Household pets are common in America, Europe, and Asia.

1. In China and Hong Kong, cats are thought to bring good luck and are kept in shops as well as homes.
2. The Japanese keep birds and crickets as pets.
3. In Arab countries, dogs are considered unclean. Contact with a dog must be followed by a ritual washing.
4. The Italians also have little use for dogs but find cats charming and companionable. Thousands of stray cats live in the Forum, the Coliseum, and other historic landmarks in Rome.
5. The Inuit Eskimo of northern Canada adopt bear cubs, foxes, birds, and baby seals.
6. Animals are rarely kept as pets in Africa.
7. The British are especially fond of pets. Half of all the households in England have a pet, usually a cat or bird.
8. Australian Aborigines capture dingo (wild dog) puppies and raise them for a time before letting them go
9. In Nigeria, the pet of choice widely depends on the part of the country you are in. Dogs are widely favored by most parts of the country. In the North they are widely used by the locals for hunting. Cats are more dominant in the east and west despite the fact that certain tribes consider this felines evil since it is often used or wrongly accused for witchcraft. The canary is very popular in the west especially the economic capital of Nigeria which is Lagos. Canaries are used for competitions. It is not uncommon for high dollar to be bet on a single canary draw ( a draw is used to mean the sharp cracking sound the male canary makes at the end of a note, each draw carries one point)

Smart Dog Breeds

1. Border Collie
2. Poodle
3. German Sheppard (Alsatian)
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman Pincher
6. Shetland Sheep Dog
7. Labrador Retriever
8. Papillion
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian Cattle Dog

Source :"The Intelligence of Dogs" By Stanley C'oren

Top Ten Pets in the United States

1. Cat.......................66,150,000
2. Dog......................58,200,000
3. Small animal pet*..12,740,000
4. Parakeet...............11,000,000
5. Fresh water fish.....10,800,000
6. Reptile....................7,540,000
7. Finch......................7,350,000
8. Cockatiel................6,320,000
9. Canary....................2,580,000
10. Parrot.....................1,550,000

*Small pets = Rabbits, Ferrets, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Gerbils.
The numbers above depict households rather than specie.

Source: Pet Industry Advisory Council

Top Ten Dog Breeds

1. Labrador........................154,897
2. Golden Retriever...............62,652
3. German Shepard...............57,256
4. Daschund.........................50,772
5. Beagle..............................49,080
6. Poodle..............................45,852
7. Chihuahua.........................42,013
8. Rottweiller.........................41,776
9. Yorkshire Terrier...............40,684
10. Boxer................................34,998

Source: American Kennel Club 1999

Top Ten Cat Breeds

1. Persian.........................30,656
2. Maine-coon*...................4,642
3. Siamese.........................2,386
4. Exotic............................2,188
5. Abyssinian ....................1,967
6. Oriental..........................1,210
7. Barman..........................1,017
8. Scottish fold....................1007
9. American shot hair......... ..986
10. Burmese..........................923

* One of the oldest natural breeds in North America, the Maine Coon is generally regarded as a native of the state of Maine (in fact, the Maine Coon is the official Maine State Cat). A number of attractive legends surround its origin. A wide-spread (though biologically impossible) belief is that it originated from mating between semi-wild, domestic cats and raccoons. This myth, bolstered by the bushy tail and the most common coloring (a raccoon-like brown tabby) led to the adoption of the name 'Maine Coon.' (Originally, only brown tabbies were called 'Maine Coon Cats;' cats of other colors were referred to as 'Maine Shags.') Another popular theory is that the Maine sprang from the six pet cats which Marie Antoinette sent to Wiscasset, Maine when she was planning to escape from France during the French Revolution. Most breeders today believe that the breed originated in mating between pre-existing shorthaired domestic cats and overseas longhairs (perhaps Angora types introduced by New England seamen, or longhairs brought to America by the Vikings).

First recorded in cat literature in 1861 with a mention of a black and white cat named 'Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines,' Maine Coons were popular competitors at early cat shows in Boston and New York. A brown tabby female named 'Cosie' won Best Cat at the 1895 Madison Square Garden Show.

Unfortunately, their popularity as show cats declined with the arrival in 1900 of the more flamboyant Persians. Although the Maine Coon remained a favorite cat in New England, the breed did not begin to regain its former widespread popularity until the 1950's when more and more cat fanciers began to take notice of them, show them, and record their pedigrees. In 1968, six breeders formed the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association to preserve and protect the breed. Today, MCBFA membership numbers over 1000 fanciers and 200 breeders. By 1980, all registries had recognized the Maine Coon, and it was well on its way to regaining its former glory.

Maine Coons were well established more than a century ago as a hardy, handsome breed of domestic cat, well equipped to survive the hostile New England winters. Nature is not soft-hearted. It selects the biggest, the brightest, the best fighters, and the best hunters to breed successive generations. Planned breeding of Maine Coons are relatively recent. Since planned breeding began, Maine Coon breeders have sought to preserve the Maine Coon's "natural," rugged qualities. The ideal Maine Coon is a strong, healthy cat.

Interestingly, the breed closest to the Maine Coon is the Norwegian Forest Cat which, although geographically distant, evolved in much the same climate, and lends credence to the theory that some of the cats responsible for developing the Maine Coon were brought over by the Vikings.