such as eating. Nowadays, this idea has changed as cats are known to change their performance based on how their owners act towards them. The type of cat, character, and its history impact their behavior.

Fishes
In the United States, an estimate of 11.8 million households who own a pet, own a fish. Humans that rent homes that cannot own dogs and/or cats look towards the option to owning a fish. This could also be true to those have serious health issue or extreme asthma. Owning a fish has little evidence of allergies, and overall extreme little danger compared to owning dogs or cats. There are bacterial risk, such as infection, when it comes to fish water, but can be prevented with proper cleaning care. Those that do own a fish with an aquarium believe it has beneficial properties, such as relaxation and a distraction from everyday life.

Social Cost of Pet Owning in the United States
Pet owning in America may cause trouble to the public. Owners may have to face the consequences of pets that misbehave. It may result to pressure and distress to their owners and nearby neighbors. Each year in the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that an average of 4.5 million people are attacked by a dog. Within those attacks, around 900,000 of them are serious and need immediate attention. Many pets are also known to carry diseases. Dogs, one the common pets in America, are known to carry great numbers of rabies infection. Cats are carriers of Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that enters the brain and may cause toxoplasmosis. Pets are also known to cause people allergies. They could also trigger an asthma attack, for those who are allergic.