Overwhelmingly, gender of the dog owner makes a considerable difference in the degree of the dog-companionship experience, with women outscoring men across all dimensions. Since women are usually the primary caregivers for dogs, marketers should focus the bulk of their promotions on this demographic segment. Unexpectedly, Attention to Social Comparison Information (the degree to which people compare themselves to others) does not have much effect on how strongly dog owners experience most of the dimensions of dog companionship. This implies that people's experience of their relationship with their dogs is largely independent of their social orientation. Some important questions that arise from this finding deal with the nature of dog companionship, how it differs from human companionship, and the resulting consumption patterns. Who are respondents comparing themselves to — other dog owners or non-dog owners?