*Corresponding author: MS McConnell; E-mail: marieserena@ldc.edu.in
In human history, pets have been regarded as a prized possession above all others, with the dog being one of the most revered. The present survey shows that Indian pet owners are on the rise (51%), and 46% of participants own dogs as pets. Modern pet owners place the most importance on pet maintenance (32%), when choosing pets. Despite knowledge of indigenous dog breeds among participants (75%), they are unable to recognize many at first sight. Onsight, participants were more familiar with exotic dog breeds and could distinguish the German Shepard (8%), the Doberman (7%), the Golden Retriever (7%) and the Pug (7%) from indigenous breeds. It is essential to scientifically document the exemplary traits of Indian indigenous dog breeds to save them from extinction.
• People are more obsessed with possessing the foreign/exotic breeds than Indian indigenous breeds.
• Various factors such as maintenance, size, etc. influence the type of dog chosen. Even though people have heard of many breeds of dogs, visual identification of dogs is a problem.
Pet, Dog, Indigenous, Exotic, Extinction
