Since the day we started, DocuPet has been aiming to better understand the rates at which pet owners license their animals. With pet ownernship statistics gained from the American Veterinarian Medical Association, we understood that in the United States, 37% of homes owned 1.6 dogs and 30% of homes owned 2.1 cats. In Canada, we understand that 32% of homes have 1.6 dogs while 37% of homes have 1.5 cats.
Through the information gathered from pet licensing organizations in our annual Pet Licensing Industry Research Reports, we learned that just 13% of pets are licensed across North America. Many municipalities require that only dogs be licensed. In these locations, an average of 23% of dogs are licensed. In municipalities where cat licenses are mandatory, just 7% of cats are licensed.
How does your organization stack up?
You can do the math quickly if you know the number of households in your community. If you don’t have the information on hand, just look up your city or county at Statistics Canada if you’re based in Canada, or the U.S, Census Bureau if you’re based in the United States.
Number of Households = ________________
Then, to determine the number of dogs likely to be found in your jurisdiction, multiply the number of households by:
- in Canada, 0.512 (32% of households have 1.6 dogs), or
- in the United States, 0.612 (36% of households have 1.6 dogs).
Estimated Dog Population: Households x (0.512 or 0.612) = ________________
To determine the estimated number of cats in your region, multiply the number of households by:
- in Canada, 0.555 (37% of households have 1.5 cats), or
- in the United States, 0.63 (30% of households have 2.1 cats).
Estimated Cat Population: Households x (0.555 or 0.63) = ________________
Then, divide the number of licenses sold annually in your municipality by the combined estimated pet population to learn your compliance rate.
Licenses Sold Per Year / Estimated Pet Population = ________________
Is your pet licensing compliance higher or lower than the North American average?
Click the button below to book a demo and learn more about your compliance rate and how this is impacting your pet licensing program.