Pet Popularity Contest: Dogs or Cats?

US pet popularity contest results are in, and left cats stalking off, tails up, tips thrashing, thinking less of humans than ever.  Ireland, the UK and the US all agree: dogs rule!

More than 9000 votes were cast over eight weeks. Dogs 65%, Cats 35% came as a surprise considering that cat owners outnumber dog owners by 13 million. Yes, that’s what I said, huh?  The only explanation I can come up with is that cat people reflect their preference–they are just not that into joining in, and certainly not with such a pointless exercise as a contest against d-o-g-s, when they could be happily engaged in their solitary pursuits.  Of course, there are those households with split interests who said while they had both dogs and cats, they voted for cats, possibly feeling sorry for them (making it all the more clear they were really dog people and just don’t get cats).

The contest was a prelude to this weekend’s “Meet the Breeds” event in New York. The American Kennel Club and Cat Fancier’s Association have partnered to bring 160 dog breeds and 41 cat breeds together at the Javits Center. There will be demonstrations by law enforcement K9s, groomers, agility, obedience (here’s where cats really lose it), an educational cat show (now that’s much more suitable) children’s activities, and booths where you can talk to trainers, vets, and other experts. Tickets are available throughout the weekend.

(See the K9 Magazine contest article by Jennifer White)

One more thing…

Tony Pierce’s article on Berkeley Breathed’s new book “Flawed Dogs” over at LA Unleashed is an excellent read. An interesting tie-in mentioned: so few tickets have been sold for this weekend’s Eagles vs Oakland Raiders that the game will be blacked out in the Bay area. An example of the power of voting with your dollars…