Careerbuilder.com sponsored an online survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, to determine trends in pet ownership as it relates to certain professions, annual salaries and level of job satisfaction. The survey polled a limited sampling of 2,300 full-time employees in the U.S. who are also pet owners.
Survey results indicate that:
- Employees in top-level positions (CEOs or senior vice presidents) are primarily dog owners.
When it comes to career choices, the survey revealed some interesting trends:
- Entertainers, IT professionals, those in the military, nurses and professors are more likely dog owners.
My bet is most of you could flip the Careerbuilder survey results on their head just by polling your own family, friends and co-workers. I know I could.
I'm not convinced surveys that attempt to measure people, for whatever reason, by the type of pet they own or don't own are useful or even accurate. But they're certainly entertaining...
Pet Product Marketers Want Inside Your Head
Because pet owners are big business, University of Oregon business administration grad students, led by the head of the marketing department, quizzed over 650 pet owners to see if they could determine what a person's choice of pet says about them.
The survey polled 417 pet owners and 240 non-owners. Of the pet owners, some of whom had more than one pet, there were 296 dog owners, 226 cat owners, 37 bird owners, 63 fish owners, 19 rabbit owners, 15 mouse owners and seven reptile owners.
A few curious takeaways from their questionnaire:
- Dog owners are more honest, religious and duty-bound than people who don't have a dog.
If You Were a Dog, Which Breed Would You Be?
According to a Forbes.com article on dog breed ownership, "You can pick up after your pooch and make sure he plays nice, but it's your dog's breed that truly speaks volumes about what kind of owner you are."
Here's what Forbes thinks of you based on the breed of your pup:
- Beagle owners are inquisitive, willing to learn new things, willful, loyal and stubborn.
- If you own a Cocker Spaniel you're family oriented, nurturing, gentle, playful and affectionate.
- Owners of Golden Retrievers are social butterflies.
- Chihuahua parents are high-energy mischief makers.
- If your first furry love is a Poodle, you are detail-oriented with an appreciation for art and culture.
Show Me Your Cat and I'll Tell You Who You Are
According to the Cat Fanciers Association, it's assumed certain types of people gravitate to certain breeds of cat. A few examples:
- Persian cat owners are homebodies.
- Siamese cats are owned by people who are great communicators.
- Calico and tortoiseshell cat owners are family-oriented with beautifully appointed homes.
- People who love Maine Coons tend to be family-oriented as well, and loyal.
- Abyssinian owners are flexible and creative.
- Burmese cat lovers like to relax and entertain at home.
- Russian Blue and American shorthair cat owners are independent and self-reliant, but also affectionate.
How You Care for Your Pet Is What Counts
In my opinion, surveys, myths and legends about pets as predictors of career success or indicators of who we are as human beings are more amusing than helpful.
It may be true that most CEOs prefer dogs over cats or people who own fish are optimistic, but in my experience, that's not the importance of pet ownership.
What's significant from my perspective as a veterinarian and animal advocate is each pet owner's commitment to the health and well-being of their animal companion.
So whether you're a snake enthusiast earning six figures, a parrot-loving advertising executive or a Burmese cat owner who enjoys entertaining at home, my wish for you is a long, loving association with the precious creature in your care.
For more by Dr. Karen Becker, click here.
For more on pet health, click here.
Dr. Karen Becker is a proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian. You can visit her site at: MercolaHealthyPets.com.
Her goal is to help you create wellness in order to prevent illness in the lives of your pets. This proactive approach seeks to save you and your pet from unnecessary stress and suffering by identifying and removing health obstacles even before disease occurs. Unfortunately, most veterinarians in the United States are trained to be reactive. They wait for symptoms to occur, and often treat those symptoms without addressing the root cause.
By reading Dr. Becker's information, you'll learn how to make impactful, consistent lifestyle choices to improve your pet's quality of life.