- 75% of Brits bought a pet for unconditional love
- Brits spend 7.5 hours a day with their pet
- The Pet Health Club launches search to find UK’s Pet Hero of the Year
Animal lovers are buying pets to be their best friends and provide unconditional love, highlighting how pets are central to their owners’ happiness.
New research by The Pet Health Club(1) reveals that nine out of 10 (88%) animal owners claim they bought a four-legged friend for companionship and three quarters (75%) for unconditional love(2). More than one in 10 (13%) also said they bought a pet instead of having a baby.
Top 10 reasons Brits get a paw-fect pal:
- For companionship
- Pets offer unconditional love
- To get fit/ exercise with a pet
- Pets are entertaining
- Pets are cute
- I bought a pet instead of having a baby
- My partner wanted a pet
- My children wanted a pet
- To teach my children responsibility
- I wanted to socialise via having a pet
To celebrate the emotional and practical role pets play in their owners’ lives, The Pet Health Club is launching a national competition to find the UK’s Pet Hero of the Year(3). Did your cat comfort you after the death of a loved one? Perhaps your rabbit alerted you to an intruder with their excellent hearing. Has your dog detected an illness that you weren’t aware of? Whatever it is that makes a pet extra special, The Pet Health Club wants to know.
TV Vet, Rory Cowlam said: “Pets sit at the heart of families with half (49%) of us having a fluffy friend(4). Our animals are there for us in good times and bad, always there to lend a helping paw when times get tough. It’s not a surprise to me that The Pet Health Club found that we think of pets as part of the family, I certainly think of my cat Tripod as mine.”
“I’m really excited to be involved in The Pet Health Club’s search for the Pet Hero of the Year. There are so many amazing animals that have done incredible things to help their owners. We are looking for courageous cats, daring dogs and reassuring rabbits to enter our competition. If you think your animal has done something heroic let us know.”
The winner will receive an annual membership to The Pet Health Club and one year’s supply of pet food. To enter pet lovers can email The Pet Health Club onhero@thepethealthclub.co.uk or share a photo of their dog, cat and rabbit on their social channels using #PHChero.
Brits are spending significant quality time with pets, dedicating 7.5 hours a day to being with their furry friends. During this time 8% of pet owners tell all of their worries to their animal and 5% say they depend on their pet for support.
Furry pals are compensated for their loyal service to their owners as 78% say they would rather buy a treat for their pet than themselves.
Rory Cowlam provides five top tips for keeping your pet in paw-some condition:
- Paw-lympic training: Animals need lots of exercise to keep them fit and healthy. The amount of exercise needed is dependent on what type of pet you have and what breed they are. Be sure to research what activity your furry friend requires. Getting moving outdoors will help to keep you in top shape too.
- Healthy hounds: To keep your beloved animal in pur-fect condition it’s important to ensure they have regular health checks and you keep up to date with their vaccinations. Monthly flea treatments and working treatments every three months are also a must for paw-sitively healthy pets. The Pet Health Club includes your vet health treatments for a monthly cost, saving you money while keeping your animal healthy.
- Top teeth: It can be hard to get your four-legged friend to stay still for long enough to brush their teeth. However, keeping on top of oral hygiene is key for healthy pets. If you find brushing your animal’s teeth too hard, try using chew toys or dental sticks to maintain pearly whites.
- Pampered pooches: We can often get carried away showing our fur babies how much we love them with extra treats or too much food. However, animal obesity is a serious issue and can lead to health concerns for our best buds. Manage portion sizes and try to make treats only occasional.
- Playtime: Animals are just like us and get lonely too. Our research found that pet owners are spending 7.5 hours a day with their pet. Make sure you too are dedicating some time to playing with your fluffy pal each day. Studies have found that spending time with pets relieves stress and increases energy and happiness(5), so devoting some time to your cuddly friend will be beneficial to you as well.
(1) The Pet Health Club is a monthly subscription service which offers preventative treatment and services throughout the year for your pet for a monthly cost. Cats, dogs and rabbits are all eligible to join the plan. The benefits included will vary depending on the type of pet that you have. You can find out everything that is included in the plan by visiting the website.
(2) The Pet Health Club surveyed 1,135 of its members between 25 April - 6 May 2019.
(3) To find out more about The Pet Health Club competition visit thepethealthclub.co.uk/pet-hero. Terms and conditions apply.
(4) The PDSA Animal Welfare Report found that 49% of the UK has a pet
(5) Research by the University of British Columbia found that when students are allowed to play with cuddle therapy dogs their stress levels plummet, and energy and happiness increase.
