Dogs are widely considered to be man’s best friend having been the first species to be domesticated by man. Although around the world many families keep dogs as pets, the majority of the world’s dogs are free-range. In 2012, the total population of dogs in the world was estimated to be about 525 million; today that number is estimated to be at 900 million. Establishing the precise number of dogs in the world is challenging attributable to the free-ranging dogs roaming the streets and neighborhoods around the globe.
Free-range dogs are those that are not contained. They can be stray dogs, federal dogs, wild dogs, street dogs and village dogs. Stray dogs are differentiated from feral dogs in that they were socialized before becoming free-ranging, whereas feral dogs are raised without human socialization. The WHO estimates the total number of stray dogs to be about 200 million, and the total population of free-range dogs to make up about 75-85% of the global dog population.
Patterns of dog ownership vary across many countries in the world. It is easier to find out the number of pet dogs compared to finding out the total population of dogs. This fact is because many governments in the world have enacted pet registration rules.
Credit : World Atlas
Picture Credit : Google
