Turns out the Inland Northwest is a region that is especially welcoming to our furry friends.

The American Veterinary Medical Association recently released its U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, which ranked Washington as the 6th best state for pet ownership and Idaho as the No. 8 state for pet ownership.

The study found that 62.7 percent of Washington and 62 percent of Idaho households owned a pet; the report said that Washingtonians have the fifth most cats at 39 percent of households and Idaho at 34.6 percent – good for 8th highest.

The numbers

Top Pet Owning States:

Silvano Bitencourt is a native of Brazil. He came to the United States with pretty much nothing but the shirt on his back and the American Dream in his heart. Silvano not only has accomplished the American Dream he recently became a United States Citizen.

I had a chance to talk with him recently about his Dog & Cat Grooming business in Spokane, becoming a citizen and what he has planned for the future.

Tell me a little about yourself, I know you're Brazilian. How does a Brazilian wind up living in Spokane?

I am Brazilian born in Brasilia Distrito Federal Brazil, I belong to the first generation of the federal capital of the nation. When I decided to fight for my American dream, get out of Brazil to Miami FL, where I started the whole course of my life in America. After a few years in Florida, several economic problems and other personal reasons, I was curious and sought other places to follow my dreams.

I decided to move to Spokane, I thought it was a charming city and not expensive to live. I didn't know anyone here, I faced problems of adaptation and acceptance in this community. I was the victim of discrimination in a sporting goods store when I first moved here. My accent if very thick so I think it was surprising to see a Latino. But Spokane has come a long way in terms of acceptance of different people.

We get news releases about cat and dog adoptions at local shelters all the time, but this is the first we've heard about wild horse adoptions. You'll have to drive all the way down to Boise to adopt wild horses from White Pine and Elko Counties.

They've got bay, palomino, sorrel, grulla, roan and black mares and geldings ranging from eight months to one year of age. The adoption event is on February 27th at 1 p.m. at the Boise Wild Horse Corrals off of Pleasant Valley Road. Adoption fees are $75 for the first horse and $25 for the second horse. You can view the horses ahead of time by calling Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, Steve Leonard at (208) 384-3454.

“All horses available for adoption have been de-wormed and have received vaccinations for common equine conditions and diseases,” according to Leonard. “Adopters will receive complete health care records, as well as herd management and other equine information for their newly adopted animals.” /BLM Press Release