Pet Pawfection

If you aren't familiar with Brian Griffin, he is the talking dog on the Family Guy show who enjoys the life of a human, with all of its benefits and vices.

Brian Griffin is an 8-year-old talking white Labrador who has lived with the Griffin family since Peter picked him up as a stray. He also possesses various anthropomorphic qualities, such as the ability to speak intelligently, drive a car, and walk bipedally. Earlier in the series, he used the catch phrase "Whose leg do you have to hump to get a dry martini around here?". He also has a particularly sharp wit. [Wikia Bio of Brian Griffin]

Although Brian is quite the mess, succumbing to just about every known human vice, the Life of Brian is the envy of all furry, four-legged creatures. According to a new survey conducted by Fox to celebrate the Season 11 release of Family Guy on DVD, Brits love to spoil their dogs rotten. In fact, almost two thirds of British dog mamas and papas treat their pooches more like humans than pets. And we thought we had it good here in the US!

The results of the study, which questioned 2,000 UK of these mamas and papas, revealed other interesting insights:

62% of British dog owners admit they treat their dogs more like humans, with one in four taking it as far as dressing them in human clothes and a hair-raising 64% regularly feeding them human food and drink. Over a third let their dogs sleep in their bed, with many stating loneliness as a factor, while 13% let them sit at the dinner table to eat and one in six take them to the pub.

One in four of those surveyed take the humanisation of their hounds as far as dressing them up in human clothes, perhaps inspired by celebrities such as Jonathan Ross. A quarter even cook specially prepared food for their dogs, with over 50% accepting that they over-indulge or pamper their four-legged friends. And despite the economic climate, 10% are spending over £250 a month to keep their dogs happy.

Many surveyed accept the negative effects of humanising and over-indulging their pets, with over half admitting they run the risk of letting their dogs become spoilt and 52% fearing they could become overweight and lazy as a result. One in five (21%) even revealed that their friends think they are crazy for treating their dogs in such a way!

According to dog behaviorist Debbie Connolly:

There are owners who devote their whole lives to their pets and exclude intimate human relationships, getting companionship and comfort from their animals that they are afraid to get from other humans. Some dress their pets up, claiming that they even have favourite outfits. This is impossible – the dog simply reacts to the excitement and attention the owner is giving them.

Yes, humans can go overboard. But who can blame them? Us dogs are quite irresistible, and many of us know how to get our way with very little effort. And with all due respect to Ms. Connolly, I DO have favorite outfits - but that's because I'm FABULOUS!

To top things off, Fox held a celebration in honor of Brian Griffin at Islington's The Mucky Pup. The video below shows numerous dogs enjoying the life of Brian. According to Big Distraction, "The menu included 'dogtails' 'Hair of the Dog', 'Dog Island Ice Tea', 'Mutt-ini' and 'Salty Dog', while choice bites included 'Bow Wow Wow Chicken Liver Parfait', 'Paw Licking Chicken' and 'Pawtisserie-Bonewhiches'." Judging by the amount of splashing and splattering, some of my fur brothers and sisters appear to have been raised by wolves!

Two paws up to The Hollywood News and Big Distraction for the scoop! Go fetch for more interesting survey results and photos of The Mucky Pup event.

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