Who's the Boss? Survey Suggests Pet Ownership Is Linked to Professional Success

For anyone who thinks owning a pet makes them a better person, we have good news for you.

Banfield Pet Hospital recently conducted a survey with Kelton Research that found a potential link between pet ownership and professional success. The survey questioned 857 Americans age 18 and older from all walks of life.

Of the C-Suite executives that answered the survey (individuals who hold positions like CEO or CFO), 93 percent grew up with a pet. From that group, 78 percent credited their childhood pet with helping prepare them for career success, with 24 percent agreeing that their childhood pet taught them more about leadership, responsibility and empathy than their first internship.

Childhood pets were also credited with helping these future bosses develop leadership skills like organization, discipline, the ability to identify needs and non-verbal communication.

For these executives, the perks of pet ownership don’t stop at childhood: 77 percent of the C-suite executives surveyed said that they come up with business ideas while walking their dog, while 86 percent said that having a pet now helped them stick to a routine, practice better time management and succeed at multi-tasking. Plus, once the work day is done, pets helped 93 percent of C-suite executives surveyed reduce stress and relax.

After reading all the favorable reviews, it should come as no surprise that 90 percent of these leaders believed that pet ownership could be beneficial for children today.