A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals and sport animals which are kept for economic reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their attractive appearances and their loyal or playful personalities. Their pedegree may also be a factor.

In some cases pets may also provide their owners with benefits, such as providing companionship to elderly adults who do not have adequate social interaction with other people. While some people believe in the physical and emotional benefits of owning a pet, scientists are currently working to verify these ideas with medical studies. There is now a medically-approved class of "therapy animals," mostly dogs, that are brought to visit confined humans. ''Pet therapy'' utilizes trained animals and handlers to achieve specific physical, social, cognitive, and emotional goals with patients. Walking a dog can provide both the owner and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction.

The most popular pets are dogs and cats, but there are also rodent pets, such as gerbils, hamsters, chinchillas, fancy rats, and guinea pigs; avian pets, such as canaries, parakeets, and parrots; reptile pets, such as turtles, lizards and snakes; and aquatic pets, such as tropical fish and frogs.

Local restrictions

Many cities and towns have local ordinances limiting the number of pets a person may have, although a certain number of animals may be kept for business purposes. They may also restrict or forbid certain pets, such as exotics. Certain breeds of dog, such as the pit bull and the Rottweiler, are banned in some places. Canid hybrids, created by breeding dogs with other members of the canine family, may be banned in some places. Semi-exotic cats, such as the Savannah, are also banned in some locations.

In many locations, animals that are considered pets by their owners but are legally classified as livestock, including horses, pigs, camelids, and fowl may be banned from being kept within the city limits or restricted to property of a certain larger size.

The cities of Berkeley, California, and Boulder, Colorado, have passed laws stating that people who have pets do not "own" them; rather, they are the pet's "guardian."

Condominium associations and rental properties often limit or forbid pets ownership by their tenants.

Pet popularity

There are approximately 78.2 million pet dogs in the United States, and approximately 86.4 million pet cats in the United States. The two most popular pets in most Western countries have been cats and dogs. In the United States, a 2007-2008 survey showed that dog-owning households outnumbered those owning cats, but that the total number of pet cats was higher than that of dogs. The same was true for 2009-2010.

:{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:97%;" |+Most Popular Pets in the U.S (millions) !Rank !Pet !Global population !U.S. population !U.S. inhabited households !U.S. average per inhabited household |- | align=center | 1 | align=center | Cat | 202 | 93.6 | 38.2 | 2.45 |- | align=center | 2 | align=center | Dog | 171 | 77.5 | 45.6 | 1.70 |- | align=center | 3 | align=center | Fish | N/A | 171.7 | 13.3 | 12.86 |- | align=center | 4 | align=center | Small mammals | N/A | 15.9 | 5.3 | 3.00 |- | align=center | 5 | align=center | Birds | N/A | 15.0 | 6.0 | 2.50 |- | align=center | 6 | align=center | Reptiles & Amphibians | N/A | 13.6 | 4.7 | 2.89 |- | align=center | 7 | align=center | Equine | N/A | 13.3 | 3.9 | 3.41 |- |}

Choice of a pet

For a small to medium-size dog, the total cost over a dog's lifetime is about $7,240 to $12,700. For an indoor cat, the total cost over a cat's lifetime is about $8,620 to $11,275. People most commonly get pets for companionship, to protect a home or property, or because of the beauty or attractiveness of the animals. The most common reasons for not owning a pet are lack of time, lack of suitable housing, and lack of ability to care for the pet when traveling.

United States

According to the 2007-2008 Pet Owners survey:

! Animal	! Number of U.S. households that own a pet (millions)	! Total number of pets owned in the U.S. (millions)
Bird	6.0	15.0
Cat	38.2	93.6
Dog	45.6	77.5
Equine	3.9	13.3
Freshwater fish	13.3	171.7
Saltwater fish	0.7	11.2
Reptile	4.7	13.6
Small pets	5.3	15.9

Canada

The latest survey done by Colin Siren of Ipsos Reid estimates that there are 7.9 million cats and 5.9 million dogs in Canada. The survey also shows that 35% of Canadian households have a dog, while 38% have a cat, which is consistent with other surveys conducted around the world.

United Kingdom

A 2007 survey by the University of Bristol found that 26% of UK households owned cats and 31% owned dogs, estimating total domestic populations of approximately 10.3 million cats and 10.5 million dogs in 2006. 47.2% of households with a cat had at least one person educated to degree level, compared with 38.4% of homes with dogs.

