We wanted to learn more about how much dog owners love their dogs. We asked 2750 dog owners to answer some of our questions to get a clearer picture of a human-dog bond. Here is what we found out:
- 99% of respondents consider their dog a family member
- 60% feel like dog parents, not dog owners
- 68% of dog owners love dogs as much as their children
- 94% of people would pay $5000 to save their dog from a kidnap
- 92% of dog owners would travel 2000 miles to cure their dog
Every Dog Owner Feels Like Dog Is A Part Of Family
People and dogs have been living together for more than 30,000 years. It is needless to say that the expression ”dogs are man’s best friend” is accurate. We consider dogs faithful and loyal. There is almost no family in the United States that doesn’t live with a pet. Out of 85 million households in the U.S., 63.4% own a dog.
It does not surprise that 99.3% of the respondents of our survey agree that dogs are members of their family. They provide us with love and companionship that lasts a lifetime.
Do People Consider Themselves Dog Owners Or Dog Parents?
If you were to talk to your neighbor who has a dog and children, you would probably ask him the same questions: what is his/her name, how old are they, etc., right?
We were curious if our participants felt more like dog owners or parents and this is exactly what we asked them.
The results were as follows: 59.6% said they felt like dog parents, while the rest agrees that people can only be dog owners.
However, no matter the answer, all participants feel unconditional love for their dog.
Two Out Of Three Dog Owners Love Their Dog The Same As Their Children
Speaking of parenthood, you will agree that dogs act like 4-year olds. Also, they probably see us as their parents. This is why we wanted to know if people saw their dogs as their children too.
What we found out is that 68% of respondents said they love their dogs as much as they love their children.
Some participants without children agreed that if they had children, they consider they would love their dog the same way.
The rest of the participants (32%) cannot compare the love for their children with love for their pets. In their cases, children come first.
About 94% Of Respondents Would Pay $5000 To Get Their Dog Back
Have you ever heard of dogs who saved people’s lives? I am sure you have sometimes stumbled across such an article while scrolling through your social media. But are we, people, ready to save our dog’s lives no matter what?
We asked our dog owners if they would be ready to pay $5000 if someone kidnapped their dog. After seeing the answers to previous questions, it didn’t surprise us that 93.8% said they would pay the money.
A few of the participants commented that, if they didn’t have the money, they would try and borrow. All in all, the majority would do everything in their power to get their dog back.
More Than 92% Of Dog Owners Would Travel 2000 Miles To Save Their Dog
In addition to the previous question, we wanted to know if people were ready to travel far away in order to save their dog’s life. What if you had a disease that only one doctor from the other side of the world could cure?
We asked our participants the following question: Your dog has a rare disease. The closest veterinarian who can cure your dog is located 2000 miles away. Would you travel that far to cure your dog?
Just like you can imagine, almost all dog owners (92%) would go anywhere just to save their dog and give it another chance to live.
Best Respondents’ Comments On Their Love For Their Dog
Most dog owners and dog parents describe their love as infinite, indescribable, and unconditional. Our participants say they spend every spare moment with their dogs. They take their dogs on walks and play with them as much as they can. A great number of respondents said their dogs sleep in bed with them or in dog beds next to them.
These are some of the comments that inspired us:
I feel a strong connection with my dogs and I would say I love them as my best friends. They were by my side in those moments when people weren’t. In their silence, I found comfort that no human words could have given me.
That little sweet creature is saving me from this world. When he looks at me, he tells a story. When we walk together, it feels like the two of us are one being. When I remember that one day he won’t be around.. uh! I adore him!
My dog completes my life. It’s in all of my plans and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I start the day with my dog and finish it with him!
My furry friend is my best friend. She gets the best out of me. She is very gentle and has a great personality. I love her so much and she is always on my mind when I’m not with her. I don’t know how I have lived without her so far. I hope that she will stay with us for a long time and that we will be able to make her happy for the rest of her life.
Survey Data Collection
We conducted online research with 2750 dog owners. The majority, 95%, of our respondents were women and 5% were men.
Most dog owners (76.2%) of our survey have more than 3 years of dog-ownership experience. A 15% have been living with a dog for between 1 and 3 years, while only 8.8% of participants have less than one year of experience with dogs.
Next, 7.6% of our respondents belong to the age group of 50+ old. Then, 48% of dog owners are 31-50 years old, 43.3 % are 18 to 30 years old, and the rest of the participants are below 18 years old.
Most participants (69.8%) in this survey live with only 1 dog, 27.6% share their home with 2-4 dogs, while 2.5% own 4 or more dogs.
How Do We Measure Love?
Love cannot be touched or seen. It is an emotion that every human being experiences differently. You will agree that we can measure how much someone loves us by the way they treat us.
Most dogs love their dog owners with all of their hearts. Their humans are the center of the world for them. We know our dog loves us by the way it wags its tail, follows us around, licks us, sits on us, and plays with us.
But how to explain to another human your love for your dog? The aim of this short survey was to try and understand the human-dog relationship and connection between people and their furry friends.
Conclusion
All in all, thanks to this survey, we may conclude that most dog owners would do everything they can to make their dog happy, healthy, and to save him or her from danger. In most cases, the human love for their dog is as strong as the love for our children. It makes us happy that there is almost no dog owner who doesn’t consider their dog a member of the family. We are sure that dogs feel our love and respond to it. After all, there is certainly no connection in the world like a human-dog one!
