Pet Nation

The Inside Story of How Companion Animals Are Transforming Our Homes, Culture, and Economy

By: Mark Cushing

Narrated by: Mark Cushing

An inside look at the forces behind how our pets become treasured members of the family.

In the last 20 years, pets have gone from the backyard to sleeping on our beds, then showing up in every corner of America. Pet Nation tells the story of this seismic shift and the economic, media, legal, political, and social dramas springing from this cultural transformation.

Since 1998, the pet population in the US has almost doubled - about two-thirds of the country now owns a pet. No longer left to wander the neighborhood, dogs and cats eat special food, get individualized medical attention, and even fly in the cabin. As founder of the Animal Policy Group, Mark Cushing provides an inside look at the rise of Pet Nation, tracking the myriad ways pets are acquired (a "Canine Freedom Train" runs south to north), reporting on pet rights legislation (and the unseen problems that come with elevating their status), pet health care (revealing the truth and myths about largescale breeders), and discovering that despite what many organizations would have us believe, there is a shortage of dogs.

Insightful, surprising, and full of great stories, Pet Nation opens our eyes to the big changes happening in front of us right now. It shows us not only what our love of animals says about pets, it shows us what it says about ourselves.

©2020 Mark Cushing (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Dogs and cats are as ubiquitous in social media as our children. The move of our pets from the backyard into our hearts is perhaps the biggest change affecting the modern family. Mark Cushing offers an eye-opening and well-researched account, showing how we’re all the better for it.” (Frans de Waal, New York Times best-selling author of Mama’s Last Hug)

“Pet Nation shows us a country transformed by the love of dogs and cats - and, in one case, a crab-eating raccoon. Written with a storyteller’s exuberance and a researcher’s care, Mark Cushing takes a deep dive into the loving and complex relationship between animals and their humans. Urgent, generous, and wise.” (Jennifer Finney Boylan, best-selling author of Good Boy and She’s Not There)

“If you want to understand how America turned upside-down for pets, and have a great read doing it, then this is the book for you. Mark’s style is always entertaining and informative, and the twists and turns of how this cultural transformation unfolded will keep you going to the last page.” (Dr. Marty Becker, New York Times best-selling author and “America’s Veterinarian”)