The word “pet,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary, has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic word peata (or Old Irish petta), meaning “a tame animal.” But a half century later, the word carries a little more prestige than the suggestion of mere domestication.
The modern pet — be it a dog, cat, bird, fish or any of the Insta-famous varieties of mini-pigs, raccoons or capybaras — can be a companion, brandable social media income stream and/or surrogate for any number of relationships, from “fur baby” to therapist. Americans spent $70 million on their pets in 2018 and, according to a 2016 story in The Washington Post, millennials are scooping up pets quicker than any other generation: Three-fourths of Americans in their 30s have dogs and 51 percent have cats.
On a local level, Cincinnati in particular ranks highly for cities in which to own a pet. A recent WalletHub study listed the Queen City as the seventh most pet-friendly place to live out of the top 100 U.S. cities, looking at criteria like pet budget, pet businesses and dog parks per capita.
For this Pet Issue, we’re highlighting:
- A few of the places around town where you can bring your pet — bars, restaurants, breweries and more
- Pet-friendly road trips
- Local pet shops
And, as is the case with the WalletHub study, the term “pet” here basically means “dog,” but please look to previous Pet Issues for more on non-canine companions.
