Tail-wagging Trends: The most popular pets in America

Americans love their pets. Whether those pets move around on four legs, two legs, or no legs, people in the United States adore their animal companions.

But what kinds of furry, fuzzy, or fluffy creatures take the top prize as America’s favorite animal? We asked 600 pet owners across the country to share their favorite pets and tell us how many animals they share their homes with.

Read on to learn about each of the most popular pets and discover how you can personify your pet in fun ways using Adobe Firefly.

Top 10 most popular pets

42 percent of surveyed Americans had just one pet, followed closely by 33 percent of pet parents owning two. From there, the numbers dwindled: 13 percent owned three pets, 4 percent had four pets, and just 6 percent of surveyed pet owners enjoyed the company of a menagerie of five or more.

Unsurprisingly, dogs and cats ranked atop our poll. They consistently rank among the most popular pets in America, after all. But fish, birds, snakes, hamsters, guinea pigs, and even snakes also made our list:

1. Dog
2. Cat
3. Fish
4. Bird
5. Hamster
6. Guinea pig
7. Snake
8. Lizard
9. Chicken
10. Sheep

Regional differences in pet ownership

We know which pets are the most popular in the United States, but where are those pets most popular? We’ve listed below a breakdown of some of the biggest regional differences in pet ownership:

• Northeast: Dogs are the most popular pet owned by 44 percent of households. Cats come in second at 34 percent. The colder climate makes dogs well-suited for activities like sledding and snowshoeing.
• West Coast: Cats are most popular at 39 percent of households. Dogs follow closely behind at 37 percent. The mild climate enables lots of outdoor activities to enjoy with pets.
• South: Dogs lead at 44 percent of households. Cats follow at 30 percent. The culture of hunting and farming makes dogs a practical choice here. Hot summers may deter some from owning furrier pets.
• Midwest: Dogs lead at 40 percent, followed by cats at 34 percent. Long, cold winters encourage indoor pastimes with pets. Big backyards provide space for large or active dogs.

How to generate an AI pet portrait with Firefly

No matter what kind of pet you have, you probably have hundreds of pictures of them. But what can you do with these images? Imagine what it would look like for your adorable kitten to set foot on the moon or your dog to score a slam dunk, a la Air Bud.

With the Adobe Firefly AI image generator, you can personify your pets to show their personality. All it takes is a good AI art prompt and a few minutes of your time to create something like this:

Unsure how to get started? The following steps can teach you how to make AI art in Firefly quickly.

1. Begin by accessing Firefly.adobe.com and logging into your Adobe account.
   
   If you don’t have an account yet, you can easily create one for free. After logging in, navigate to the Text to Image feature on the homepage to enter the workspace tailored for AI pet portraits.

2. Craft a detailed text prompt.
   
   Compose a vivid description outlining your desired AI pet portrait. Be specific in your prompt, writing exact characteristics such as breed, coloration, and background scenery. For instance, you might request a depiction of a “playful golden retriever against a backdrop of lush greenery illuminated by the soft glow of fireflies.”

3. Generate your personalized pet portrait.
   
   Once you finalized your prompt, press the Generate button to initiate the image creation process. Within moments, Firefly will present you with a selection of AI-generated pet portraits based on your input. Explore the options and utilize the provided buttons to download your preferred images as JPEG files or save them to your Favorites collection for easy access.

4. Fine-tune and regenerate as needed.
   
   Experiment with various settings to refine the appearance of your AI pet portrait. Use the customization options available in the right panel to adjust aspects such as aspect ratio, content type, and camera angle. To create more variations, augment your text prompt to inspire fresh iterations. Remember to save any favored images before generating new ones.

Fun Firefly examples based on top 10 US pets

If you can dream it, Firefly can create it. Here are some fun examples of how you can prompt Firefly to put your pets in precarious and hilarious situations that showcase their personalities.

1. Dogs

Is your dog's best friend a tennis ball? Prompt Firefly to have your dog swim in an ocean of tennis balls.

Does your dog rule the roost at your house? Prompt Firefly to put your dog in a crown atop a royal throne.

Does your dog love human food? Prompt Firefly to have your dog fast asleep while dreaming of all the food in the world.

2. Cats

Imagine your cat discovering a hidden treasure map in your backyard. Prompt Firefly to depict your cat as an adventurous explorer, wearing a rugged explorer's outfit and holding a magnifying glass in its paw.

Does your cat get late-night zoomies? Prompt Firefly to turn your cat into a superhero, running quickly throughout a house.

Does your cat love cat nip? Prompt Firefly to have your cat bounce joyously throughout a house full of cat nip.

3. Fish

Does your fish go crazy during feeding time? Prompt Firefly to have your fish eating like royalty in a great dining room.

Do you ever imagine taking your fish on walks? Prompt Firefly to put your fish in a harness and leash and walk it on a sidewalk.

4. Birds

Do you have a talkative pet bird? Prompt Firefly to have your bird get chatty with another bird on a classic corded phone.

Is your bird particularly regal? Prompt Firefly to put your bird in a top hat with a tuxedo and a monocle.

5. Hamsters

Does your hamster love to run on its wheel? Prompt Firefly to put your hamster in athletic gear while running on a hamster wheel.

Does your hamster love to groom itself? Prompt Firefly to place your hamster in a powder room putting on makeup.

6. Guinea pigs

Does your guinea pig love food? Prompt Firefly to have your guinea pig eating a leafy green salad at a white-clothed table in a fine-dining restaurant.

Does your guinea pig love to burrow? Prompt Firefly to have your guinea pig operating an excavator to dig a massive hole.

7. Snakes

Does your snake love its heat lamp? Prompt Firefly to have your snake laying out on a beach chair wearing sunglasses.

Does your snake like to hide in its enclosure? Prompt Firefly to have your snake hide in a colorful ball pit.

8. Lizards

Are you sad that your bearded dragon doesn’t actually have a beard? Prompt Firefly to make your bearded dragon have a fancy human beard.

Does your gecko love to eat insects? Prompt Firefly to have your gecko in armor dueling a cricket.

9. Chickens

Does your chicken peck at everything? Prompt Firefly to have your chicken peck at a slab of marble to create a beautiful roman-styled chicken sculpture.

Does your chicken love worms? Prompt Firefly to put your chicken in a hard hat digging for worms.

10. Sheep

What if sheep were shepherds and humans were sheep? Prompt Firefly to put your sheep in shepherd's clothing while holding a shepherd’s crook.

If a sheep could knit, it would likely knit the finest wool sweaters. Prompt Firefly to have a sheep hand-knit a merino sweater using its own fur.

What America’s preferred pets reveal

Dogs and cats may reign supreme at the top of the pet ownership food chain, but you have plenty of options if you prefer something smaller — or more exotic. But no matter what kind of pet you prefer, creating stunning art that showcases your pet’s personality is easier than ever.

In fact, we think you should share your adored animal companion with the world. Use Adobe Firefly to build the perfect representation of your pet and share it on social media. Just remember to use the #AdobeFirefly hashtag to make sure we can see the result.