Dog Ownership: Influenced By Genetics?

[EnolaGaia]

A new study suggests dog ownership may be influenced by one's genes. The evidence so far is merely suggestive but substantive enough to warrant further inquiries.

Owning a dog is influenced by our genetic make-up

... Summary:Scientists have studied the heritability of dog ownership using information from 35,035 twin pairs from the Swedish Twin Registry. The new study suggests that genetic variation explains more than half of the variation in dog ownership, implying that the choice of getting a dog is heavily influenced by an individual's genetic make-up. ...

A team of Swedish and British scientists have studied the heritability of dog ownership using information from 35,035 twin pairs from the Swedish Twin Registry. The new study suggests that genetic variation explains more than half of the variation in dog ownership, implying that the choice of getting a dog is heavily influenced by an individual's genetic make-up. ...

FULL STORY: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190517081636.htm

 

[catseye]

It doesn't (unless I missed it) identify how many of those dog-owning twins came from from dog owning families. I'd say those people who came from families who grew up with a dog, are more likely to get a dog when they are grown up.

So perhaps the actual study should be 'does having identical twins predispose you towards owning a dog'.