Hopper, five-year-old Aussidoodle
Pets of Nat Geo: Meet Our Staffers' Best Friends
In honor of National Pet Month, we highlight the animal friends that help power our yellow border.
There's no question Americans love their pets; about 78 million dogs and 85.8 million cats live in homes throughout the United States.
You can be sure that the people behind the yellow border have a soft spot for critters too, wild or tame. So, to celebrate National Pet Month and the launch of our new series Domesticated, we thought we'd look closer to home to highlight the family pets owned by National Geographic staffers.
Nat Geo photo editors chose more than 30 animals to bring into the studio in Washington, D.C., from dogs to cats to turtles to hamsters to guinea pigs.
All were (mostly) well behaved, even when asked to sit still under harsh lights. The editors then combed through 3,000 images to put together the final selection of 25 pictures you see above.
Love these pets? Send us photos of your own domesticated pals on YourShot.
And once you're done with the gallery, explore our Domesticated hub, which explores all things pets, such as pampered kittens, pricey pet fish, and captive-bred skunks.