Overpopulation

Animal protection advocates call attention to pet overpopulation in the United States. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that animal shelters care for 6-8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States, of whom approximately 3-4 million are euthanized. This situation is created by nonneutered (non-spayed/castrated) animals reproducing and people intentionally breeding animals. A particularly problematic combination of economic hardship combined with a love of animals contributes to this problem in parts of the rural United States. There are also major overpopulation problems with other pet species, such as birds and rabbits. Local humane societies, Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs), and other animal protection organizations urge people to neuter their pets and to adopt animals from animal shelters instead of purchasing them from breeders or pet stores.

Effects on pets' health

Keeping animals as pets may become detrimental to their health if certain requirements are not kept. An important issue is inappropriate feeding, which may produce clinical effects (like the consumption of chocolate by dogs). The following are foods that can be toxic to your pets: avocados, beer, candy, caffeine, grapes and raisins, nuts and onions. Passive smoking is dangerous for pets. Researchers have found that exposure to tobacco smoke has been associated with certain cancers in dogs and cats and allergies in dogs.

Effects of pets on their caregiver's health

Health benefits

Pets have the ability to stimulate their caregivers, in particular the elderly, giving people someone to take care of, someone to exercise with, and someone to help them heal from a physically or psychologically troubled past. Having a pet may help people achieve health goals, such as lowered blood pressure, or mental goals, such as decreased stress. There is evidence that having a pet can help a person lead a longer, healthier life. In a study of 92 people hospitalized for coronary ailments, within a year 11 of the 29 patients without pets had died, compared to only 3 of the 52 patients who had pets. Pet ownership was shown to significantly reduce triglycerides, and thus heart disease risk, in the elderly. A study by the National Institute of Health found that people who owned dogs were less likely to die as a result of a heart attack than those who didn’t own one. While other studies have shown that for the elderly, good health may be a requirement of pet ownership, and not a result of pet ownership. Dogs which are trained to be guide dogs can help people with disabilities. Dogs that are trained in the field of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) can also benefit people with disabilities.

Pets in long-term care institutions

Even pet owners residing in a long-term care facility, such as a hospice or nursing home, experience health benefits from pets. Pets help people cope with the emotional issues related to their illness. They also offer physical contact with another living creature, something that is often missing in an elder's life. Pets for nursing homes are chosen based on the size of the pet, the amount of care that the breed needs, and the population and size of the care institution. Appropriate pets go through a screening process and, if it is a dog, additional training programs to become a therapy dog. There are three types of Therapy Dogs: "''Facility Therapy Dogs''", "''Animal Assisted Therapy Dogs''" and "''Therapeutic Visitation Dogs''". The most common Therapy Dogs are "Therapeutic Visitation Dogs". These dogs are household pets whose owners take time to visit hospitals, nursing homes, detention facilities, and rehabilitation facilities. Different pets require varying amounts of attention and care; for example, cats have lower maintenance requirements than dogs.

Health risks

Health risks that are associated with pets include:

Aggravation of allergies and asthma caused by dander and fur or feathers

Falling injuries. Tripping over pets, especially dogs, causes more than 86,000 falls serious enough to prompt a trip to the emergency room each year in the United States. Among elderly and disabled people, these falls have resulted in life-threatening injuries and broken bones.

Injuries, maulings and sometimes deaths caused by pet bites and attacks

Disease and/or parasites due to animal hygiene problems or lack of appropriate treatment (faeces and urine)

Stress caused by behaviour of animals

Fear or distress from animal presence or behaviour

Spread of diseases like the fatal rabies when not properly taken care of.

Common types

While many people have kept many different species of animals in captivity over the course of human history, only a relative few have been kept long enough to be considered domesticated. Other types of animals, notably monkeys, have never been domesticated but are still commonly sold and kept as pets. There are also inanimate objects that have been kept as "pets", either as a form of game, or humorously (e.g. the pet rock).

Domesticated

Domesticated pets are the most common types of pet. A ''domesticated animal'' is any animal that has been tamed and made fit for a human environment. They have consistently been kept in captivity over a long enough period of time that they exhibit marked differences in behavior and appearance from their wild relatives.

