Is it logical to link data showing pet ownership per state, to a state’s voting inclination, then use them for predicting voting preferences of pet owners?
A report released in 2018 by the American Veterinary Medical Association ranked the top ten state in terms of pet owned by a household, either a dog or cat. State ranking was based on the percentage of households according to pet ownership or type.
The state of Wyoming for example, ranks the highest in terms of pet ownership, for showing that 72% of the total households in the region cared for some kind of animal as a pet. Rhode Island appears at the bottom of the pet ownership category, for its 48% showing in terms of animal ownership.
Moreover, only 17% of Rhode’s pet-friendly households care for cats. In contrast, the state of Vermont has the highest percentage of cat-loving households, at 48%.
When it comes to having the highest percentage of dog owners, Idaho leads in this category, scoring 58% for statewide canine-ownership. The state with the least percentage of dog owners is New Hampshire, where only 24% of households throughout the region owned a dog.
Associating Pet Ownership with Political Inclination
Maybe back in 2018, the link between pet ownership and type of pet dog owned may have been perceived as a strong association.
One article that linked pet ownership, dog ownership and cat ownership to state political party-affiliation, took note that “the American states that ranked high for overall pet ownership had voted overwhelmingly for Republicans at an average of 80% over 4 elections.” Conversely, states that were at the bottom of the pet-ownership ranking, heavily favored Democratic candidates, at also 80% average over 4 elections.
Seriously now, if pet ownership had a great influence on voting preference, how was it that Republican pet owners voted for Trump as the 45th president? It has always been of interest to many, why for the first time in 120 years, there is no presidential dog running around the White House. Coming from Trump himself, he does not have a dog to show as pet, because to him, the idea of pet ownership is all “phony.”
Trump’s explanation simply meant he has no love for dogs or cats if it is a matter of caring for them. Speaking of “phony,” Trump also described big game hunting as a “horror show.” Yet he made it a point to replace wildlife advocates and animal conservation scientists in the advisory board of the International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC).
In their stead, Trump had seen it fit to appoint big game hunters whose advocacy was to repurpose the wildlife council for the protection of wildlife hunting as a hobby; rather than to protect the large charismatic animals like elephants and giraffes being targeted by such hunters.
By the way, many are also curious how the White House presidential pets were trained to stay away from garden beds. After all, it is quite noticeable that the Rose Garden, where many presidential briefings and announcements are held, always looks so immaculate. Well, Republican dog owners know the answer to that question,”by way of wireless dog fences”. These are the invisible barriers placed as protection from the typical ground-digging behavior of canines.
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