National Pet Day 2022: What's Your State's Pet Preference? It's Not All Cats And Dogs

Monday marks National Pet Day, and Google Trends has dug into finding the most beloved pet by state -- at least according to its search engine results.

Google Trends has tracked the most searched pets by state, excluding cats and dogs, with some surprising results. The interest in non-traditional pets ranges widely in species across the country

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most American households have at least one pet, which comes with plenty of benefits –- such as promoting exercise, which reduces blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. Pets can also help their owners to manage loneliness and depression, the CDC said.

But not all pets are of the cat and dog variety, as the results from Google Trends, obtained by USA Today, indicated. The southern regions of the U.S. were particularly interested in bearded dragons, while the guinea pigs proved to be popular in other parts of the country. And for reasons unknown, New Mexico has a fondness for hamsters, Google Trends showed.

What your state’s most searched pet? Take a look at the results from Google Trends, as provided by USA Today: