Pet Ownership and Mental Health Statistics

Pet Ownership Statistics

• 88% of respondents in the APA's Healthy Minds Monthly Poll (2023) consider their pets part of the family.
• 86% reported a positive impact of pet ownership on their mental health.
• Pet ownership is associated with reduced stress and anxiety (69%), unconditional love and support (69%), companionship (69%), calming presence (66%), and friendship (63%).
• Millennial, Gen X, and Boomer demographics reported high rates of pet ownership, ranging from 72% to 81%.
• Significant percentages of respondents across age groups (18-29, 30-44, 45-64, 65+) reported buying gifts for their pets (53%, 62%, 58%, 44% respectively).

Pet Ownership and Connection

• Connection, according to Dr. Brené Brown, involves feeling seen, heard, and valued, and giving and receiving without judgment. Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than oneself, often sought through fitting in rather than authenticity.
• Social species need connection and belonging.
• True belonging comes from presenting one's authentic self.

Oxytocin and Bonding

• Oxytocin is a hormone released during sex, birth, and lactation, associated with bonding and reducing fear and anxiety.
• 5-20 minutes of petting a dog increases oxytocin levels in both humans and dogs.

Defining the Pet Bond

• Neoteny (selection of juvenile characteristics) may encourage compassion and discourage aggression in humans toward pets. This may influence the popularity of smaller breeds.
• Biophilia (appreciation of the natural world) may differ between species of pets—e.g., dogs/cats vs. fish—and influence pet selection.
• Attachment theory suggests, in part, that the pleasure of interactions is a factor in bonding. Psychological connectedness, security during stress, and biological connection (oxytocin release), also contribute.

Social Support and Pets

• Strong social support is associated with better health, including reduced feelings of loneliness for pet owners.
• Pets provide touch, comfort, laughter, and attention, which reduce stress.

Canine Taxonomy and Origin

• The taxonomic classification of organisms is a hierarchical system that categorizes to the species level.
• Criteria for classifying organisms include physical/skeletal similarities, intermating potential, chromosome similarity, and gene homology.
• Miacids, a type of extinct carnivore, evolved into Caniforms (dog-like forms) and Feliforms (cat-like forms).
• Gray wolves, African wildcats, and European wildcats are examples of early carnivoran species.

Dog Domestication

• Dogs were domesticated over 15,000 years ago, likely from gray wolves (Canis lupus).
• Domestication is a process of taming to increase utility for humans, involving natural and artificial selection for traits like decreased fear, reduced flight behavior, and increased social behavior.
• Genes WBSCR17, GTF2I, and GTF2IRD1 are different in dogs compared to wolves. The Williams-Beuren Syndrome, in humans, is associated with missing a chunk of DNA including WBSCR17, and is associated with sociability.

Evidence of Dog Domestication

• Archaeological evidence (e.g., 33,000-year-old skulls in Siberia, 18,000-year-old "Dogor") support canine domestication.
• Cave paintings and burials of dogs with humans (14,000 years ago) during hunter-gatherer times are also evidence.
• Genetic evidence (mitochondrial studies) suggests an East Asian origin ~15,000 years ago.
• Ancient DNA and genome association studies support a relationship with East European origins.
• Dogs, jackals, coyotes, and dholes all have the same chromosome number (78), indicating potential hybridization.
• Today, 23 distinctive genetic breed clades exist.

Cat Domestication

• Cats were likely domesticated around ~9,500 years ago, possibly as mutualists with agricultural practices (controlling rodents).
• Evidence of cats in ancient Egypt (4,500 years ago) indicates their value as snake-killers and companion animals, even worshipped.
• Cats were brought to Rome from Egypt by Greek settlers.
• Domestic cats descended from African wildcats ( Felis silvestris lybica) and European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris).
• Breed development occurred ~200 years ago, with emphasis on size and color. Morphological changes are markedly less than in dogs.

Domestication Changes

• Behavioral changes occur quickly, with approachability, tail wagging, and complete affinity with humans developing in fewer generations.
• Morphological changes take longer; e.g., floppy ears, coat color, shortened/curly tails are selected over generations.
• Dietary adaptation, such as better digestion of processed foods, is also a part of domestication.
• Polyestrous (seasonal breeding cycles) may have changed in domesticated animals.