The "Family Dog"...yeah right

With the advent of Spring, I've noticed a lot more puppies out there in the neighborhood!  Almost all of them are attached to a SHE!  Since I'm a dork, I mean scientist (really, the two are interchangeable), I started to ask a few questions.  These women claim their new additions are "family pets", purchased as companions for their children.  They didn't really want a dog or the responsibility that comes with it.  


So, I did a little research (I'm just screaming out the fact that I'm a dork) and here are some interesting statistics:

• The majority of pet owners are females, aged 35 to 49 yr.  (This is The Decade of She sweet spot)
• 39% of households have dogs, with the average house owning 1.7 dogs.  (I actually own 0.7 dogs, so there you go...picture below)
• 33% of households have a cat, with the average cat owner having 2.5 cats.  (I have to believe this number is skewed by these strange people that house 25 of them at a time...I know no one with 3 or more cats..do you?)
• People who own dogs have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower body weight but tend to have more mental health problems.  (This mental health thing is totally odd and may just be a chance finding...but see pictures below and let me know what you think)

So I am thinking, SHE likes having pets!!!  What do you think?

Here's my pooch, Nala.  She's a puggle, taurus, who loves eviscerating stuffed animals and wearing babushkas.  They look fantastic with her doggie snuggie and underbite.  

This is Farrah.  This picture almost looks like the front of a Hallmark card, but it is in fact the pooch of a friend of mine wearing a tutu.  Looks just like a family dog, right?  (I think my friend likes her A LOT!)  Farrah is a rotund, good natured bulldog who likes to walk without a leash.

This is Sophie Belle.  She is so special, she has two names!  If I could be reincarnated as anything, it would be Sophie Belle.  She is pampered and loved more than any creature I know.  She likes having her nails painted, being carried around, and just being a treasure!

This is Holly.  Not all SHE's are into dogs.  I'm not sure her owner  loves this frog, but I love this picture.  What a ham!  Holly doesn't like to talk about it, but she was fantastic in The Princess and the Frog.