People have more pics of pets than loved ones on phone: poll

Pets are a person’s best friend!

New research has shown that pet parents have more pictures on their phones of their dogs and cats rather than their kids.

Two thousand dog and cat owners were surveyed by OnePoll on behalf of the Maytag brand and the poll found a third (35%) of people have camera rolls filled with more fur babies than humans. Meanwhile, 27% of people said they have mostly photos of their kids and only 16% said they had the most photos of their spouse or partner.

Pet parents take, on average, 400 pics of their pets annually and nearly a third of those polled admitted to treating their pets like royalty.

Twenty-five percent of poll-takers like to throw their pets birthday bashes and another quarter like to kiss their animals via their mouths.

One in six have even inked their bodies with a tattoo of their furry friends.

Forty-five percent said their pet sleeps with them, while others admitted their pets sit by them while cooking (38%) and working out (35%).

“We know how much people love their pets,” said Lauren Bigger, Maytag senior brand manager.

She continued, “We throw them parties, bring them on vacations and treat them as part of the family. While we love having them by our side, we’re often left covered in hair and spending time and energy cleaning it up.” 

Although pet lovers adore their animals, 59% say their shedding is a big problem.

A large portion of owners (85%) need to vacuum their floors at least twice a week due to of their pet’s hair.

Because of the excess hair lying around, 57% keep a lint roller in their car to take off the shedding from their clothes and 55% keep one in their purse.

Twenty-three percent noted they wash their sheets once a week due to a surplus of pet hair.

More than half of respondents explained that their laundry routine needs multiple steps to get rid of their pet’s stray hairs.

“Pet owners put in extra work when it comes to laundry day, adding time and steps to remove pet hair,” Bigger added. “With continuous innovation in the cleaning space, pet parents now have laundry solutions for their home to help them conquer pet hair like a pro.”

Since pet parents can’t stand to be away from their cats and dogs for more than a short while, half of them feel incomplete when they’re not near their animals (52%). Three-quarters of surveyors have even brought along their pets for a wild vacation (79%).