Dogs! In the News!
Been REALLY busy lately! So Dogs! In the News! got back-burnered! My bad. But now it’s back and I will make sure it comes out at least once-a-month going forward.
New York City had some dog milestones reported recently.
They are…
Names
Pet insurance company Trupanion released its annual list of the most popular dogs names in the country. They are:
- Luna
- Charlie
- Bella
- Daisy
- Milo
- Lucy
- Cooper
- Bailey
- Teddy
- Max
The number one name is different this year. Luna moved up the number one position from number two last year. Former number one, Bella, dropped to number three.
New York City’s perennial winners, Bella and Max, top the name list for the Big Apple.
Poop
According to an analysis of dog poop complaints on Twitter by Protect My Paws, Pittsburgh is the dog poop capital of the United States. (Not sure how scientific this “analysis” was, but hey, I’m going with it.) Other American cities that scored high in their analysis were Seattle, Atlanta, San Francisco, Buffalo, New Orleans, Austin, Washington DC, Minneapolis, and Portland.
New York City came in at thirty-five on the world-wide dog poop list.
Spoilage
According to a recent national survey taken by pet insurance experts at Forbes Advisor New Yorkers spoil their pets the most. Rounding out the top three are Washington state and California.
Here are the (kind of embarrassing) details:
- 40% of New Yorkers said they’ve spent more money on spoiling their dog than on spoiling their significant other, and more than half (55%) of all respondents from New York said they spend more money on their dog’s health and grooming than they do on their own.
- 42% of New Yorkers regularly throw birthday parties for their dogs, and 25% said they’ve pushed their dog in a stroller.
- New Yorkers also take their dog’s wardrobes seriously: 59% have bought their dog outfits and accessories, ranking second in the nation for this metric.
- New Yorkers also ranked second highest on our list for regularly preparing homemade dog food (38%) and 51% of New Yorkers said they’ve ordered their furry friend a special treat at a restaurant.
The least spoiled dogs can be found in South Dakota.
Bill to Ban Puppy Sales at Pet Stores Advances in New York
A bill to ban the sale of puppies at pet stores has landed on Governor Hochul’s desk. Advocates of the bill say it will curb the prevalence of puppy mills, which they say or cruel and too loosely regulated.
The New York Times reports: “After years of debate, New York State lawmakers passed a bill in June with rare bipartisan support that would ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in New York’s pet stores, leading to a fractious clash between animal welfare groups and the pet store industry.”
Pet store owners and lobbyists say the problem is overrated.
The governor’s views on the bill are not known. If she signs it into law, New York will be following on the heels of California, Maryland, and Illinois.
Long Lives for Dogs
We all agree the only thing wrong with dogs is that they don’t live long enough.
If researchers at groups like the Dog Aging Project, Laika, and Loyal succeed, maybe someday dogs will be perfect and live longer lives.
MIT Technology Review reports there are a number of initiatives in the United States designed to extend the lives of dogs.
Because dogs are a great model for humans, anti-aging or life-span-extending drugs that work for canines could eventually benefit people, too.
Read more about this here.