Mammals

Alpacas

Asses including mules, miniature donkeys, donkeys,

Cats

Cows

Dogs

Ferrets

Hedgehogs

Horses

Goats

Pygmy Goats

Llamas

Pot-Bellied Pigs

Rabbits

Rodents, including hamsters, guinea pigs, fancy mice, gerbils, chinchillas, plains viscachas, and fancy rats

Sheep including ewes and lambs

Birds

Companion parrots, including the budgerigar, lovebird, monk parakeet cockatoo, african grey parrot, macaw and Rose-ringed parakeets

Toucans

Domestic Canary and other finch species

Chickens

Domestic turkeys

Domestic ducks and geese

Peafowl

Columbidae

Ravens and Crows

Fish

Goldfish

Koi

Siamese fighting fish (also known as betta fish)

Wild

Wild animals are often kept as pets. The term wild in this context specifically applies to any species of animal which has not undergone a fundamental change in behavior to facilitate a close co-existence with humans. Some species listed here may have been bred in captivity for a considerable length of time, but are still not recognized as domesticated. Many of these pets, like insects and fish, are kept as a hobby, rather than for companionship.

Exotic mammals

Anteaters like giant anteaters and southern tamanduas

Canidae like arctic foxes, coydogs, dingos, fennec foxes, gray foxes, and wolfdogs

Civets like binturongs and genets

Deer like reindeer and leaf muntjacs

Duikers

Felidae like bobcats, cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, cougars, lions, ocelots, servals, and tigers

Marsupials like opossums, koalas, short-tailed opossums, wallabys, wallaroos, and wombats

Mongoose

Mustelids like badgers, minks, skunks, and otters

Primates like capuchin monkeys, chimpanzees, guenons, lemurs, macaques, marmosets, slow lorises, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, sykes' monkeys, tamarins, tarsiers, and vervet monkeys - see Pet monkey for more.

Procyonidae like cacomistles, coatimundi, kinkajous, raccoons, and ringtail cats

Rodents like chipmunks, degus, dormouse, flying squirrels, groundhogs, patagonian cavys, pouched rats, and prairie dogs.

Spotted Hyena

Tapirs

Sloths such as two-toed sloths and pale-throated three-toed sloths

Birds

Pied Crows

Parakeets

Reptiles

Crocodilians, including alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and gharials

Iguanas

Lizards and geckos

Snakes (many of the commonly kept ones like corn, king, milk and other snakes have morphs, which are color or pattern mutations)

Tortoises

Turtles

Amphibians

Frogs

Newts

Salamanders

Toads

Fish

Some of the common freshwater aquarium fishes. For more species of freshwater fishes, please see the list of freshwater aquarium fish species.

Angelfish (freshwater)

Barb

Cichlid

Corydoras

Danio

Discus

Gourami

Live-bearer

Loach

Mbuna

Plecostomus

Rainbowfish

Rasbora

Tetra

Some of the common marine aquarium fishes. For more species of saltwater fishes, please see the list of marine aquarium fish species.

Angelfish (marine)

Blenny

Boxfish

Butterflyfish

Chromis

Clownfish

Damsel

Goby

Lionfish

Pufferfish

Seahorse

Tang

Triggerfish

Wrasse

Jellyfish

Aurelia aurita (moon jellyfish)

Arthropods

Ants

Centipedes

Cockroaches

Crabs and Hermit Crabs

Crickets

Daphnia

Millipedes

Pill Bugs, giant

Praying Mantises

Sea Monkeys (a type of brine shrimp)

Scorpions

Shrimp (including closely related creatures such as amphipods and branchiopods)

Stick Insects

Tarantulas and other spiders can be kept as well

Triops

Vinegaroons (whip scorpions)

Molluscs

Snails

Cuttlefish

Octopuses

Non-living

Digital pets such as Gigapets, Neopets, Tamagotchi, or Nintendogs

Pet rocks - a type of toy; a rock treated as a pet

Stuffed toys are sometimes treated as pets

Robotic

*Humanoid robots - robots designed to resemble and interact with humans such as QRIO and ASIMO

*Robotic pets - artificially intelligent robots treated as pets such as Aibo, Genibo, Robopet and Mini Wrex the dawg

*Robotic stuffed animals - robots covered in fur such as Furby and Zhu Zhu Pets

*Robotic dinosaurs - robots designed to resemble dinosaurs such as Pleo and D-Rex

*Domestic robots - some people treat domestic robots such as Roomba as pets

See also

Animal Chaplains

American Animal Hospital Association

Animal hoarder

Animal keeping

Brood parasite

Dog attack

Dog grooming

Human-animal bonding

P.A.W.S.

