Connecticut Ranks Next to Last For Dog Ownership

Despite the number of four-legged tail-wagging friends you might see in your neighborhood, Connecticut is not home to many dogs.

According to the Hartford Business Journal, a new report from the American Veterinary Medical Association ranks Connecticut 49th for pet ownership. The recently released U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook found that only 28.3 percent of Connecticut households own a dog.

As of Jan. 18, Groton had 2,200 licensed dogs in town, up slightly from 2,196 last year. But Betsy Butts, office assistant in the Groton Town Clerk's office, said people still have more than five months left to register their animals, so the number will rise above last year.

 She added, "Those are only licensed dogs. They're not a reflection of all the dogs that are out there."

"Just about everybody has one. So how do they come up with this?"

Vermont ranked number one on the survey, and the District of Columbia came in last.