Answer: 68%.

Questions:

• Do you have a pet currently? Have you ever had a pet? 
• What do you think are the annual costs to have a pet, such as a cat or dog? 
• Would you ever consider buying pet insurance to help cover potential vet expenses for a pet?

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (National Pet Owners Survey):

Sixty-eight percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own a pet, according to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA). This is up from 56 percent of U.S. households in 1988, the first year the survey was conducted.

Here's how much is spent on pets:

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Looking for a video to accompany this question? Here's one: What you need to know before you get a pet. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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