In total, 18% of Dutch households have a dog. This brings the number of dogs in our country to 1.5 million. More than half of all dogs (54%) in the Netherlands live in a one-person (22%) or two-person household (32%). The age of people with a dog is relatively high:80 percent of dog owners are older than 40. Most dog owners (23%) are between 55 and 64 years old. Unsurprisingly, the number of dog owners is lowest in the major cities and in the less populated north (both 11%). Most dog lovers live in the south of the country (29%), followed by the west (27%) and the east (22%). This is apparent from the research 'Who is the boss?' by Tinki.nl.
The often-heard comment that people either love cats or dogs, and that cats and dogs are difficult to get along with, does not hold, according to the study. The figures show that almost a third (29%) of dog lovers also own a cat. The research further shows that education level and income do not play a significant role when it comes to people with dogs.
