How many homes in the US have pets?

The answer is 86.9 million (66%), and dogs are the most popular, with 65.1 million homes owning a dog, according to Forbes.

Photo: YouTube/ACT Government

But, sadly, My Animals claimed that 80% of pet owners don't know how to take care of them. The lack of information on pet care is among the hurdles. Further, in the European Union alone, where 550,000 animals move around between member-nations every year, only 20,000 get identitified and registered as required by law.

Hence, it's important for everyone who has a pet or plans to adopt an animal for companionship to know about responsible pet ownership. Here are helpful tips from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

Photo: YouTube/ACT Government

1. Choose the right pet. Research pet needs before adopting because not all animals are suitable for for all households. You should also consider if you have kids, elderly perseons, or members with compromised immune systems to prevent any diseases that a pet could cause them.
2. You must make sure to keep your pet healthy for your family's well-being as well. A pet requires a good diet, regular exercise, comfortable shelter, and fresh water. They also need regular veterinary care, including vaccinations, flea and tick control, and deworming, for everyone's protection from certain illnesses.
3. Good hygiene also matters. Make it a habit to wash your hands after feeding, playing with, or cleaning up after your family pet. Also, you must keep your pet away from your own food and those areas where foods are prepared, stored, and served.
Photo: YouTube/ACT Government
4. You must always supervise your young kids around pets, no matter how much you trust them. Kids are the most common victims of bites and scratches. Teach your kids about good hygiene as well, since they are more vulnerable to diseases that come from pets.

In this viral post on Reddit, online commenters slammed all the persons involved in the story, including the Original Poster. The judgment, Everyone Sucks Here, reverberates with righteous anger toward the irresponsible dog owner and OP's extreme reaction.

Here's how it all went, based on OP's post on Reddit's r/AmItheA--hole forum under the username u/Other_Computer_7702: "Imma preface this with I hate dogs. Can't stand them. I think they are gross, I avoid them, I do anything I can to not have them in my life. I have a 6-month-old son. Best kid in the entire world. We are at the neighborhood park, (not a dog park, and all dogs are supposed to stay leashed) and my son, my wife and I are having a picnic. It's going great. Baby is on a big blanket and having the time of his life rolling around, playing, giggling. It's a blast seeing him so happy."

Photo: Pexels/Edwin Ariel Valladares

OP continued to relate that while having their picnic near the park's walking path, two puppies started racing toward them. The pups were unleashed, and the owner was just watching as his pets approached the baby. They were almost on the blanket when OP and his wife noticed.

Their reaction? OP wrote, "At that point, I picked up my son and yelled WTF to the guy. He looked appalled that I didn't enjoy the stunt his dogs and him pulled. My wife is yelling at him, I'm yelling at him. I straight up say I hate your dogs, can you get them. His puppies are just sitting on our blanket expecting to get petted. I start walking toward the guy and am yelling at him to get his dogs."

A heated argument ensued. The guy claimed that his puppies were friendly, and they just wanted to play, not to cause harm to anyone. But OP would not accept his excuses, and he continued cursing him. OP would not stop shouting and cussing until the person took his puppies and went away. But OP was still enraged because their lunch got ruined.

Photo: Pexels/Dmitry Demidov

Now, OP wanted to ask the AITA community if he had been too aggressive with the guy.

Well, they all got slammed! The guy for being irresponsible in letting his puppies roam around without a leash. And OP for his abhorrent behavior.

From Everythingn0w: "ESH, he shouldn’t have let his dogs run around unleashed in a non-dog park, but you had the overreaction of the century by 'straight up telling him you hate his dog' and continuously cussing, especially next to your kid."

Photo: Pexels/Chevanon Photography

From HerNibs1980: "Plus…some people hate kids…when his child is a toddler and toddles over to someone who hates kids, would he prefer that the person calmly say, 'Excuse me would you get your kid please?' or start screaming at him like a banshee and telling him 'I hate your kid!!??' Agreed that the puppy should have been leashed, but my god, What a horrible way to interact with other people!!"

From Livid-Garbage8255: "I thought the same thing. Guy sounds a little irrational and immature. Some of my kids are younger than him, it sounds like, and they know how to handle themselves in conflict. This guy sounds like road rage waiting to happen.

"OP YTA. Way to teach your kid how to be aggressive and unreasonable. Totally unnecessary. This would have gone so much differently if your first words to him weren't WTF. I was already leaning towards yta for starting your post off with imma. Even my kids dropped that text slang on their own last year."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vknRNfR3z0w