Member Article

Brits pay the price of being dog lovers

Almost half of the dog owners in the North East are unnecessarily paying out thousands of pounds each year. These are the 49% who don’t have pet insurance. Of the 51% who do, 29% said they had made one or two claims on their insurance.

Dogs cause up to £300 worth of damage each year to their homes or owner’s furniture according to 85 per cent of those surveyed. 17 per cent said their dog had been involved in an accident and of that 17 per cent, 85 per cent said it had cost them up to £500 in vet and repair bills.

79 per cent of respondents said they had to clean or replace carpets or rugs and over half 51 per cent said they had to clean, repair or replace chairs and sofas. The most likely time for dog damage to take place (in 52 per cent of cases) is during the day when they are left alone because owners are out at work or school. 20 per cent of people said their dog repeatedly caused damage.

Michael Ward, managing director at PayingTooMuch.com which commissioned the survey said, “It’s a well-known fact that we Brits are a nation of dog lovers, but there are costs associated with owning one which can be considerable, running into the hundreds and even thousands which is why I am surprised that more owners do not take out pet insurance to protect themselves from expensive vet fees and possible damage.”

Only 5 per cent of dog owners ever considered selling or giving away their pet because of the amount of damage it caused. 18 per cent did admit to regretting getting the pet in the first place, top of those reasons given being too much commitment, too much damage, expensive vet bills, and needing more exercise than they can give.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by PayingTooMuch .