The picture is inaccurate since there are at least 78.2 million dog guardians in the country.
 http://www.dogsagainstromney.com/
BREAKING: Judge Says Mitt Romney "Probably" Guilty of Animal Abuse
A judge in an Oregon courtroom Friday made it clear he believes Mitt Romney "probably" would have been found guilty of animal abuse for strapping his crated dog to the roof of a car for a 12-hour trip. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Kenneth Walker made the statement in open court during the trial of two Oregon men charged with second-degree animal abuse.
As reported in The Oregonian, the two men were arrested after accidentally dragging their dog behind a truck. The question put before the court was this: Is it a crime to tie a dog to a car, forget about it, then drive off?
While arguing in her clients' defense, attorney Lisa Pardini said to Judge Walker that even people in prominent positions of power sometimes make bad decisions, using Mitt Romney as an example.
"Our presidential candidate tied up a dog and drove off with him for quite a while," Pardini said.
To that, Judge Walker said: "I would have probably found him guilty for that."
Ultimately, Judge Walker agreed with the defense, finding the two men were "negligent" but not guilty of animal abuse. The dog survived the incident.
Source: Amy Green, The Oregonian
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U.S. Pet Ownership Statistics
The Humane Society of the United States hsus.org
Dogs
There are approximately 78.2 million owned dogs in the United States
Thirty-nine percent of U.S. households own at least one dog
Most owners (60 percent) own one dog
Twenty-eight percent of owners own two dogs
Twelve percent of owners own three or more dogs
On average, owners have almost two dogs (1.69 percent)
The proportion of male to female dogs is even
Twenty-one percent of owned dogs were adopted from an animal shelter
On average, dog owners spent $248 on veterinary visits (vaccine, well visits) annually
Seventy-eight percent of owned dogs are spayed or neutered
Cats
There are approximately 86.4 million owned cats in the United States
Thirty-three percent of U.S. households own at least one cat
Fifty-two percent of owners own more than one cat
On average, owners have two cats (2.2)
More female cats are owned than male cats (80 percent vs. 65 percent respectively)
Twenty-one percent of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter
Cat owners spent an average of $219 on routine veterinary visits
Eighty-eight percent of owned cats are spayed or neutered
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