By the Numbers

63 Percentage of US households that own a pet, according to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey
44.8 million Number of households with a dog
38.4 million Number with a cat
14.2 million Number with a freshwater fish
6.4 million Number with a bird
4.8 million Number with a reptile

1 Rank of Labrador retriever in popularity among dog breeds in Boston in 2007
2 Rank of German shepherd
3 Rank of Yorkshire terrier
4 Rank of golden retriever
5 Rank of boxer
6 Rank of bulldog
18 Rank of the Boston terrier in popularity among dog breeds in Boston in 2007, down from 11th spot in 2006

79 Percentage of polled Petfinder.com visitors in April who are cutting back on their own personal expenditures such as food and entertainment
87 Percentage who have not changed their pet's food to a less expensive brand

6 million-8 million Estimated number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year; half are euthanized

3,104 Number of complaints of alleged animal cruelty responded to by the Massachusetts SPCA Law Enforcement Department in 2007
2,942 Number in 2006

947 Number of adoptable Boston terriers and Boston terrier mixes on Petfinder.com one day last month
87 Number of adoptable dogs on the site named Brady
41 Number named Manny
2 Number named Papi
33 Number named Boston
14 Number of cats named Boston
38 Number named Sox

4-6 Average number of kittens in a litter
3 Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year
3 Average life span in years of feral tomcats

Statistics Sources: American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, American Kennel Club, Petfinder.com, The Humane Society of the United States, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Cat Fanciers' Association