We have friends who farm and they have raised pigs and farmed about five hundred acres for about 40 years. They have always had dogs, but they were barn dogs. They would never let the dogs in the house and they let them roam chasing off predators and barking if anybody approached the farm. The husband was kind of a hard asz with animals and was completely detached. Well their three kids all got married, and when they inherited his father's farm they quit the hog production which was a 24/7 grueling operation, and strictly grain farm now. So the wife tells the husband that she wanted an inside dog. He fought her but finally gave in and had strict rules where the dog could go in the house. Two years after letting a dog in the house, the dog sleeps in his lap when he watches tv, he chains it up when letting it out because he is afraid coyotes, and he absolutely babies the dog. The wife is laughing her asz off as the dog controls her husband and he spoils the hell out of it. It was a complete change from a man who thought of animals as food and detached himself from them. So as the babyboomers become empty nesters more and more are finding comfort with house pets. Marketing seems to have jumped on that trend.
Last edited by 2seaoat on 9/23/2017, 6:34 pm; edited 1 time in total