Theresa Bradley and Ritchie King argue that you can tell a lot about a country by the relationship it has with pet dogs. Highlights include:

• Dog ownership can be thought of as an economic indicator. As incomes rise; pet ownership rises. America, unsurprisingly, has the highest number of dogs, with one pooch for every four Americans.
• India has the fastest growing population of dogs. There is now a TV station available just for dogs.
• Switzerland has seen its dog population shrink in recent times.
• Hong Kong and Singapore have the most dogs per-square-kilometer but that’s because those city-states have a high population density. Asian countries in general appear to dislike dogs and have low rates of dog ownership.
• Middle Eastern countries have a preference for large dogs – perhaps because dogs are seen as hunters and guardians rather than companions.

The full article here has many more statistics including the country with the highest number of small dogs, and the country which spends the most on dog food. Or check out our coverage of some of the crazier services available for dogs including plastic surgery, funerals, and special restaurants.

Source: Quartz