Fur Real! Survey Reveals the Truth About Pet Behavior When Home Alone
By Ring on April 27, 2023
Have you ever wondered what your furry friends are up to behind closed doors? If so, you’re not alone!
In a recent survey commissioned by Ring*, more than one-third (38%) of dog and cat owners revealed that they check on their pets via an indoor camera while they’re away from home. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the dog and cat owners who use an indoor camera said they’ve been able to stop destructive behavior by speaking to their pets via their device. With the vast majority of all survey respondents (82%) admitting that their pets have gotten into some serious trouble while home alone, mischief is clearly a problem facing pet owners at large. Thankfully, Ring has a solution that can help keep your pets on their best behavior.
Dogs vs. Cats: Is Any Pet Owner Safe From Mischief?
If left alone and to their own devices, dogs and cats can commit any number of pet-ty crimes. According to the survey, thirty-seven percent (37%) of dog owners say their pups have raided a garbage can when they weren’t around to catch them, which ranks as the #1 offense for dogs. Meanwhile, thirty-two percent (32%) of dog owners said dogs have relieved themselves indoors; thirty-percent (30%) said dogs have gnawed at their owners’ favorite items (goodbye, expensive headphones!); twenty-eight percent (28%) said dogs have been known to bark non-stop; and twenty-five (25%) said dogs have succumbed to the urge to tear up paper, leaving a trail of shredded bits throughout the house.
“What about cats?” you might ask. Well, they’re hardly innocent. More than a quarter (27%) of cat owners say they’ve come home to find their couch, woodwork, or furniture damaged. Twenty-three percent (23%) of owners said their cats have rifled through the trash, while nineteen percent (19%) said their cats have indulged in leftovers meant for humans only. And seventeen percent (17%) of owners said their cats have chewed up their owners’ favorite items or taken their claws to paper! So the next time you can’t find those receipts for your annual tax filing, there’s a chance your adorable kitty might be to blame.
This is Why Shoes Should Go in the Closet
For some reason, pets can be curious about all the wrong things. At the top of the list are shoes and socks, with twenty-four percent (24%) of pet owners admitting they've come home to find their footwear in tatters. Twenty-percent (20%) of owners said pets have turned the living room into their personal playground, using the brand new couch as a scratching post or chew toy. Twenty-percent (20%) of owners said their pets have torn the carpet to shreds and sixteen-percent (16%) said their pets have a green thumb (or should we say paw?), guilty of damaging their owners’ houseplants.
Does TV and Music Help?
Does leaving the TV or music on for your pets quell mischief? More than half of dog and cat owners (56%) believe it does, choosing to keep the TV, music, or videos playing when they’re not home to make sure their pets are kept entertained. Some pet parents get extra creative, one in five (20%) leaving animal or pet shows on the TV, ten percent (10%) turning up the latest music videos, and seven percent (7%) opting for sitcoms. And in some cases, it works to keep them occupied! In fact, only seven percent (7%) of cats who had media playing while their owners were away were reported to have gotten into mischief. For dogs, however, the number is higher, at around twenty percent (20%). While putting the TV on for your dog may not be a huge deterrent, Ring’s Indoor Cam with Two-Way Talk can help you communicate with your pet and potentially prevent naughty behavior.
Pet-ty Behavior Based on Horoscope and Location
Keep an extra eye on those Libras and Capricorns, who seem to be the naughiest pets. Libra dogs commit more pet-ty crimes - raiding the trash, chewing their owners’ items, unrolling toilet paper - than the average dog, and Capricorn cats perpetrate more pet-ty crimes than the average feline.
And if you live in our nation’s capital, congratulations! DC has the most well behaved pets according to survey respondents, followed by Vermont, South Dakota, Maine and Maryland. The naughtiest pets on average reside in Hawaii, North Dakota, Georgia, Indiana and Nevada.
Prioritizing Your Pet or Dream Job?
With so many of us spending more time at home these days, our pets have become our constant companions, providing some much needed love and comfort. In fact, twenty-nine percent (29%) of dog owners and twenty-six percent (26%) of cat owners admit that they would pass on their dream jobs if it meant they couldn’t bring their pet to work. But with Ring’s devices, there’s no need to make such a difficult decision!
Ring Has Your Back
Whether you are home or away, you can stay connected with your pets and communicate when it matters most. With our collection of security cameras, video doorbells, and alarm system, you can keep an eye on your favorite companion from anywhere, at any time. Whether you're stuck at the office or enjoying a night out, you can quickly and easily access live video feeds from video doorbells and cameras to see what your pets are up to. Plus, with our advanced motion detection technology, you'll receive real-time alerts if anything out of the ordinary happens, like the owner of a bulldog who reported that their dog had raided the fridge, or another person who recounted their cat covering itself in flour and leaving a trail of ghostly paw prints throughout the house. Not only do Ring’s handy device features like Live View and Color Night Vision make it easier for you to keep an eye (and ear) on your pets from anywhere, but with Two-Way Talk, a simple “Bad Dog!” or “No!” spoken through the device can potentially prevent catastrophic damage to your most prized possessions.
Amazon Pet Day Deals
Whether your pet is a Gemini vegetarian or a curious Leo, get ready to celebrate him or her on Amazon Pet Day! From April 24 to May 3, you can score a great deal on devices that will help you keep tabs on your pets while you're out of the house. Help ensure your pets don’t become a destructive force while you're away with $20 off the Ring Indoor Cam (1st Generation on sale for $39.99), or upgrade your home security with 40% off the Ring Video Doorbell Wired (on sale for $38.99). Offer ends May 3, 2023.
It's the perfect time to invest in the tools you need to keep your pets safe and happy. So go ahead and spoil your furry friends, knowing that you have the support of Ring’s cutting-edge technology to keep them out of mischief and by your side for years to come!
If you're looking for ways to keep an eye on your pets when you're away, be sure to check out our list of products below.
To see the full survey data, click here and to learn more about our full line of devices, go to ring.com.
*Survey methodology: Ring commissioned Centiment to poll a representative sample of 1,003 US adults who are cat and dog owners between April 1-7, 2023.
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