It’s no surprise that the dog parent market is on the rise. There are more dogs than ever before and more people who want to take care of them. According to the American Pet Products Association’s 2021–2022 National Pet Owners Survey, 70% of American homes, or about 90.5 million families, own a pet (APPA). This is an increase from the 67 percent in 2019 and the 56 percent of American homes in 1988, the first year the study was performed.
While there are many different kinds of dog parents out there (we’re going to give you one example), it’s important to remember that all dogs deserve love, affection, and attention. To help you find your match, we’ve developed a quiz that will tell you what kind of dog parent you are!
Super Pet Parent
If you’re a dog owner, congratulations! You are already on your way to being a super pet parent. As with any pet owner, it’s important to make sure that your dog is healthy and happy. To become a super pet parent, you must provide all of the necessities for your dog: food, water, and veterinary care.
Furthermore, if you’re away from home often (and especially if you have an independent streak), it might be worth having someone else take care of your pup while you’re away. The last thing anyone wants is for their best friend to get sick because they were left alone for too long without proper supervision or exercise.
A super pet parent knows when to give your dog proper medication and painkillers like Previcox for dogs, when to get them vaccinated, and when to take them to routine checkups.
For instance, pain relief medication like Previcox is prescribed to dogs for soft-tissue, orthopedic, and dental surgery, as well as for the relief of pain and inflammation brought on by osteoarthritis. Previcox has a unique mechanism of action that may be more specialized than older medications of the same class and reduces pain, fever, and inflammation.
Active Pet Parent
You are most likely an active pet parent if you love to be active with your dog, whether that means taking him hiking or running every morning or just going for a walk in the park on weekends. Being active also keeps you and your furry friend healthy. Having a dog is associated with a number of health benefits, including reduced blood pressure, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, loneliness, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms.
If your dog is a runner, you might want to consider signing up for one of those 5K races along with him (or her). If you have another type of dog and live near water, try taking him/her on some paddleboarding adventures.
Trendy Parent
You’re a trendy parent if you’re into the latest trends. Maybe you have a penchant for fashion, or perhaps you’re more into technology. Maybe you’re all about both? Maybe it’s something else entirely, food, fitness, video games. It could be anything. Your dog is probably the same way; he’ll eat just about anything and watch any show on television (and then tell his friends about it).
If your dog has some special interests of his own (like any given Instagram influencer), he may even start to follow in your footsteps as well. Our pups are so smart that they can learn just about anything from us, and if we’re not careful with them, they might become even more stylish than we imagined possible.
Neat Freak Parent
As a Neat Freak, you’re comfortable with having everything in your home and life be clean and orderly. You like the idea of a clean house, yard, car, and pet, especially if that means less cleaning for you.
To get more specific:
- You enjoy keeping things neat around the house. Your refrigerator is organized, your pantry is sorted by food groups, and you’ve got all of your silverware lined up in order on the countertop. As far as what goes on inside this neat environment? That’s another story entirely.
- In terms of dog ownership, this means ensuring that both your pet’s fur and its behavior align with these standards of perfectionism. A Neat Freak Dog Parent will do anything necessary, from brushing out tangles to keeping an eye on poop pickup times, so long as it results in a squeaky-clean pup who lives with them.
Health Conscious Pet Parent
You’re a health-conscious pet parent. You know that being active and getting plenty of exercise is important for both you and your dog, so you make sure they get plenty of time outside running around. You also pay attention to what food you feed them, making a point to find something healthy that doesn’t have any artificial ingredients or preservatives in it.
You are aware of how you and your best friend are good for each other’s mental and physical health. When a person pets a dog, their blood pressure drops. It also affects the dog in the same way. Playing with their human keeps them calm and their blood pressure in check.
Finally, when the weather gets warmer, and the sun comes out, you make sure that your dogs stay well protected from sunburn by applying sunscreen or spray-on sunscreen before going outside for long periods of time in the warm weather.
There are a lot of different types of dog parents out there. You probably have many traits that you share with one of these groups, but chances are you’re not exactly like any single one. Just remember to always be yourself and love your dog for the amazing creature he or she is. Despite the fact that they are not biologically linked to us, we love and care for our dogs just as much as we would our tiny, fluffy children. Pet ownership comes with its own set of difficulties, but with the appropriate techniques, you may have the friendliest pet in the neighborhood.