TOTAL PET OWNERSHIP- the American Veterinary Medical Association's 2007 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook. Pet ownership tends to be higher in wide-open states -- especially those out West -- and lower in heavily urban states, according to the AVMA.

Ownership by percentage of households with pets:

Rank State Pct.
1 Vermont 74.5%
2 Idaho 73.4%
3 Oregon 73.1%
48 Maryland 50.2%
49 New Jersey 49.5%
50 New York 49.2%


HOUSEHOLDS WITH DOGS
Rank State Pct.
1 Wyoming 56.0%
2 Oklahoma 55.8%
3 New Mexico 54.5%
48 New Jersey 27.4%
49 New York 26.1%
50 Massachusetts 23.3%

HOUSEHOLDS WITH CATS
Rank State Pct.
1 Maine 56.4%
2 Vermont 53.3%
3 Oregon 52.2%
48 Illinois 26.9%
49 New Jersey 26.8%
50 Louisiana 23.3%

According to the 2007 "U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook" (Sourcebook) published by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) there are 43 million dog owning households compared with 37.5 million cat owning households.

There are 81.7 million cats compared to 72 million dogs. Women were the primary caregivers to most of them. About 64% of all pet-owning households owned more than one pet, and those pet owners spent a total of $24.5 billion on veterinary care in 2006.

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Reading to a Canine Buddy

The Lake Tahoe Humane Society and SPCA in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, introduced a Reading Buddy pilot program.

Since 1999, Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ)have appeared in libraries and schools. Students read to a dog with the handler acting as a tutor.These children often find themselves more comfortable reading aloud to a dog than to an adult or peer.

The reader becomes more confident because a dog doesn't criticize or correct. Some of the students continue reading at home to their own pets .

Each reader is given a private session of about 15 minutes and is encouraged to interact with the Reading Buddy dog. The handler helps with words and their meanings and offers support.


Reading Buddy dogs must pass a temperament and training evaluation and be at least 18 months of age. They must have current vaccination records, be spayed or neutered, and must be licensed in their resident county. Dogs must be well-groomed and healthy. Handlers must pass a background check and have experience with children.

The reading sessions are free to the hosting organization, and there is no cost for the individual child. Designated monetary donations are welcome to provide the selected books which will be used in the program, autographed by the Reading Buddy dogs, then given as rewards to participants.

For more information, contact Liz Maul, Lake Tahoe Humane Society and SPCA outreach and education manager, at (530) 542-2857. Donations may be sent to Lake Tahoe Humane Society, P.O. Box PET, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158.

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Pets in your will

Pet owners are creating trusts and setting aside money to ensure that their pets, the beneficiary, will live comfortably. In 1993 Heiress Doris Duke died and her will included lavish measures to provide continuing care for her beloved pets, including a $100,000 trust fund for a dog.


The increase in pet trusts is largely due to the fact that they now are fully sanctioned by law in much of the country. But since her Doris Duke died, the Uniform Probate Code, used by many states as a guide to development of probate law, has been amended to validate actual pet trusts that courts can enforce.



An pet owner must name a trustee and a caretaker for the pet in creating a pet trust. This person, or persons, are responsible for taking care of the animal. In addition, pet trusts can designate an enforcer whose job is to make sure that the trustee and caretaker comply with the trust.

Courts can decide if money put into pet trusts is excessive as a safeguard for family members. People who might be considering creation of a pet trust should be aware of certain tax considerations . With traditional trusts, human beneficiaries are taxed on the income that is distributed. With an animal-care trust, there’s no human equivalent that can be taxed on the income. So that means it can be taxed to the trust.

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Travel with your pet by Air

Contact your airline before arriving at the airport to determine your airline's policy on traveling with pets. Some airlines require that the pet be examined by a veterinarian no more than ten days prior to the date of travel so be sure to bring current health and rabies vaccination certificates.

Tips-

* Book a nonstop, midweek flight and avoid plane changes if possible
* During warm weather periods choose early morning or late evening flights
* In colder months, choose mid-day flights
* Arrive at the airport early, exercise your pet and personally place it in its crate
* Ask your veterinarian for specific feeding instructions for your pet during travel
* Promptly pick up your pet upon arrival


Transport crates are available from most airlines or pet shops, and should be purchased in advance so your pet can become acclimated to the crate prior to travel. The crate should be large enough to allow the animal to stand, turn around, and lie down and be well ventilated

If an airline does allow you to bring your pet into the cabin, the FAA considers your pet container to be carry-on baggage and you must follow all carry on baggage rules.

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Dog Quotes



"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person."
--Andrew A. Rooney


"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man."
-- Mark Twain


"My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money."
--Joe Weinstein

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."
-- Ben Williams

"Cat's motto No matter what you've done wrong, always try to make it look like the dog did it."
-- Unknown

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
-- Unknown

"If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise."
--Unknown



"Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won't buy the wag of his tail."
-- Unknown

"Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant."
-- Unknown



"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful."
-- Ann Landers

"No animal should ever jump up on the dining room furniture unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation."
-- Fran Lebowitz

"Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend; inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
-- Groucho Marx

"No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does."
-- Christopher Morley

"I wonder what goes through his mind when he sees us peeing in his water bowl."
--Penny Ward Moser


"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
--Will Rogers
"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult."
-- Rita Rudner

"I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves."
-- August Strindberg

"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons."
-- James Thurber

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