Is there a relationship between a pet owner's personality and the species of the pet?

(06-16-2013, 01:34 AM)ReneLeBeau Wrote: The way I see it, it's mostly about upbringing and forced gender stereotypes. Men will like "tough", "cool" animals, while women go for "cute". Which I think it's really sad, since it would be best if everyone chose pets based on their personalities. Dogs are the most popular pet mostly because of tradition, I notice that a lot of dog owners don't have the patience for the dogs liveliness. Having a dog is almost like having a child, but a lot of people don't seem to realize that. Choosing a pet based on your personality would be ideal, since only then would the pet be a true companion, and both the guardian and the pet would be a lot happier.

I agree with ReneLeBeau, men tend to choose animals that reflect their dominant roles in society. Men usually do not buy toy poodles or chihuahuas, for example. But again, this depends on how each society defines its scope of what is masculine and feminine. In France, it is not unusual for macho young men to keep poodles and little silky terriers, for example (and French men like to wear floral and pastel colored winter scarves), so this is quite culturally-dependent. But in general men are culturally conditioned to show off, hence the "tough" or "macho" pets. Women on the other hand (and this is really apparent in countries like Japan) are taught to like "cute" and "girly" pets from a young age.