Tag Archives: pet store

Can your dog boost your sex appeal?

Posted on December 17, 2015 | Leave a comment

Yes, according to a new study published in Anthrozoös, a multidisciplinary journal of the interactions of people and animals.

Photo courtesy of http://www.DogChannel.com

In collaboration with the pet store chain PetSmart, the researchers recruited 1,210 single pet owners through the online dating service Match.com. In the pool of participants, 60% were women and 40% were men; 72% were dog owners and 42% cat owners.

The subjects took a 21-question online survey about how pets entered into their dating lives and 35% percent of women and 26% of men said they had been more attracted to someone because they owned a pet.

Dogs won 500 of the 600 votes for the sexiest pet a guy could own.

Author of the recently published article entitled ‘The Roles of Pet Dogs and Cats in Human Courtship and Dating’ Peter Gray, said: “The direction of these patterns in results was toward cats being exploited less often than dogs as “social tools” in the dating world”.

So if you want to increase your dating chances, get a dog.

Source: Taylor & Francis media release

The Roles of Pet Dogs and Cats in Human Courtship and Dating, Peter B. Gray et al, Volume 28, Issue 4, 2015, Anthrozoös: A multidisciplinary journal of the interactions of people and animals.

Read the full article online:http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08927936.2015.1064216

What pet should I get?

Posted on August 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

“I want a pet, I want a pet, what pet should we get?” is the mantra of the latest Dr Seuss children’s book, published for the first time in July 2015.

The manuscript for this book was found amongst the papers of Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr Seuss) almost 25 years after his death.

From what I can see, the illustrations are classic Dr Seuss, as is the rhyming language he liked to use for his young audiences.

I grew up with Dr Seuss – Horton Hears a Who was a favorite. And so it is rather nice to think that a whole younger generation of kids can talk about the newest Seuss book.

Critics say the book is dated because the children go to a pet store to find their animal (rather than adopting). Let’s hope the teacher, parents and grandparents who read this story to the children are able to explain why going to the pet store “isn’t the way we do things nowadays…”

Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, Canine Catering Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand

Behavioural problems in pet store dogs

Posted on May 6, 2014 | Leave a comment

Dogs purchased from pet stores are more likely to have a range of behavior problems than those purchased from small, non-commercial breeders, says a study by researchers at the Best Friends Animal Society and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The study involved 413 dogs purchased from pet stores. Psychological and behavioral characteristics of these dogs were compared to the same characteristics in 5,657 dogs obtained from small-scale, private breeders. (Most puppies sold in pet stores in the USA are sourced from large-scale, puppy mill type commercial breeders).

Results show that dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores showed significantly more aggression toward human family members, unfamiliar people and other dogs. Dogs purchased from pet stores were almost twice as likely to exhibit aggression directed toward unfamiliar dogs than dogs purchased from small non-commercial breeders.

The pet store dogs also a displayed greater fear of other dogs and typical events in pet dogs’ lives, had more behavior problems when left alone at home, and experienced more problems with house-soiling. These behaviors in young adult dogs are reasons typically cited by people who surrender their pets to animal shelters.

“The results were so one-sided that in the wide range of behavior problems we included in our analysis, pet store dogs failed in every single case to even obtain one more favorable score than the comparison group of dogs” says Dr Frank McMillan of Best Friends Animal Society.

The research team acknowledges that the exact causes of the behavioral problems observed are not known; until these causes are understood, they recommend avoiding purchasing puppies from pet stores.

Source: BusinessWire media release