British owners spend £162m on their dogs for Christmas

British owners spend £162m on their dogs for Christmas

Christmas is the time of year when we all indulge more than we probably should. Diets go out the window, the budgets we promise ourselves to stick to are stretched and for pet owners…we spoil our fluffy friends in ways they don’t understand.

‘An estimated 7.37 million furry friends will receive presents such as treats, soft toys and bones and chews.’

(The Independant, 2020)

So is there actually anything wrong with spoiling our pets?

In the grand scheme of things, of course not- after all, they provide us with a companionship that is a loyalty we could never expect and we work all year round, so why shouldn’t we spend a little extra on them?

You may have a pet that gets more joy out of the wrapping paper than the actual gift, but as much as we don’t like to admit it to our pet-less friends, seeing their little faces light up for a treat or toy any time of year is a joy.

‘A survey of 2,000 dog owners found almost three-quarters will be treating their animals during the festive season — spending an average of £21.92 per pet.’

(The Independant, 2020)

It’s no wonder then that we spend as much (or sometimes more) than we would on a gift for another human.

So what’s the numbers then and what are they really showing us?

Dog owners spend an average totaling £156 billion every year. This is on everything from vet visits to daily food, treats and toys.

We’ve broached a similar subject where if all pet product manufacturers, distributors and retailers were to donate a percentage of their sale to rescue shelters, it would equate to dizzying amounts- million upon millions. Just take the 2% we donate, if every retailer of pet products in the UK alone were to do the same, donations of £63 million would be raised each and every year. Think of what that could do for the animals that aren’t so fortunate- and not just at Christmas! (If you missed that post, check it out here: https://petsofthepeople.co.uk/post/pet-industry-why-isn-t-63-million-being-donated-to-animal-shelters-every-year)

Christmas is not only a time to spoil ourselves but also a time when we are more generous to charity causes. We often see more charities receiving donations through things like Christmas cards, calendars and tv advertising. Maybe it’s because we are spending more time in front of our tv so exposed to more messages of appeal, but surely donating at any time of year can only be a good thing, right?

It’s true. Every penny counts, whether that be once in a lifetime or continuous, consistent donations. Of course, the more the better, but that’s not always possible, for a whole host of reasons. There is a way we can do more though…

We have to buy pet food. The advice is always the same- buy the best you can afford (or in the context of the fussy eaters, whatever they’ll eat!) Most of us do this monthly, bi monthly or quarterly depending on what we can afford or how much our pet eats. We do this every time- without fail. None of our pets will go without - we’d go hungry before our pets did.

So here we have an opportunity to make a difference. We can donate at Christmas to rescue shelters instead of buying our pets presents and that would be great- the more the merrier! But we say you can do both. We can buy our pet food from retailers that seamlessly merge the two.  The two are not mutually exclusive- certainly they shouldn’t be. Which is why whether it be Christmas, Easter, summer or just a plain old rainy day in November, POTP donate 2% of our sales each and every time.

At no additional cost to us pet owners, by picking a responsible source for pet supplies, we can send regular donations to the causes that need them most. All year round we can be doing our bit to support and change the pet industry to make sure more animals get the help they need and deserve.

For more on Pets of the People’s specific set up for facilitating this type of scheme check it out here: www.petsofthepeople.co.uk/about