Really? Massachusetts' Favorite Pet for 2022 Isn't Cats or Dogs?

Believe it or not, I never had a cat or dog for a pet, however, when I was growing up in the northern Berkshires, I was primarily surrounded by dogs as many of my neighbors and relatives had dogs that would come over to my house. Back then, and I'm not sure if Berkshire County pet owners do this as much now, some of my neighbors would let their dogs roam about the neighborhood and those dogs usually made it over to my parent's property. So, even though I didn't have a dog of my own, I felt like in a way I had many dogs. Most of these furry friends were well behaved and believe it or not, they usually didn't make a mess in my yard.

Massachusetts Has a New Favorite Pet

When thinking about what Massachusetts' favorite pet is one would automatically assume that dogs or cats would take the throne but surprisingly they have been dethroned by another popular animal. According to an article that was published by Wicked Local, there was a recent survey that was conducted by DogCentral.org and the results of the survey found that Massachusetts' favorite pet currently is the guinea pig.

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Are You Surprised By This Result for Massachusetts?

I wouldn't have guessed right away that guinea pigs are Massachusetts' favorite pet but I can see where kids, in particular, would be asking their parents for a guinea pig or two. I remember back when I was in the fourth grade (I think that was the grade) we had a class guinea pig and that was a lot of fun as the classmates were able to take turns caring for the little guy. Are you surprised by the results? You can read all about the details and methodology of the survey by going here.

RELATED: Since we are talking about favorite pets, let's see which ones are banned in each state.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

READ ON: Don't feed these foods to your dog

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.