Take a well-deserved reprieve from the chaos of your day and play, TQC Trivia! Pets. Answers are provided below along with interesting and fun supplemental information.
1) Q: What percentage of American households own a pet?
A) 15%
B) 55%
C) 68%
D) 79%
2) Q: How much money do American’s spend on their pets annually?
A) $500 million
B) $50 billion
C) $70 billion
D) $99 billion
3) Q: What is the most popular dog breed in America?
A) Labrador
B) Poodle
C) Goldendoodle
D) German Sheperd
4) Q: What is the most common pet in America?
A) Dog
B) Cat
C) Fish
D) Reptile
5) Q: What percentage of dogs are overweight in America?
A) 12%
B) 28%
C) 56%
D) 70%
6) Q: What percentage of pets are covered by health insurance in America?
A) 2%
B) 10%
C) 25%
D) 50%
7) Q: How many accredited veterinary schools are there in America?
A) 10
B) 30
C) 100
D) 300
8) Q: What is the largest (by weight) pure bred domesticated dog in the world?
A) Great Dane
B) English Mastiff
C) American Bulldog
D) Chihuahua
9) Q: What is the largest (by weight) pure bred domesticated cat in the world?
A) Maine Coon
B) Norwegian Forest Cat
C) Chausie
D) Savannah Cat
10) Q: Which of the following dog breeds are hypoallergenic?
A) Poodle
B) Beagle
C) Labradoodle
D) None of the above
ANSWERS
1) (C) 68%. Note: According to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA), "sixty-eight percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own a pet." In the 1980's, less than 50% of U.S. households owned a pet.
2) (D) $99 billion. Note: In 2020 American's spent ~99 billion dollars on their pets, up from ~$50 billion in 2010. ~99 billion dollars is equivalent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Slovakia. In fact, only 62 nations in the world have GDP's greater than $99 billion.
3) (A) Labrador. Note: According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog in America. The "Lab" has held this distinction every year since 1991.
4) (C) Fish. Note: Approximately 12.5 million households have fish compared with over 60 million for a dog and 47 million for a cat. However, because the number of fish per household (tank) is so much higher than that for dogs or cats, it makes freshwater fish by far the most common pet in America; there are ~171 million of them.
5) (C) 56%. Note: According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (yes, such an organization exists ) an estimated 60% of all cats and 56% of all dogs in the U.S. are overweight or obese.
6) (A) 2%. Note: Approximately 2% of pets in America have health insurance. Click HERE for a good summary of existing plans. The Affordable Care Act prohibited insurance companies from denying humans coverage based on preexisting conditions. For pets, providers can still refuse to cover certain preexisting conditions or other common ailments.
7) (B) 30. Note: According to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, "there are currently 30 veterinary schools in the United States that are accredited or have accreditation pending." U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of California at Davis as the top ranked vet school in America.
8) (B) English Mastiff. Note: The English Mastiff is the largest dog breed by weight. Males weigh between 160 - 230 lbs, females between 120 - 170 lbs. The heaviest English Mastiff on record tipped the scales at 330 lbs!, click HERE to learn more about him. Great Danes are the largest dogs in the world by height. Chihuahuas are the smallest dogs in the world.
9) (B) Norwegian Forest Cat. Note: Norwegian Forest Cats weigh up to 22 lbs. As big as they are, they are equally demanding of love and affection. Norwegian Forest Cats are playful, friendly and love roaming around outdoors. The Chausie and Savannah Cat are larger than the Norwegian Forst Cat but they are not purebred.
10) (D) None of the above. Note: Despite what many people have been lead to believe by unscrupulous marketers, there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. Allergies are caused by a protein found in a dog's saliva and urine, not its fur. Hence, even if a dog does not shed, it will still cause allergies.