To say that dogs hold a special place in American life is putting it mildly. The U.S. is home to about 70 million pet dogs, who live in more than 40 million of our homes — about one in every three households has a dog. Not only do many people own and care for at least one dog, many of them are absolutely crazy for their canines. We post their pictures on Facebook, sleep with them in our beds, buy them toys and treats, refer to them as “fur babies,” celebrate their birthdays, dress them up for Halloween, and send them to day care. Some of us even subscribe to magazines with names like Dogster and Modern Dog. This year Americans will spend an estimated $60 billion on their pets, and it’s safe to assume that much of that hard-earned money will be spent on our dogs.
