Do you and your pet look alike? Does your Yorkie own more outfits than your husband? Do the groomers know you by name, and have you ever considered enrolling your little love in pet day care?
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Americans spent more than $41 billion last year on their pets, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. We spend more on our pets than movies, video games and music combined.
So, what does the type of pet you choose to pamper say about you? Many pet owners look for pets that reflect their own personalities, looks and lifestyle, experts say. But their expectations often are not in sync with their choices.
"People that like cats tend to be those that maybe are more reflective and appreciate the cat's ability to be different and stand by himself and yet be affectionate on his own terms,” said Amy Shojai, a certified animal behavior consultant. "A lot of artists, a lot of writers and musicians, really enjoy having cats because they are not quite as demanding as dogs.”
Whether you want a Persian cat with long, silky fur that requires daily primping or a garden-variety cat that you can just wipe off with a chamois depends on your lifestyle, Shojai said. A nurturing person might opt for the Persian, while a more active person would choose the short-haired alternative.
The same concept holds true for dog owners. Generally, athletic, outdoorsy people choose dogs that can keep up with their lifestyles, such as boxers and golden retrievers. Fashionistas love a purse dog, such as a Yorkie or a Shih Tzu, but aggressive, no-nonsense people may prefer rottweilers and pit bull terriers.
"Part of that is the fashion issue — what appeals to you in your own looks,” Shojai said. "If you like fluffy, curly hair, then maybe you have a poodle. If you're just kind of a ‘roll out of bed, it doesn't matter what my hair looks like' type, maybe you have an Irish terrier.”
But choosing a pet based on looks or perceived type can be a recipe for disaster, said Kathy Cascade, an Oklahoma-based trainer and pet behavior expert. She said that, in her experience, people who choose pets to carry in their purses as fashion accessories often cause their pets more harm than good.
"It's a total confidence issue, because you really can't learn about the world being carried around in someone's arms,” she said. She encourages people to remember that little dogs are not babies. She said she frequently sees pets misbehaving because they lack the confidence they learn by not being coddled.
"One of the things I talk about in my workshops is that, unfortunately, over the last 30 or 40 years, our expectations of our animals have changed,” she said. "They used to hang outside. They had jobs. They took care of the farm or garden or property. Now, our dogs not only live in the house, they sleep in our beds. We take them everywhere with us, and we have this totally different expectation.”
Too often, Cascade said, pet owners expect their pets to fulfill an emotional need that the pets are not bred for.
"That's a two-edged sword, because dogs weren't bred to understand that, but a lot of them have taken on a lot of our stresses. You see all these dogs that lack confidence, they have separation anxiety, they can't be left alone. Those are kinds of problems that didn't used to exist,” Cascade said.
"You need to treat your dog like a dog. It's perfectly fine to have your kitty cat in your purse to take with you, have your little Chihuahua or Shih Tzu or Maltese with you, but let their four feet touch the floor once in a while,” Shojai said.
"Because what can happen, especially with these little dogs, if you treat them too much like infants, and you don't let them touch the floor, and they don't get to act like dogs, they think they're people, and they're not. They end up buffaloing you and end up with all kinds of behavioral issues, and you're going to have more problems down the road.”
Cascade and Shojai agree that people need to take more care in deciding what kind of dog or cat to bring into their homes. You should consider factors such as how much yard space you have for the pet; whether you have children; whether you want a pet to take jogging with you or more of a lap dog for cuddling; and the breed's typical temperament.
"Little dogs with five kids in the household? It's the absolute wrong way to go,” Cascade said. "There are very few dogs that can tolerate the activity level of small children.”
Similarly, if you choose a border collie, you'd better have a job for it, Shojai said, or the dog will end up herding all the neighborhood cats.
Choosing a dog can be trickier than choosing a cat, because there are more than 400 recognized dog breeds compared with about 40 cat breeds. But choosing the right cat also requires thought.
"Do you want a ragdoll, long-haired kitty that's going to be playful and a lap kitty, or do you want an Abyssinian who's going to swing from the drapes and clear all your breakables from the mantel?” Shojai asked.
The best way to find a new pet, Cascade said, is to visit a local shelter or humane society and choose from the many pets that need homes. In fact, she said, if people chose their pets more wisely, there would be fewer animals in shelters.
"Mixed breeds can be the best of both worlds,” she said. "A lot of pure-bred dogs now have a lot of genetic issues, and they get rid of some of those things by having mixed-breed dogs.”
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