Pet Owners Independence Day – April 18, 2024

History of Pet Owners Independence Day

Humans have had pets for thousands of years. In fact, archaeology suggests a period of 12,000 years, and it is an agreed-upon fact that dogs were the first animals to be kept as pets by humans. Ancient Greeks and Romans were known to openly mourn the loss of a dog, inscribing tombstones for their lost companions. Ancient Egyptians kept dogs and baboons as pets, often named, and buried them with their owners.

The modern conception of pet ownership stems from Victorian England. The 17th and 18th centuries bore witness to the gradual rise in the social acceptability of keeping a pet. Pets soon became a sign of elite status as aristocrats began keeping dogs for both hunting and companionship. The rise of the middle-class post the industrial revolution led to pet ownership becoming a part of the so-called ‘bourgeois culture.’ As the popularity of pets rose, the pet trade became lucrative, and the streets of London soon saw vendors selling different breeds. The pedigree of a dog also grew in importance as the breed of the dog was indicative of its owner’s status within society.

These sensibilities live on to this day, as breeders profit from the demand for purebred pets. There is, however, a rising demand in society to stop the practice of breeding and shift to adopting pets regardless of pedigree — often quoting the slogan “adopt, don’t shop.”