A couple of months ago, I wrote about a woman who saved a dog's life by performing CPR after it was choked by a leash in a fall. It turns out the notion of giving mouth-to-snout resuscitation to our pets isn't so strange to many of us.
In a poll conducted for the Associated Press and Petside, 58 percent of pet owners - including 63 percent of people who own dogs - said they would be at least somewhat likely to perform CPR on their pet in a medical emergency.
No surprise there, if you ask me.
It goes beyond the fact that pets are an investment. We bond with them, nurture them and protect them in every way we can. In return, we receive their love and loyalty. Doesn't it stand to reason we would be willing to do whatever we could to save them?
In the poll, conducted Oct. 1-5 by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media for AP and Petside, more women said they were likely to give CPR to their pets than men, 65 percent to 50 percent. But we're not as prepared for an emergency as we should be: 20 percent of pet owners have a pet first-aid kid at home, and 54 percent don't have an evacuation plan for their pets in case of fire.
Would you be willing to give mouth-to-muzzle to save your dog?
To those of us who count our dogs and cats as members of the family, hearing the results of a recent poll was no surprise. My wife and I nodded when we saw the story. In many ways, our lives are centered on our three Dachshunds and cat.
I'm sure some will disagree, and that's fine. Anyway, it was interesting to read that an Associated Press-Petside.com poll this week found that half of all American pet owners consider their pets as much a part of the family as anyone in the household. Another 36 percent said their pet, while not a full member, is still a part of the family.
That's 86 percent who feel their pet is at least a part of the family. Personally, I can see why.
We worry when they're sick, we get anxious when they don't eat all their food, we buy them toys to play with and we appreciate their companionship. That's love.
The poll also found that single people were more likely to say a pet was a full member of the family than married people (66 percent of single women vs. 46 percent of married women). Also, men were less likely to call their pet a full member of the family. Another 42 percent said they take their pets on vacation.
The fact is, we love our pets. And they love us back. Isn't that what we expect from family?
