Abstract
A sample of the Swedish population was surveyed by interviewing households by telephone. The number interviewed was 11,762, of which 15.5% owned dogs, and of these, 77.9% had one dog. The estimated total population of dogs in Sweden was just over 800 000. Dog-owning was more common in more rural areas compared to larger cities. The numbers of male and female dogs were similar and few dogs were neutered. Mean age was 5.7 years with median 5 years. Mongrels comprised 13.3% and the most common breed was the dachshund (7.4%). Of dogs with information on insurance status, 68.4% of the dogs were insured for veterinary care and 58.3% were life insured.
Keywords: dog population, demographics, Sweden
Sammanfattning
Ett urval av svenska hushåll interyjuades via telefon. Antalet intervjuade hushåll var 11 762, och av dessa hade 15.5% hund och 77.9% av de hundägande hushållen hade endast en hund. Den totala hundpopulationen i Sverige skattades till över 800,000 hundar. Att ha hund var vanligare på landsbygden jämfört med i större städer. Hanhundar och tikar utgjorde lika stor andelar och få hundar var kastrerade. Medelåldern var 5.7 år och medianen 5 år. Andelen blandrashundar utgjorde 13.3% och den vanligaste hundrasen var tax (7.4%). Av de hundar där information om försäkringsstatus fanns var 68.4% försäkrade for veterinärvård och 58.3% livförsäkrade.
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