A pet or companion animal is an animal kept for companionship and enjoyment, as opposed to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics, for their attractive appearance, or for their song. Pets also generally seem to provide their owners with non-trivial health benefits; keeping pets has been shown to help relieve stress. There is now a medically-approved class of "therapy animals," mostly dogs, who are brought to visit confined humans. Walking a dog can provide both the owner and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction.
While in theory any animal might be a pet, in practice only a small number of species of mammals (especially dogs and cats) and other small animals, such as birds, fish, or lizards, are practical. One reason for this is that large animals are not able to fit inside small dwellings.
Animal Medical Clinic in Fayetteville
Green Mountain Animal Hospital
Keeso Kennels Neapolitan Mastiffs
Mikayla Kennels - Siberian Huskies
Northeast Arkansas Dog Training Club
Papillon Pups Australian Shepherd and Wirehaired Pointing Griffons
*Pfsstcats Maine Coons & Munchkins
Sundown Kennels German Shepherds
Waggin' Tails & Wheel's Pet Care
The two most popular pets in most Western countries have been cats and dogs. In the United States, census data shows that dogs are slightly more popular based on the number of households, but that the number of pet cats is almost twice as high as dogs. The next most popular pets are birds followed by horses.