The great pet debate: Fidos or felines?

“When you think about it, their relationship with us is based on contract-like principles. They stick around filling a need we have for companionship, and all they want is a little food and a scratch behind the ears once in a while,” Boger wrote in a 2012 Facebook post about William.

Still, cats don’t quite offer the same affection as dogs do, said Carol Andrew of CJ’s Dog Training.

“(Dogs are) unconditional. They love you no matter what,” she said.

Over the years, Andrew, 72, has owned about 15 dogs — from poodles to an Irish wolfhound, and sometimes five dogs at a time.

Her fondness for Fido is what inspired her to switch to a career in dog training.

“People think dogs are stubborn or stupid. They’re not. They just need more information,” she explained.

So which pet do Clark County residents favor?

According to the data, Clark County residents own more cats than dogs. But don’t worry dog lovers, you’ll find Fido has taken up residency in more homes.

The numbers

Clark County Animal Control, which handles pet licensing for all of the county’s unincorporated areas, as well as the cities of Vancouver and Yacolt, in 2015 had issued more than 22,700 dog licenses and nearly 7,100 cat licenses as of November, according to the agency’s manager, Paul Scarpelli.

However, Scarpelli estimates there are upwards of 88,000 dogs in the county — 27 percent are licensed — and more than 96,000 cats, of which only 8 percent are licensed. These numbers are just for the areas that Clark County Animal Control serves, he said.

Scarpelli said he doesn’t know why people typically own multiple cats and not multiple dogs, “other than perhaps cats require less.”

Benefits of both

Boger, who is a prime example of U.S. cat ownership, said in a November interview that he initially got his Himalayans so they could keep each other company.

He read that it’s best to keep cats in pairs.

“I didn’t realize I love cats until I got (those) two,” Boger said, adding that it’s a bit unusual for a man to be a cat person. However, their personalities, he said, made him fall in love.

“I value individuality and people looking out for their own self-interest. And that’s what cats do,” he said.

All dogs are trainable, which is part of their appeal, she said. Andrew’s 9-year-old toy poodle, Boogie, helps her teach her dog-training classes.

She said she also likes that dogs tune into people’s feelings.

“They really help people calm down when they’re really wound up,” Andrew said. “They’re kind of like your little buddies, or big buddy.”

Dogs not only provide emotional support for people who are sick or depressed, she said, they also promote physical benefits. Dogs get people out of the house.

“They motivate you to do things you wouldn’t normally do,” Andrew said.

For Vancouver City Councilman Jack Burkman, it’s impossible to choose a favorite. “I enjoy them both,” he said.

Burkman has had both cats and dogs over the years, and currently owns two Australian shepherds, Tazzy, 5, and Rusty, 8, and a Ragdoll cat, named Missy, 16.

He said he likes his cat’s independent but loving nature and the camaraderie he feels with his canines. “Cats are not partners,” he added. “No one can claim a cat. They claim us.”

Burkman said for some parents, after their kids leave home, the household becomes too quiet. Having a pet gives people a purpose in life, he said.

“For many of us, they do become our kids. That’s pretty apparent if you talk to anyone who’s had dogs or cats for a long time and then loses them,” Burkman said.

No clear winner

There may never be a clear winner between cats and dogs, but it’s safe to say that Clark County residents, like most Americans, appear to be pet people.

In 2014, Americans spent $58.04 billion on their pets and are estimated to spend about $60.6 billion by the end of this year, according to the American Pet Products Association.

The survey found people spend more on dogs than on cats. It’s unclear if that’s because dogs require more or if their supplies and care cost more.

Internet-based retailer Amazon last year unveiled a list of the top 20 U.S. cities where residents pamper their pets the most. The list is based on 2013 sales of pet-related items. Although no Clark County cities made the list, Portland ranked fifth and Seattle came in at No. 2. Seattle residents apparently bought the most pet treats, according to Amazon.

Pet owners spend so much on their animals because they are seen as members of the family, said Chief Medical Officer Lee Herold of DoveLewis Animal Hospital in Portland.

“In the United States, our culture is such that pets live in our homes and are part of our family. They are in our daily lives and not peripheral,” Herold said. “I think how much we spend on our pets shows how important they are to us. All of that spending enhances the pet’s lifestyle. … We don’t shrug them aside when things get tough, just like any other member of the family.”

Herold, who owns four cats — Bagheera, 18, Shere Khan, 18, Boromir, 7, and Jet, 2 — and a Catahoula Leopard dog, Adalaide, 8, said both types of animals provide companionship for people, especially for individuals who live alone or are elderly. For families, pets teach a sense of responsibility or stewardship for children, she said.

They also enrich their owners’ lives, Herold said, by connecting them with other pet owners, promoting a sense of community.

What non pet owners don’t realize, she said, is the nuances — playing with and greeting each other — that bond pets and their owners together.

“All of the tiny things make them part of our families,” she said. “No one else can share that unless they’re in the same household with that pet.”