Do We Love Our Pets In Massachusetts? Study Says "Not Really"

Alright, Berkshire County pet owners, do you have a dog or cat? One of each? Several of each? Maybe you even have a pet bunny, bird, or fish? Most importantly, do you LOVE your pet/pets?

Ever since 2006, our country has celebrated National Pet Day on April 11th. I know that date is already behind us, but really, if you're a pet owner like myself then you know that every day is National Pet Day! Am I wrong?

Recently, in honor of National Pet Day, BetMassachusetts.com looked into each state's love of pets by the percentage of pet ownership. Surprisingly, Massachusetts did not rank very high and, in fact, ranked toward the bottom of the list.

The Bay State ranked 41st as a pet-loving state with 49% of Massachusetts' households reporting owning a pet. Almost half of the state's households own a pet or pets. That sounds pretty good to me but for comparison's sake, here are the top 10 Pet-Loving States along with each state's pet ownership percentage:

Wyoming - 71.8%
West Virginia - 71%
Idaho/Vermont - 70%
Vermont/Idaho - 70%
Indiana - 69.2%
Arkansas - 69%
Mississippi - 65.5%
Oklahoma - 65%
Kentucky - 64.1%
North Dakota - 63.7%

If you're sad that Massachusetts ranked so low, cheer up! Turns out that Massachusetts is #2 in the nation in terms of how much money residents spend on their dogs annually. Folks in the Commonwealth spend an average of $2,702.62 each year on our canine companions.

Only Delaware ranks higher annually, spending $2,864.49 on their dogs. And the best news of all for animal lovers is this: Pet ownership, in general, is on the rise across the nation and that's awesome news!

Take a look at the full rankings at BetMassachusetts' website here. Plenty of cool information to be found.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

LOOK: What major laws were passed the year you were born?

Data for this list was acquired from trusted online sources and news outlets. Read on to discover what major law was passed the year you were born and learn its name, the vote count (where relevant), and its impact and significance.

Source: Do We Love Our Pets In Massachusetts? Study Says “Not Really”

Filed Under: animals, lifestyle, love, massachusetts, pets, states, study

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