Pet adoption

Pet cloning

Pet First Aid

Pet food

Pet insurance

Pet passport

Pet sitting

Pet shop

Pet store

Pets for vets

Popular cat names

The Pet Network

United States presidential pets

:Category:Veterinary medicine

Zoonosis

Pet loss:

* Animal loss

* Pet cemetery

* Rainbow Bridge (pets)

Alternative pets:

* Digital pet

* Exotic pet

References

External links

Companion Animal Demographics in the United States: A Historical Perspective from The State of the Animals II: 2003

Category:Human-animal relationships

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Name	Victoria Stilwell
Birth date	July 20, 1969
Birth place	Wimbledon, England
Residence	Atlanta, GeorgiaNotting Hill, London
Nationality	British
Known for	''It's Me or the Dog''''Greatest American Dog''
Employer	Animal Planet, Channel 4, CBS
Years active	1995–present
Occupation	Dog trainer, Television presenter, Author, Actress
Website	Official Website|}}

Victoria Stilwell (born July 20, 1969 in Wimbledon, England) is widely known as a dog trainer, author, and television presenter. Stilwell served as a judge on the CBS show ''Greatest American Dog'' and presents the Animal Planet dog training TV show ''It's Me or the Dog'', counselling families with problem pets and solving their dogs’ behaviour problems.

Background

Stilwell originally trained as an actress, playing roles in ''Bram Stoker's Dracula'' in 1992, ITV1's ''The Bill'' in 1994, and onstage in London's West End theatre, as well as several commercials and voiceovers. She received a BA honours degree in Theatre from Middlesex University. In order to supplement her income as an actress, Stilwell's veterinary nurse sister suggested Victoria start a dog walking agency. Within a month Victoria was walking 20 dogs per day - 10 in the morning, 10 in the afternoon - and immediately recognized the need for qualified professionals to help her clients with the training process. She then expanded her focus to dog training by learning from some of Britain's most respected positive-reinforcement dog trainers and behaviorists. After moving to the U.S. with her husband in 1999, Stilwell co-founded several successful dog training companies up and down the East Coast. Born and raised in Wimbledon, England, Victoria Stilwell is one of the worlds most recognized and respected dog trainers, reaching fans in over 50 countries. She is best known for her role as the star of Animal Planet's hit TV series “It's Me or the Dog”, through which she is able to share her understanding and desire for positive reinforcement dog training by taming some of the world’s most uncontrollable pets as she counsels families on their pet problems.

Dog trainer

Stilwell has become an influential advocate of science-based, humane and effective dog training movement. Stilwell rejects dominance-based, traditional training techniques, instead, promoting positive reinforcement techniques. These techniques, she says, increases the dog's confidence and happiness, and allows a healthy, co-operative and kind relationship to be maintained between owner and dog. Stilwell believes that positive training results in a dog who follows an owner because it wants to rather than following out of fear, while traditional training uses punitive methods to force a dog to behave, often resulting short term solutions which never truly identifies the root cause of the misbehavior while promoting insecurity and negative behavior.

In 2010, Stilwell created Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training - a global network of positive reinforcement dog trainers dedicated to spreading the word about positive reinforcement techniques Born and raised in Wimbledon, England, Victoria Stilwell is one of the worlds most recognized and respected dog trainers, reaching fans in over 50 countries. She is best known for her role as the star of Animal Planet's hit TV series “It's Me or the Dog”, through which she is able to share her understanding and desire for positive reinforcement dog training by taming some of the world’s most uncontrollable pets as she counsels families on their pet problems.In the early 1990s, Victoria began her career in pet training when she created her own successful dog-walking company and instantly recognized the need for capable professionals to help her customers with the training process. While pursuing a successful acting career (working in London's West End as well as in numerous films, TV series, commercials and voiceovers), she expanded her focus to dog training by learning from some of Britain's most respected positive-reinforcement dog trainers and behaviorists.

Charity

Stilwell created the Victoria Stilwell Foundation, whose mission is "to provide financial support and canine behavior expertise to assistance dog organizations and small animal rescue shelters while promoting the concept of reward-based, positive reinforcement dog training philosophies in organizations and households throughout the United States."

