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In 2019, there was a survey conducted in the USA. It was revealed that 98 percent of the dog owners considered their canines an essential part of their families. According to another study, back in 2018, it was revealed that 79% of the people who are pet owners consider their pet needs above their own. They would pass up a perfect house if it did not fit the needs of their lovely family member. The researchers concluded that “Dogs are more than just a man’s best friends”.
There’s a viral trend on Facebook these days called the #FamilyPortraitChallenge.The challenge depicts the previously mentioned researches in the most authentic way. Here you are invited to look through many of the famous photos which were submitted for the challenge. The pictures include dog owners and their beloved pets expressing their attachment.
“What does it mean to be a member of the family? For starters, 50 percent of dog owners say their dog sleeps in a family member’s bed and an additional 32 percent have their dogs sleep in a family member’s bedroom,” Business Wire comments on the results of the survey.
“Dog owners in the Northeast are most likely to have their dogs sleep in a family member’s bed, with 60 percent of Northeast dog owners saying they snuggle their pooch at night, compared to 49 percent of respondents from other regions,” they add.
The 2019 survey also revealed that most dog parents often find themselves worrying about their dog’s safety. “82 percent of dog owners worried about their dog’s safety when out of sight and 56 percent say they expect caregiver texts, photos and/or emails about their dog when they are away from home,” reads the Business Wire webpage.
“71 percent of dog owners said they are generally nervous about their dog’s safety, and the biggest concerns stem from nearby cars and traffic, the potential for another dog to hurt their dog and their dog running away or getting off leash,” they add.
We had a chance to talk to a girl named Anjacember Rowe, whose family portrait is currently among the most popular ones, and ask her a few questions about it. The shot captures her casually sitting on the couch while her two dogs sitting beside her are pretty much fighting. The picture currently has over 19k reactions and almost 800 comments.
“Petunia (the one with the white on her) is 6 months old. I found her in a Facebook rehoming group and made an extremely quick decision to pick her up that day. She is a wild child, but we love her,” Anjacember told us. “Typical puppy, she’s naughty most of the time (likes to jump on everyone, even the mailman, steals food if you’re not watching, and steals things from the counter) but very lovable as well. Not to mention she’s gorgeous (even though you can’t tell from the picture). Oh, and her nickname is Tuna. She is a pit mix.”
“Brutus is the brindle one, he just turned 7. I’ve had him since I was 19, found him as a stray,” the woman told us. “He is a bit quirky and completely opposite from Petunia. He likes things his way and only loves me lol. He is naughty in his own ways (i.e. he makes us chase him sometimes because he escapes the yard and runs away). He is a German shepherd/beagle/Boston terrier mix.”
When asked how she decided to participate in the challenge, the owner told us this: “I decided to participate in the challenge after seeing everyone’s really awesome portraits. I already knew there was no way mine would turn out like that. I had an idea to make mine as real life as possible. No sugarcoating, just how everyday life is at my house. Real, raw reality.”
As we mentioned before, Rowe’s pic is currently among the most popular ones. “I was honestly shocked it gained that much attention, considering the fact that it wasn’t the typical pictures that were being posted and noticed. I really wasn’t expecting it. I woke up the next day to thousands of comments and likes. Honestly, I still don’t really understand why it took off like it did, but I’m not complaining,” she told us.
We were curious to ask Anjacember why, in her opinion, the #FamilyPortraitChallenge is appealing to so many people. “I think this challenge is appealing to a lot of people because they want to show off their dogs, make it as pretty as possible, and are proud that they got their dogs to cooperate (I loved everyone else’s portraits, they were BEAUTIFUL!) I was honestly a bit jealous of how good some of them turned out,” the woman shared her thoughts.
“I post the reality of having dogs a lot. I like to share pictures that are real and aren’t necessarily that ‘flattering,’ I guess. I let people know when my dogs do something bad, it keeps things interesting and out of the norm. A breath of fresh air, you could say,” the owner added. “My dogs have a lot of fans, which came as a shock to me, honestly. Sometimes I get some flack about letting them act how they do, but the reality of it is, they’re dogs. Sometimes they’re naughty, sometimes they chew things up, knock a water bowl over, rush through the house with muddy paws. I’m a little more relaxed than most dog owners would consider appropriate, but they are happy and healthy and loved.”
The precise want or fear lurking in a dog’s doleful look may also not always be clear. But we can relish the fact that we know our pets love us as much as we hoped, maybe even more. Even if they’re not full-fledged children, they see us as family. And to us? Well, they’ll always be our babies.
