Questions on small dogs and bicyclists:
Answer:
There are more than 400 breeds of dog in the world, and most
statistics are broken down by breed, not by dog size. However, I’ve
attempted to estimate a population for you. The Humane Society of the
United States says there are 68 million owned dogs in the United
States ( http://www.hsus.org/ace/11831 ), and one household in four
owns a dog. There are 73 million cats, but only one household in three
owns a cat. Those numbers can support a claim that either pet is more
popular than the other.
An American Pet Products Manufacturers Association study provides
detailed ownership information broken down by dog size, but it costs
$295 for nonmembers ( http://www.appma.org/membership/survey.asp ).
Other studies that may have exact information are available at
http://www.avma.org/cim/cimordr.html, but again, all of these cost
money. However, we can generate an estimate starting with the total
number of dogs, then factoring in ownership rates of the most popular
breeds, small and large.
While it is far from an exact count of pets, the American Kennel Club
offers registration numbers for different breeds. We'll use that data
as a reasonable proxy for dog popularity. Retrievers are by far the
most common, but Nos. 4, 5, and 6 on the list are Dachshund, Beagle,
and Yorkshire Terrier. Poodles are No. 7, but a fair number of them
are large, so don’t read too much into that. For more details, visit
http://www.akc.org/breeds/regstats2001.cfm.
I used that data to extrapolate the population of small dogs. I looked
at the 32 most commonly registered breeds, which made up 85% of all
registrations. Of those registrations, slightly fewer than 49% were
small dogs. The analysis was unscientific, but I am willing to say
with confidence that small dogs make up roughly half of the dog
population, suggesting that Americans own between 30 million and 38
million small dogs.
Small dogs on average live longer than large dogs, though it varies
greatly from breed to breed. This Web site (
http://www.dr-dogs.com/breeds%20guide/breed%20guide.htm ) lists the
average lifespan of a number of popular breeds. For example, Yorkies
live 12-14 years, Beagles live 10-14 years, Mini Poodles live 12-14
years, and Chihuahuas live 16-17. The breeds I just mentioned are
three of the four most commonly registered small breeds, according to
AKC figures. A ballpark analysis of the numbers posted at this site
suggests that small dogs live about 13 years on average, compared to
11 years on average for large dogs (breeds include medium-sized dogs).
This estimate is borne out by
http://new.mypetstop.com/mps2/uk/teachers/pdf/year5_numeracy_3.pdf.
The document is designed as a math exercise, but graphs the comparison
of dog years to people years for both large and small dogs. A
10-year-old small dog is the equivalent of 60 in human years, while a
10-year-old medium-sized dog is about 75 and a large dog is closer to
90 in human years. Assume an average human life span of about 75, and
the estimates based on AKC data and the math exercise roughly track.
For another take on dog lifespans, check out
http://www.petinfo4u.com/communication.htm and scroll down to the dog
table.
According to the Wisconsin Human Society, the total estimated cost for
a dog weighing less than 20 pounds is $660 per years. Large dogs are
much more expensive, costing more than $1,000/year. Of course, any
such average will be skewed by illness or injury, which can bloat the
vet bill in a given year. For a breakdown of costs, visit
(http://www.vetcentric.com/magazine/magazineArticle.cfm?ARTICLE=The%20Cost%20of%20Care
) and read the box on the right side of the page. The American Pet
Products Manufacturers Association claims the average U.S. pet owner
spent $377 per year on pet-care products in 1998. Again, this average
will be skewed by Mr. and Mrs. Bigbucks, who build their dog a
custom-designed doghouse with gas heat and a parquet floor and serve
him filet mignon every night.
According to a study commissioned by Purina (
http://www.purina.com/images/articles/pdf/TheStateofthe.pdf ), 45% of
dog owners have taken their dogs on vacation – just 2% more than have
celebrated their dog’s birthday. I found no reliable estimates of
kennel usage (the industry is not well regulated, and any numbers I
provide will be at best a guess). However, owners of small dogs are
more likely to take their pets along on trips than owners of large
dogs, for several obvious reasons. Very small dogs can often fly with
their owners in a plane’s cabin, rather than in cargo. Airlines say
that traveling in cargo is very stressful for the dogs. Some hotels
will accept pets, but few will accept large dogs. And car travel is
much easier for small dogs than large dogs, most obviously because
unless you own a Suburban or 15-passenger van, your Afghan Hound will
have trouble getting comfortable. The Human Society of the United
States warns that all travel is stressful for pets, that many dogs die
of heatstroke in closed cars, and it is dangerous and in some cases
illegal for dogs to travel in the back of an open pickup truck. For
lists of boarding kennels and some information about the kennel
industry, check out ( http://www.abka.com/mainform.htm ).
Other dog-travel sources used:
http://www.washingtonparent.com/articles/9707/pets.htm
http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/magazine/m0802/f0802_1.shtml
I found no state or regional breakdowns for large vs. small dogs, but
I did find out that 37% of dog owners live in the South, while just
15% live in the Northeast, suggesting that Southerners are more likely
to own dogs or cats. 25% live in the Midwest and 23% in the West. The
Purina study contains a wealth of information on pets and their
owners. Other than that generic regional pet-ownership data, I found
nothing to indicate whether any state is more likely to have small
dogs than any other state.
Other sites:
http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/selecting-a-dog.html
Selecting a dog. The size of the dog doesn’t necessarily dictate how
much space that dog will need.
http://www.akc.org/love/museum/
There is a dog museum in St. Louis.
http://www.petprospects.com/Profile/P015.htm
10 questions about miniature dogs.
http://centralpets.com/pages/mammals/dogs.shtml
For detailed information on dozens of different breeds.
http://www.canineauto.com/caredogtravelguide.htm
Series of excellent links regarding travel with pets. Lists of hotels
that accept dogs, travel tips, etc.
Searches
"small dog" owner spending
small dog lifespan
"small dog" kennel travel
dog breed ownership statistics
As for the bicycling, there are no exact numbers. There are too many
variables, including whether people who ride once a year consider
themselves cyclists, whether you want to count children, and the
simple fact that we as Americans do not have to register our bicycles.
However, I’ll provide some somewhat-less-than-exact numbers for your
perusal.
· A 1994 survey of more than 5,200 random households (
http://archfami.ama-assn.org/issues/v7n1/ffull/fbf6039.html ) revealed
that 20.2% had ridden a bicycle in the last 30 days. If the study’s
results hold true, only 18.3% of those riders are wearing their
helmets.
· 93 million bicyclists used trails in 1995, compared to 7.8 million
in 1960, according to an American Recreation Coalition study (
http://www.funoutdoors.com/research.html ). I do not know whether the
study counts each use separately, or each rider. Given the numbers,
I’ll be it’s counting each use. The same study said 21% of Americans
had biked for pleasure in the last 12 months. Given that number, I’d
credit the increased use of trails to the increased availability of
trails, not a large influx of new bikers.
Let’s assume that roughly 20.5% of Americans are recreational bikers,
based on the results of the two studies I cited. The 2000 U.S. Census
puts America’s population at 281 million (
http://www.prb.org/AmeristatTemplate.cfm?Section=2000Census1&Template=/Topics.cfm&InterestCategoryID=209
). 20.5% of 281 million is 57.6 million bike riders.
On the other hand, the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (
http://www.bhsi.org/stats.htm ) says there are 85 million bike riders
in the country.
Well, I said the numbers were less than exact. Personally, I'd go with
the 57.6 million figure, as the surveys seemed genuine were probably
performed professionally.
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