In general I would think of Sweden as a very animal-friendly country. Apart from there being a lot of vegans and vegetarians, not to mention the people who eat vegetarian once or twice a week, there are a lot of people that have pets. Cats and dogs are the most common pets. However, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish and birds aren’t uncommon either. Dog owners put a lot of effort, time and money into training their dogs (obedience schools amongst other things). It is not often that you see dogs running loose. They are so well-trained that they can walk next to their owners without being on a lead. Swedes invest a lot of money in their pets- food, vet bills insurance, toys and boarding when they go on holidays. You don’t see the kind of stray cats that you often see in some countries, living on the streets.

Growing up I always thought that people all over the world liked these animals as much as Swedes seemed to. Rarely did anybody ever say that they were afraid of cats or dogs and certainly no one shrank back in fear when birds flew overhead. Although, people being fairly close to animals and nature might be a Swedish characteristic…?

Walking in the woods, especially during berry-picking season leads to a lot of people seeing bears. In general Swedes take these encounters pretty well without too much panicking.