Small Home Gazette, Fall 2023
Every Dog Has Its Day
Is there a dog living in your bungalow? Nationally, an estimated 66 percent of households (86.9 million homes) include pets. Dogs are the most popular by far at 65.1 million households with a dog, followed by cats (46.5 million) and freshwater fish (11.1 million). Estimates for pet ownership in Minnesota are considerably higher.
A Waterloo by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge,1906. Coolidge created this and 15 other dog paintings while under contract to Brown & Bigelow of St. Paul. The images were featured on calendars that advertised cigars.
Humans have lived with dogs in their homes for tens of thousands of years. Over time, dogs became more appealing. Evolutionary research has found that dogs were changing their physical attributes long before humans started breeding them. They shrank in size and grew floppy ears and curlier tails. Dogs even acquired new facial muscles to produce a wider range of expressions to better communicate with us.
Pet ownership spiked during the pandemic as we sought companionship while avoiding going out for work or play. “Pandemic puppies” were popular, especially among millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) who have edged out baby boomers as the largest pet-owning generation in the U.S. Psychologists say a dog can mean many things for these recent adopters: a dry run for parenthood; a way of putting down roots when other life accomplishments seem far off; or as an enthusiastic housemate.
These three popular dog breeds of the 1920s are still in vogue today—German shepherd, beagle and bulldog.
Three of the favorite breeds of the 1920s—collie, fox terrier and cocker spaniel—are NOT as frequently seen today.
Medical researchers say dog owners are healthier as a result. Mental illness, physical health, isolation, grief, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism can all be improved by the companionship of a dog. As a result, both humans and dogs are living longer. In the early 1900s, only one in five dogs lived past six years of age. Today, nearly half achieve that age and more.
These data prompted us to wonder about changes in the popularity of certain breeds over time. We turned to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the world’s largest registry of purebred dogs. It is important to note their annual “most popular” list represents the most frequently registered breeds among the 200 breeds the AKC tracks. This should not be confused with the dogs “most commonly” found in U.S. homes, which is a list we could not find.
Only three of the most popular dog breeds of the 1920s remain in the top ten today. The German shepherd, beagle and bulldog obviously have an enduring appeal. If you own one of these breeds, you are right in line with dog owners of a century ago.
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Pets have been beloved members of Twin Cities area families for a long time. In our Fall 2018 newsletter, we published a story (“Memorial Pet Cemetery”) about a pet cemetery in Roseville that offers poignant reminders of the human-animal bond.