With a particular fondness for rescue animals in need of behaviour rehabilitation, Stilwell devotes much of her time and energy to a number of animal rescue organisations around the world, serving as a behaviour advisor for shelters in Atlanta, New York, the UK, and Hong Kong while giving regular seminars on the subject of dog rescue, training and rehabilitation. She worked as a volunteer adoption counsellor for the ASPCA, and has been featured in numerous magazines and journals including ''The New York Times'', ''USA Today'', ''Cosmopolitan'', the ''Daily Mail'', MSNBC.com, ''Psychology Today'' and ''The Sun''. Stilwell is a regular columnist for ''The Bark'', ''Dog World'', ''American Dog'' and ''Dogs Today'' magazines, and she has appeared on numerous talk shows, news broadcasts and radio shows in the US, Europe and Asia as a dog training expert.

TV programs

''It's Me or the Dog''

Since 2005, Victoria Stilwell has worked with unruly dogs on her TV show, ''It's Me or the Dog'', which airs in over forty countries. The show features Victoria as she counsels families with problem pets and uses positive reinforcement training techniques to help them learn how to correct their dogs’ behaviour. Originally produced for Channel 4 in the UK, the show premiered in the US on Animal Planet in April 2007, and over 90 episodes have been aired worldwide. A typical episode involves a family struggling to cope with their misbehaving dog(s). Victoria initially observes the problems in situ, then presents the family with her opinion regarding the causes of the issues. Victoria then works with the family and their dogs to restore balance. After a period of time alone to implement Victoria’s positive reinforcement training regime, the family reunites with Victoria to check progress, get a few tune-ups and encouragement. Special episodes of the programme have featured overweight dogs, Victoria’s public seminars at an outdoor dog festival, her work with the caretakers of a wild wolf rescue park, and her training of out-of-control pedigree dogs on their way to the world's largest dog show.

''Greatest American Dog''

Victoria was one of three judges on the CBS show ''Greatest American Dog'', in which 12 dog-owner teams compete for the title 'Greatest American Dog' and a $250,000 prize. The series debuted on CBS July 10, 2008.

Awards

Victoria was honored with the prestigious "Excellence in Journalism and Outstanding Contributions to the Pet Industry Award" at the 2011 Global Pet Expo and was named 'Dog Trainer of the Year' by DogWorld Magazine at the 55th Annual Purina Pro Plan Show Dogs Of The Year Awards Presented By Dogs In Review. She was named among 2009's '100 Best & Brightest' in the dog world in ''The Bark'' magazine. Victoria won a 2009 CableFax award as Best Host in the Animals & Nature category. In 2009, ''It's Me or the Dog'' was nominated for a People's Choice Award in the US, and after its first season in the UK, ''It's Me or the Dog'' was nominated in the 'Best Factual Entertainment' category in the UK's TV Quick Awards. Her first book, ''It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet'' was voted one of the 50 greatest dog books ever written by ''Dogs Today'' magazine.

Campaigns

She advocates animal rescue and supports ''Paws Atlanta'', "Atlanta Pet Rescue", ''Stray from the Heart (NYC)'', ''Hong Kong Dog Rescue'' and ''Greyhound Rescue West of England (www.grwe.com)'', ''Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project'', the ''Waterside Action Group'', ''Deed Not Breed'' (campaigning to re-write the UK's Dangerous Dogs Act to remove breed-specific legislation) as well as ''Vets Get Scanning'', promoting mandatory pet micro-chipping and scanning by vets.

Books

''It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet'' (Hyperion)

''Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet'' (Harper Collins UK), 2007

Personal life

Stilwell met her actor husband, Van Zeiler, while starring opposite him in the West End production of ''Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story''. The couple and their daughter live in Atlanta, Georgia.

After many years without a pet dog of her own (due to work commitments), Victoria adopted a rescued chocolate Labrador named Sadie. Prior to that, she had spent her time since 2000 fostering dogs due to be euthanised by local municipal shelters. Stilwell and her husband then gave the dogs a home while rehabilitating them and eventually finding suitable homes for the animals. She has explained that, until recently, owning a dog would have been irresponsible and not fair to the dog, considering how much the whole family travels. The couple has re-homed over 50 dogs and cats.

Qualifications

Victoria is currently certified by the Animal Behavior and Training Associates and is a longtime member of the US Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT).

Bibliography

''It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet'' (2005)

''Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet'' (2007)

References

External links

Official Website

Animal Planet Website

Victoria Stilwell on the Mother Nature Network

Category:1969 births Category:Alumni of Middlesex University Category:Living people Category:British television presenters Category:Dog-related professions and professionals Category:Dog trainers Category:Animal care and training writers Category:People from Wimbledon, London

hu:Victoria Stilwell fi:Victoria Stilwell it:Victoria Stilwell