Not sure which sofa to buy? British families let their dogs decide

A leading UK pet insurer has conducted a survey which supports what K9 Magazine has been saying for several years: Being a dog owner influences major lifestyle decisions from holidays to cars and houses to home furnishings.

Decisions about holidays, home furnishings and cars have always been tricky for British families, but, to complicate matters further, another factor is increasingly being taken into consideration: the needs of the family dog.

According to a new study by Petplan, the UK’s leading pet insurer, British pet owners are basing major decisions about their lives and relationships on what they think will be most suitable for their animals. Many would even go so far as to include their pets in pre-nuptial agreements.

Holiday plans were the number one area in which pets had influence. Petplan’s researchers found that 68% of dog owners said that this was the most important area in which to take their pet into consideration.

Next came choice of home furnishings and floors: 50% of dog owners said that their pet was a major influence on their purchasing decisions.

Dog owners then said choice of car was the third most important (48%) followed by garden (47%) and house (25%).

Dog owners also said that their pet had a say in their choice of partner: 6% said that their animal had a stake in their romances.

Those surveyed felt so strongly about their pets that they were even prepared to include them in pre-nuptial agreements. 29% of dog owners said that they’d incorporate their animal into any legal agreement before marriage.

Simon Wheeler, Petplan’s head of marketing, commented: “It’s reassuring to know that owners are thinking so much about the well-being of their pets – even right down to choice of husband or wife.

“As families have changed over the years, pets are now playing a more important emotional role in them and this is reflected in their owners’ feelings towards them. There are fewer big, extended families living close together so caring for a pet during a holiday has become more of an issue. But also the rise of households containing either a single person or two adults means that pets have a bigger say in family life and the decisions that are made – right down to the type of settee.”

Petplan questioned 398 dog owners for its study in late 2007.

K9 Magazine has been saying the same things for years! You want to hear it first? Pick up a subscription the UK’s leading lifestyle magazine for modern dog lovers here

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