Pet

Pets are animals that are held by people from different motives usually in the home or in other confined contact with him. Motives for the keeping of pet animals may be: Joy of animal, ornament, interest in behavior or breeding of animals, a substitute for social partner or playmate for children.

Pet animals are almost all come in size and behavior to attitude in the apartment suitable species in question, which, with suitable accommodation to also quite dangerous animals may include: scorpions, poisonous spiders, poisonous snakes, boas.

Term

The European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals from November 13, 1987, provides in Article 1, the term pet as follows: " By pet animal refers to an animal, the man keeps his own enjoyment and companionship in his household or intended for this purpose is. "

The terms animal and pet are partly separated from one another out of focus. In everyday language, both terms are used generally as synonyms. In scientifically precise use of language is in pets animals which were kept and domesticated by humans for specific purposes. In some species of domestic animals are kept or pet is today the vast Keep the original use and purpose only plays a minor role, eg in domestic cat or house dog. The transitions are fluid. So the house is guinea pig in his South American home, a farm animal, in Europe it is held since its launch in addition to the use as experimental animals but almost exclusively as a pet. Generally overlap between laboratory animals and pet animals are frequently encountered; some now popular pets such as the golden hamster or pet rat were bred as laboratory animals.

For species kept as a pet can be all transitions from tomboy find up to the extensive domestication.

Pet population in Germany

According to the Central Association of German Pet Trade & Industry 2009 pets were in Germany held approximately every third household. Without ornamental fish and terrarium animals their number was 22.6 million animals, including 5.4 million dogs, 8.2 million cats, 3.4 million birds and 5.6 million small animals. In addition, approximately 2 million fish tanks were operated, 2.1 million garden ponds with fish and 0.4 million terrariums.

Pet in English

The term pet is a translation of the English term pet. Pet is often translated as a pet. In English there for the pet in the biological sense, the term domestic animal.