Survey shows lack of new puppy owner financial planning

A survey has highlighted concerns about the ability of new puppy owners to care for their dogs in the long-term.

Many in the UK have taken on a dog for the first time during the continuing pandemic, but the survey by Tailwise – a puppy matching service between prospective owners and responsible breeders – has revealed a number of concerns.

Findings

Key findings in the survey of 1,000 new dog owners include:

• Almost half (46%) had not planned a monthly budget before they began looking for a dog.
• Of those who did plan a budget, the average amount planned was £90 – around half of the average monthly cost of having a dog.
• A total of 60% of respondents had not planned how they would care for their dog beyond the next 12 months and 13% considered a time frame beyond the next 1 to 2 years in planning how they would care for a dog.
• While 40% have planned day care and companionship for their dog if their circumstances change, 58% had only a vague plan at best in place and hadn’t budgeted for this.

Time-consuming

The figures also showed 36% found owning a puppy was more expensive and 46% more time-consuming than they had thought it would be. One in three (29%) had never owned a dog before.

Beverley Cuddy – editor of Dogs Today and animal welfare campaigner, who recently joined Tailwise – said: “It’s so hard to budget for the future in even an average year, but COVID means we’re all into the unknown. But prospective pet owners need to look ahead as the cost of a dog is much more than the purchase price.

“You may be locked down and possibly furloughed, which may seem a perfect time to train a puppy, but there is no NHS for dogs so you will need very good pet insurance or substantial savings for many years to come.

“Good breeders want to be sure new families are ready to commit. They want their pups to go to forever homes – because they love them altruistically. Exposure to a profit-led breeder can result in buying the wrong dog, from the wrong person, at the wrong time.”