Let’s face it: Americans are obsessed with dogs. With 76 million dogs and 75 million dog-owners, it’s no secret that Americans love pampering their pooches. But how are canines treated in other countries?
Pet or Pest
While dogs suffer at the hands of humans in every corner of the globe, some countries treat dogs better than others. In some areas, dogs can be seen as dangerous, disease-ridden, or even viewed as food. I emphatically do not agree with this treatment and prefer to focus on the countries who treat dogs to lives of luxury.
Read on to learn more about which countries have the most dogs and how they spoil them.
1. France
With 7.4 million dogs, France has one of the highest ratios of dogs to people in the world. More than ⅓ of French people claim they love their dogs as much as a human family member and there are grooming parlors in most towns across the country. France also has strict vaccination requirements leading to near eradication of the disease within its borders.
2. Argentina
As Argentina’s wealth increases, so does dog ownership, currently at 9.2 million dogs. More apartments in Argentina’s largest cities are allowing dogs and the government has been encouraging pet ownership, spay/neuter programs, and vaccinations. Popular breeds include German Shepherds, Poodles, and Labradors.
3. India
Though the majority of India’s 10.2 million dogs in India are strays, many live and even thrive on the streets. India’s human population is tolerant of these dogs, caring for them and criticizing measures to inhumanely reduce the population. Instead of culling strays dogs, most support the Animal Birth Control (ABC) program and rabies vaccination programs to help quell the rising populations of stray dogs.
4. Japan
Humans of Japan are notoriously busy individuals and this is often a deterrent for entering parenthood. Instead, many Japanese, 10.2 million of them prefer to become pet parents. In fact, the country of Japan holds more pets than children. The paw-rents heavily pampering their furry children support the $10-billion dollar pet industry.
5. China
In China, dogs are viewed as food as often as friends; eating dog is a tradition that has taken place for centuries. In the 1980s, having a pet dog in China was seen as copying the “western lifestyle,” and was against the law. Since restrictions have loosened in the years since then, dog ownership has become more and more common with 27.4 million dogs, China is now the third-largest pet market in the world.
6. Brazil
With 35.7 million dogs, Brazil’s canine population is second only to that of the United States. Brazilians spent a whopping $15.2 billion on their pets in 2013. The growth of the middle class in Brazil, along with lower fertility rates and rising life expectancy, is believed to have led to an increase in pet ownership: about 50% of Brazilian households own a dog.
We live in a dog-obsessed planet
While no country can match the United States when it comes to dog ownership, many countries are on their way to becoming just as dog-obsessed, and the canines are not complaining!
Will Corrente is a career entrepreneur and trusted authority and expert in the dog care industry. Will has over 15 years of experience as the owner and operator of Very Important Paws Dog Resort in West Palm Beach, FL. Copyright 2020 k9vitatherapy.com